Tim's Illusion Scarf

Now that I've received word that Tim has officialy received his illusion scarf, I can share pictures of it with everyone. When looked at straight on, it looks just like a plain striped scarf: But when viewed at an angle, this is what you see:The pattern is called "Card Trick" and I discovered it on the Knitty Gritty show on the DIY network. You can find the pattern yourself at:

diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dkng/episode/0,2046,diy_18180_32904,00

This project was so fun to work on, because I could watch the pattern just pop out as I went. It's strictly knit and purl, with following a chart as you go along. The chart isn't very logical, because one color doesn't always mean one thing, but I got through it just fine.

The yarn I used was Caron Simply Soft Quick, which is unapologetically 100% acrylic. The yarn is very soft, and shows surprisingly detailed stitch definition. It also blocks like a dream. It may have the tendency to pill a bit over time, but is still delightful to work with and wear. I modified the pattern by only knitting each card suit once, instead of twice, because Tim requested a 58" scarf. If each pattern was knit twice as the pattern calls for, this scarf would be 10 feet long! Great if that's your thing, but my darling nephew was quite specific with his length requirements. I used one skein each of red and black, and two skeins of white. At $2.49 a skein, that's not a bad investment for such a fun scarf.

The pattern calls for you to use a size smaller needle than the yarn recommends in order for the pattern to pop out. I used size 10 straight needles.

This pattern was written by Shetha Nolke. Snaps to you, girlfriend!

If the previous line wasn't a dead giveaway for the current movie line contest, the next one will be. Here is the first line:

"It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed."

and the new line is:

"Are you not entertained?!?"

Good luck to all.