Trying to knit an mc escher scarf

#1

Hey,
I decided recently I wanted to knit a scarf with MC Eschers lizards as a pattern on it, I was going to fair isle the pattern into it but I had my wool with me on a long journey and had forgotten the pattern and didn’t want to waste knitting time so I decided I would cross stitch the pattern on. Now it comes to doing it I’m having doubts about whether the pattern will show up properly, this is the pattern i’m going for:

I have knitted the scarf with a border and will only be putting on a width of two lizards.

I’m knitting with size 4 needles and 10 cm is 25 rows and 21 stitches and the scarf is 47 stitches wide. I have printed off some graph paper to make a cross stitch chart on but I’m new to it. My question is will this pattern show up properly when crosstitched or can anyone think of a better way for me to get this pattern onto the scarf?

Any help would be brilliant!!

Thanks in advance and Happy Christmas

#2

I hate to say this, but I would rip back and knit the pattern in. I just can’t see it looking as good in cross stitch. The other option is duplicate stitch, or Swiss darning, where with the yarn threaded onto a tapestry sewing needle, you replicate the stitches, stitch by stitch. You can find a video on it, or an illustration, I’m sure. For future reference, the Philosopher’s Wool people have a book called Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified which has some Escher stuff in it.

#3

Thanks for your help! I think I will go for your swiss darning idea I’ve just looked it up and now I’m eager to try it, I’m glad there’s a better option than the cross stitching. I couldn’t bear to undo all that work though- knitting calls for it sometimes but I’ve just finished a ball and have grown very attached to the scarf so far!

#4

Hello again,

I am having real trouble drawing up the chart for this pattern I thought I had managed it before by printing the pattern onto a grid I had made online for my tension. When it comes to actually doing the swiss darning though I don’t know whether squares on the grid that aren’t clearly one colour or the other should be darned or not and I don’t want to loose the appeal of the pattern by darning stitches that shouldn’t be darned.

I really am having trouble! What have people found the best way of drawing out their fair isle charts? Please help I have been slightly ambitious but I have the scarf in my head and really want to work out a way of making it a reality!

And if it helps I’m going to be embroidering the pattern onto a scarf with the width of 43 stitches without a border.