In lower Meherabad, India, there is a blue car in the middle of a field. It used to carry Meher Baba. Now, it’s resting.
This picture was on my ‘to knit’ list for many years. I am happy I finally did it, and it always pleases my heart with it child-like quality.
A knitted picture of Seclusion Hill, Meherazad, India, where Meher Baba did a lot of seclusion work.
Size: 18X12″, mounted on foam board.
The picture is for sale on my littlebabas shop.
Though it’s hard to see, these are 2 sides of the same knitting. The one on the left is finished and used here as a curtain, the one on the right was taken earlier, before finishing and weaving-in the tails. It’s a picture I knitted years ago, and now testing it for a pattern.
The pattern started from paper cuts images (top right), and then I made their reflection (top left). The picture can be held 4 ways: The 2 above + their up-side down.
I used to think this pattern is very easy, and was going to include it in the book (Color & Picture Knitting). At that point though I realized it was tricky and was not sure I even knew how to redo it. And that’s what I think now, it is both very easy & complex at the same time.
To knit it, start upside down (knitting upward) in st.st. To do the reflection, move to reverse st. So now reading the rows knit=reading the chart from left to right (I think…) and vise versa, and knitting the images upward. Knitting it is easier than talking about it because the colors helps keeping it right (only of course I was working on B&W chart).
Below, the original picture:
Here are some of the charts in the book:
These are the first ones, being easy knits:
More landscapes and how to knit the border as you knit along:
These are pictures that were done with the same chart (the chart is for the blue one):
Portraits, show knitting in ‘invisible’ technique using 1 yarn and reverse st.st to create the image, and the advantage of knitting sideways:
Charts about working from drawing:
And adding your own writing:
Special techniques (knitting in quilting & weaving styles):
How to knit a group project (no charts here):
And some heart charts we used in these projects:
I enjoyed knitting them all!
Dear Tracy,
I can not find your comment, so will answer you here, as other people asked about the book too.
The book is a work book. It explains how to knit pictures, from easy ones to more involved. The patterns in it are like exercises. They are meant for you to knit them and hopefully hang them on your wall or give as gifts.
You may not sell my patterns, but you may do many pictures using the charts in the book, and even sell the pictures you knitted yourself.
I am saying that the charts are exercises because my purpose was to give you enough information so that you can continue to make your own charts and do your own pictures.
So, to sum it up, the patterns in the book are for you to knit in order to learn the techniques used.
After the picture is knitted and BO, you can block it. For this you will need to stretch it upside down on foam board or anything else handy, spray lightly with water and let dry for 24 hours. Because of spraying it with water, you need to use stainless steel pins. You can buy them in a sewing store.
Some people prefer ironing their knits, I do not.
After the picture is well dry, you can attach it to foam board that is cut to fit the size of the picture. For this you can use straight pins (they do not have to be stainless steel).
Some people glue the picture instead of using pins, I do not.
See next blog post for detailed account of the charts in the book.
The book is available on Amazon.com
Good Luck, hope you’ll enjoy it, and feel free to ask questions.
Husband did the drawing,
I did the knitting,
and he did some embroidery on the white cat.
It’s fun when we work together like that.
Pattern is available here.
buy it nowFun, easy to knit wall hanging for a child’s room, someone who loves cats, or someone that just lost one.
The pattern includes photo instructions for how to finish & mount your picture, from my book ‘Color & Picture Knitting’.
Use needles & yarns of your choice, and your cat will be individualized. For a child’s room I would make the cat of all the little left over yarn and have it be purple pink, blue +++.
With needles #9, you will need approx:
Black – 55 y
Cat – 50 y
White – 75 y.
The chart is based on 3 yarn technique:
k a row with A,
next drop A & k/p row B
next drop B,k/p C, and back to A.Repeat…
That’s the base of it, and the cat, like a prism, separate it to the 3 colors it is.
It’s a very easy knit, and feel free to
ADD THE WHISKERS!
Water Lilies are very big with me. I have so many photos of them just waiting to be knit. This is an experiment in making a simple lily – only 2 colors, and at the same time experimenting with shawl shapes (looking for a shape I really like, that permits picture knitting on it).
Knitted sideways in st.st with small short rows at the bottom hem, and one big short row section across the whole thing in the back (as an upside down V. Starting with very short rows, inc. all the way to the top then dec back again.)
Even now, after almost 20 years of knitting pictures ( /tapestry / wall hanging ), it’s still scary.
I run around telling myself: I don’t know how to do it! I don’t know how I did it before! I’m a terrible knitter! and so on.
So, here is my real ‘how to knit pictures’:
1. BE BRAVE! tell yourself you can do it, and just start!
No matter the gauge, the yarn & color matching. Instead of wasting time in mastering all that and trying to get it perfect – just start knitting. Believe me – it is faster this way.
2. Mid way: even if the knitting looks like – – – – , and not at all like what it suppose to look, even if the images are totally unclear, and even if you have a hole in the middle:
GO ON KNITTING!
You can always fix things later. A big part of knitting pictures is to have faith. If it looks terrible when its done – start again using all the knowledge you gained by LETTING YOURSELF FINISH the first picture. Again – it is faster this way.
3. ALMOST THE END, and you still want to undo because it looks bad and totally un-beautiful and so on – resist unraveling temptation (it comes from the devil whispering in your ear), and finish.
Once done – do all the corrections needed.
Often, the simple act of stretching while framing the picture, will put everything into place.
GOOD LUCK
🙂
p.s. yes – technicality, being a good knitter etc. does not really matters. What matters is having the passion in your heart.
Our book is ready! We are happy & excited! The book is a fun bedtime story about a lost Elf that makes friends with a mushroom. It has a lot of photos and knitted art work for illustration.
The other thing it has are 4 knitting patterns, scattered here & there in the middle of the story! The patterns are:
1. Small mushroom chart for double-knit coaster.
2. Double knit mush-puff baby toy (instructions for how to stuff & puff are included).
3. Modular mushroom picture potholder – small project, fun and surprising technique.
4. The Elfy game blanket, which you can also play right on the cover. 
The book is available at Amazon.com and at Create space
Picture Knitting 
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