Illusion Knitting!

So now that the schools are out, I can catch up with some knitting posts!

I am having a little party here with Sam as we enjoy being some of the lucky Louisvillians with utilities & a stocked pantry.

We're also going to celebrate Sept 19th, National Talk Like a Pirate Day!!!
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Last weekend I saw this pattern by the fascinating Isolde Teague linked to Ravelry
http://ysolda.com//wordpress/skull-illusion-knit-scarf/





Illusion knitting is quite cool…
However, it does have it's down side.

To me, when you do not see the illusion, it just looks like shoddy knitting. I was trained into knitting by a strict artisan approach. My Mother always felt (just as her Grandmother who taught her & all the ladies before her...) that if it could be done better, don't fret, frog it out & do it better.
Yeah, I had a hard time watching the frogging as a child, but I was always better pleased with what I made in the end. Pride is a great teaching tool, when harnessed correctly.

I like to think I have a more relaxed idea about that... I try to focus on the beauty of the "Persian Flaw" (The legend behind the phrase "Persian flaw" goes that in ancient times, Persian rug makers were deeply religious and believed that only God could make something perfect. They would deliberately drop in a small faulty stitch, a flaw, into each Persian rug. In doing so, a “Persian Flaw” revealed the rug maker’s devotion to God.) or the artist's tradition of the "happy accident".

I have a friend who has such a code of quality she will never hesitate to frog an entire project rather than slack on her craftsmanship (Sonya, you KNOW I mean you...). I have fiber artist friends who scrumble without a net & actively encourage the improv-ed & unrepeatable in the webs they create.
I'd like to find myself somewhere in the middle... However, my early training makes me hesitate before plunging into this style of knitting. Artist friends, I know you LIVE to break down barriers like this, but I cannot help myself!

There are many free charts out there to be found on them internets, but if you are a book sort, I recommend Shadow Knitting by Vivian Hoxbro, which is still in print & available all over the US. Hoxbro uses shadow knitting to create some very artistic effects which consciously side step the pitfall of the "poorly knit" look those super fun charts out there like the irresistibly subversive Alien Illusion Scarf from Shetha Nolke (which an be found it in the classic Stitch 'n Bitch:the Knitter's Handbook) can't help but have.

I would love to use Isolde Teague's skull chart for a sweater pattern for Sam or something.
So, stay tuned for further developments.