illusion patterns
... and how to create them
| |
What is an illusion pattern?
|
|
|
The finished pattern is very effective, and depending on which
angle you look at it, the pattern will disappear and reappear. The effect is very
similar to the hologram you see at the bottom of a credit card.
To machine knit these patterns, you MUST have a garter carriage. Hand knitting
instructions can be found here.
You will need to use 2 well-contrasting yarns - the better the contrast, the better
the finished effect. Navy & cream, or black & white work best, though
you could try a light and a dark shade of the same colour. The yarns MUST also
be changed every 2 rows. You can start with either the light or the dark yarn,
it doesn't matter, though the finished pattern will look different either way.
Also make sure that you start on row 1 of the pattern - you must always start
with a blank row or the pattern just will not work.
The garments are ALWAYS knitted sideways, or you will not be able to see the Illusion.
If you are knitting the sleeves in the illusion pattern also, then they need to
be knitted from the cuff to armhole.
Normally, the illusion is knitted over the whole of the garment, but the pattern
I designed (see the illusion
sweater) just has the illusion pattern down a central front panel. This made
it a lot faster to knit.
|
How to design your own illusion patterns
|
|
|
|
The chart on the left is part of the original geometric
pattern that I used for the sweater panel. (And yes the grid is straight - it's
an optical illusion this time!). I've found that Geometric patterns work best,
though don't use anything longer than about 40 rows, or you'll end up with a huge
unmanageable pattern. It's best to design a normal geometric pattern first, or
use one you've already got. |
On a blank graph, draw the first pattern row of your
original pattern on the *second* row of the graph. Then leave 3 blank rows, then
draw the second pattern row. Carry on like this, drawing the pattern rows on every
4th row, and leaving 2 blank rows at the end.
Then, you draw the background stitches in. You'll be drawing them on the middle
of each of those 3 blank rows right to the end. So what you'll end up with, starting
from the bottom, is 1 blank row, 1 pattern row, 1 blank row, 1 background row,
all the way to the end.
You MUST always start your knitting with that first blank row, or it just won't
come out right, all you'll end up with is stripes. (Don't ask me how I know!!)
And make sure that the sequence is correct if you're knitting more than one repeat.
To check you've got it right, you should always end up with a pattern that is
exactly 4 times longer than the original. |
|
| The second chart shows the original geometric pattern
above, now converted to an illusion pattern. The entire illusion pattern chart
is 80 rows in length, the original geometric pattern was just 20 rows long. |
|
Following the sample chart from the bottom:
Row 1: Colour one, knit the whole row of white squares
Row 2: Colour one, purl the white squares, and knit the black squares
Row 3: Colour two, knit the whole row of white squares
Row 4: Colour two, purl the white squares, and knit the black squares
Repeat the colour sequence as in rows 1 to 4, changing your colour every two rows.
ALWAYS start with that plain row, or it won't work.
To see the illusion, garments should be knitted sideways. I found that knitting
with a tighter tension than normal gave the best results.
|
|
|
|
