Expert: Tracey Waller - 4/2/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Tracey

Firstly, thanks in advance for helping out!

My question relates to illusion knitting. I've never done it before, and I've also never followed charts before so I'm a little bit lost.

I want to knit the linux illusion scarf. The problem is - the full english translation of the pattern doesn't seem to have the charts with it.  (They appear blank when I try to look at the website).  So I am trying to do this using a combination of an english translation (without charts), and looking at the charts which are on a website in finnish!

Here are the 'words' from the english site: http://www.clipclip.org/clips/detail/3787/linux-scarf-from-ulla

Here are the 'charts' from the finnish site : http://www.ullaneule.net/0205/ohjeet_tux.html

I have two questions.  Firstly, can you please confirm that when I start knitting the penguin, I start at the bottom right corner of the chart.

Secondly, when I start knitting the word 'Linux', it says to follow the chart from the top down. That seems very confusing to me because in the photo of the scarf, the 'L (in the word 'linux') is at the end of the scarf near the tassles.  Why then would I start this at the top of this chart?  

Because the word is back-to-front and upside down in the chart, I've no idea where to start the chart from.  Can you please let me know if I start at the top left, top right, bottom left or bottom right of the chart?  

Sorry if this is confusing.

Thanks in advance.  

If you would be able to help me out with an answer, I'd be ever so grateful.

ANSWER: Hiya Christina,

Thanks for your question - you are going to love me!!

Follow this link:

http://web.archive.org/web/20071227182208/http://dabne.net/carolina/geekknit/lin

it should take you directly to another site that I am a member of, with access to charts for your scarf. If it doesn't work, let me know and leave me your email address and I shall email you a copy of it as a .pdf file...

Its all there for you!!

keep the faith!!

Tracey

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Tracey - wow, thanks for the really quick response!  I can access that link and it has both the instructions and the chart.  Excellent!

I am still a little confused though (sorry!) because for the second chart, it says to start from the 'top down'....I'm still not sure how that would work.  

If I follow the instruction and start from the 'top down', the top of the chart has the letter "L" (from the word 'Linux').  Yet in the photo, the "L" is at the end of the scarf i.e. the bit that you would knit last, not first......  Wouldn't you knit the 'X' before the 'L'?  To me, starting at the top of the chart doesn't seem to make sense.

Maybe I am missing something, I tend to think that if I want the scarf to appear the same way it does in the photo, that I need to follow this chart from the bottom right hand corner, and not from the 'top down' as the pattern says.  

As I say, I'm no expert and am probably missing something......  I'd love it if you could explain how it will work and verify what corner I need to start the second chart at?

Answer
Hi again Christina

Looking again at the picture and re reading the instructions, I could only assume that the reason you knit the L from the top down is so that when you are actually wearing the scarf, the penguin and the word Linux appear the right side up instead of one or the other being upside down.

I suggest follow the exact instructions for a few rows and see how it pans out... i think that immediately above the penguins head should the letter X be started, and then worked up until the letter L is completed. That way it is not only right side facing, but right side worded, not inside out or back to front...it will make sense as you wear it. Look again at the picture of the scarf and see where the letters are in relation to the penguin's head... it sould make a little more sense that way!

Sometimes, we expect our patterns to be very logical, but in the execution of some very confusing instructions, it seems to work out as we go!

I hope that helps

Tracey