Praying Hands Illusion

Praying Hands Illusion Knitting Pattern by Steve Plummer

What Is Being Made

The Praying Hands Illusion is a knitting pattern designed by Steve Plummer and Pat Ashforth that creates a striking visual illusion based on a historic drawing by Albrecht Dürer. This pattern offers two distinct project options: a decorative shawl and a wall-hanging. Both versions feature the same illusion imagery but are presented in different colorways to reflect the original artwork's history. The shawl version uses blue tones, inspired by the blue paper of Dürer's original preparatory sketch titled Hands of the Apostle. The wall-hanging version employs copper colors, reflecting the appearance of traditional engravings of this famous artwork. The original drawing was created as a preparatory sketch for an altarpiece painting that was later destroyed in a fire, making this knitting pattern a meaningful tribute to a significant historical artwork.

Techniques and Construction

This pattern utilizes illusion knitting, a specialized technique that creates a hidden image that becomes visible only when the finished piece is viewed from a distance or at certain angles. The illusion effect is achieved through strategic color changes and stitch placement that work together to form the recognizable image of praying hands. This intermediate-level technique requires careful attention to pattern instructions and color changes to ensure the illusion develops correctly throughout the knitting process.

Yarn and Materials

Both the shawl and wall-hanging versions are worked in Double Knitting (DK) weight yarn. Two contrasting colors are essential for either project to create the illusion effect. The shawl requires approximately 400 metres of each color, with additional yardage needed for the border. The pattern notes that while the projects shown were made with DK yarn, the pattern could be adapted to other yarn weights, though this would affect the overall finished size of the completed piece.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with some experience who are ready to tackle more complex color work and illusion techniques. The intermediate classification reflects the need for careful attention to color changes and pattern sequences required to successfully create the illusion effect.