Chameleon Chevrons

My eye is attracted to Early Geometric Period ornamentation.  The basic elements of the dot, the straight line and the angled line are the elements of this style.  The angled line motif makes up the zigzag, which is my favorite motif.  The regularity of the chevron/zigzag ornamental design produces a repeat I find appealing.

According to Bernhard Schweitzer,

“The Geometric style is without doubt entirely a pottery style, as it has come down to us.  But a series of phenomena suggest that it developed alongside a lost textile art and that this may even have been the origin of Geometric art before 900 BC.”

(Geometric Greek Art, Bernhard Schweitzer, published  as Die geometrische Kunst Griechenlands, 1969.  Translation 1971 by Phaidon Press Limited p. 30)

Wow! A “lost textile art” and a pottery style developing side-by-side may have been the origin of Geometric art before 900 BC.  Perhaps pots were decorated with ornamental motifs adopted from textiles and adapted for the structure of the vessel.

After completing the Zick Zack Scarf designed by Christy Hamm http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zickzack-scarf  I’ve been curious about the effects of combining a zigzag/chevron stitch and self-patterning sock yarn. I began with a collection of five different colors labeling them A-E.  I knit a specific number of rows per color.

After seven repeats of the pattern, I reversed the order of the five colors which changed the assigned row repeat too.

I eliminated three colors, and knit alternating every two rows.

I’m pleased with the exploration so far.

Author: knitorious

Creating surface design on fabric through the use of mobile photography. View all posts by knitorious