Vincent Illusion

Vincent Illusion Knitting Wall-Hanging by Steve Plummer & Pat Ashforth

What is Being Made

The Vincent Illusion is a decorative knitted wall-hanging that creates a striking optical illusion. When viewed straight-on, the piece appears as simple horizontal stripes. However, when viewed from the side at an angle, the knitted fabric reveals an illusion of Vincent Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, the original painting created in 1887 and housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This innovative design combines traditional knitting with visual trickery, making it an engaging and conversation-starting decoration for any space.

Knitting Techniques Used

This project employs illusion knitting, a specialized technique that manipulates how knitted stitches appear depending on the viewing angle. The illusion effect relies on the interplay between the structure of the knitted fabric and the two contrasting yarn colours. The designer recommends working the piece fairly tightly to achieve the best optical effect, as tension directly impacts how the illusion materializes when the finished wall-hanging is viewed from different angles. The technique requires careful attention to the specialized chart provided, which differs from conventional knitting patterns.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch used throughout this wall-hanging is garter stitch, which is created by knitting every row. Garter stitch is ideal for illusion knitting because its horizontal ridges and bumps create the visual foundation necessary for the optical illusion to work effectively. The simplicity of using a single stitch type allows the colour changes and fabric structure to be the focus of the design.

Materials Required

• Yarn: 420 metres (460 yards) of DK weight yarn in each of two contrasting colours. The original design uses Denim and Parchment. Additional yarn is required for borders. While DK weight is specified, the pattern notes that any yarn thickness can be used, though this will affect the overall finished size of the panel.
• Needles: Size 3.25 mm needles are recommended to achieve the tight tension necessary for the illusion effect. Needle size may be adjusted based on personal tension and desired finished dimensions. Tighter tension produces better illusion results for wall-hangings and bags, while slightly looser tension may be preferred for softer projects like cushions, sweaters, or afghans.
• Finished Size: Approximately 68 cm x 80 cm (27" x 32") when worked at a tension of approximately 5 stitches to 2.5 cm (1") using garter stitch.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty. While garter stitch itself is a beginner technique, the illusion knitting method and specialized charting system require knitters to understand and follow a non-traditional pattern format. Success depends on maintaining consistent tension and carefully following the unique chart provided with the pattern.