Showing posts with label Celtic Knots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celtic Knots. Show all posts
Have you tried Celtic Tiles overlay crochet pattern yet? It is FREE and you can find it HERE (there is also a video available HERE - made by Esther of It's All In A Nutshell). This pattern was written with blanket in mind. But as far as it’s about a crochet square, it can be used in many other ways. And one of them is to make a pillow.
I have been a little bit addicted to making Celtic squares recently, so I finished more pieces than I actually needed. Four of them were made with Stone Washed yarn* by Scheepjes in Amazonite shade (813). I also had a new pillow cover from IKEA in nice cream shade. So I thought it might be nice to join squares and to stitch finished crocheted decoration onto ready pillow cover. And here is the result!
As you can see large crocheted square is a little bit smaller than the pillowcase. So I centered my Celtic decoration leaving a narrow fabric border. Quick and easy. And unique gift (for yourself or your friends) is ready in almost no time.
If you are curious about how much yarn was used – each square weights approx. 40g (valid for Stone Washed and 4mm Clover Soft touch hook*).
I am sometimes asked what is the best way to stitch crocheted pieces to fabric. I don’t really know what is the best way, but I always do that by hand with running sewing stitch. I use a needle and yarn of the same color as the border of my crocheted decoration.
Crocheted blankets are wonderful, but sometimes it takes forever to finish them. But on the other hand making 1 small square now and then can be a very nice break from a large project. And if your blanket is never finished you can still use ready squares. To make a pillow, for example. :)
Have a nice weekend,
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* thank you for using my affiliate links. It costs you nothing and helps to support my blog.
I have been a little bit addicted to making Celtic squares recently, so I finished more pieces than I actually needed. Four of them were made with Stone Washed yarn* by Scheepjes in Amazonite shade (813). I also had a new pillow cover from IKEA in nice cream shade. So I thought it might be nice to join squares and to stitch finished crocheted decoration onto ready pillow cover. And here is the result!
As you can see large crocheted square is a little bit smaller than the pillowcase. So I centered my Celtic decoration leaving a narrow fabric border. Quick and easy. And unique gift (for yourself or your friends) is ready in almost no time.
If you are curious about how much yarn was used – each square weights approx. 40g (valid for Stone Washed and 4mm Clover Soft touch hook*).
I am sometimes asked what is the best way to stitch crocheted pieces to fabric. I don’t really know what is the best way, but I always do that by hand with running sewing stitch. I use a needle and yarn of the same color as the border of my crocheted decoration.
Crocheted blankets are wonderful, but sometimes it takes forever to finish them. But on the other hand making 1 small square now and then can be a very nice break from a large project. And if your blanket is never finished you can still use ready squares. To make a pillow, for example. :)
Have a nice weekend,
Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
* thank you for using my affiliate links. It costs you nothing and helps to support my blog.
Today is the Ta-dah moment. I finished my Celtic Tiles Blanket (and yes, it already has the name), and can finally show it to you. It’s my second experience with Celtic design and I am so much in love with cables. So for sure new patterns will come in the future.
So here is my finished blanket. I used Stone Washed XL* yarn by Scheepjes and in my opinion the yarn and the pattern work together really well. The blanket consists of 20 squares (every square is approx 30cm/12” large) and the entire size of the blanket is approx. 122cm x 152cm (48in x 60in). Of course you can add more squares and make it larger.
The color you see in the pictures is Crystal Quartz – a nice light grey shade. I made 4 additional samples to show you how the squares can look in different colors: Moon Stone, Smokey Quartz, Amazonite and Boulder Opal. And I can’t really say which is my favorite. I love the classical look of cream (Moon Stone) and I would be happy to make a cream blanket for myself. But unfortunately with a very active dog and my almost 6-years-old son it would be impossible to keep it clean for a long time. So I thought grey might be the best choice for me – not too light and not too dark. But don’t you agree that cables look fantastic in darker shade as well?
I didn’t use classical Aran crochet (cabling) for my Celtic Tiles blanket. Instead I decided to go for an overlay crochet – my beloved crochet technique. What does it mean? It means that there is a plain background made with sc and dc stitches (US terms) and cables are added onto this background on the right side of the blanket. So wrong side is plain and right side is structured, and there are two layers instead of one.
Overlay crochet made this blanket a little bit more sturdy and heavy than it would be with just classical cables. But this is exact effect I wanted to achieve. I wanted to create a blanket which you can really feel. It’s not very well draped, but it’s very warm and cozy – just perfect for winter times.
This design may look a little bit tricky, but I have a happy news for you! Esther of It’s All In A Nutshell is making video for this pattern. It means you will be guided though each and every row and stitch. I can assure that this video is very detailed and if you have never tried overlay crochet before – maybe this is the right time to give it a try.
Approx. 87g of Stone Washed XL is used for each square (just under two skeins) and entire blanket weights 1820g.
FREE pattern will be published next week here on my blog. And if you would like to use the same yarn as me, there are kits available for purchase via Wool Warehouse (HERE*) and Deramores (HERE*) - both UK retailers ship orders internationally. And of course you can find Stone Washed XL yarn in your local Scheepjes shops. I will keep you updated... :)
UPDATE: Celtic tiles Blanket pattern is available for free HERE. You can also purchase a ready-to-print PDF of this pattern HERE on Ravelry.
Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
* thank you for using my affiliate links. It costs you nothing and helps to support my blog.
So here is my finished blanket. I used Stone Washed XL* yarn by Scheepjes and in my opinion the yarn and the pattern work together really well. The blanket consists of 20 squares (every square is approx 30cm/12” large) and the entire size of the blanket is approx. 122cm x 152cm (48in x 60in). Of course you can add more squares and make it larger.
The color you see in the pictures is Crystal Quartz – a nice light grey shade. I made 4 additional samples to show you how the squares can look in different colors: Moon Stone, Smokey Quartz, Amazonite and Boulder Opal. And I can’t really say which is my favorite. I love the classical look of cream (Moon Stone) and I would be happy to make a cream blanket for myself. But unfortunately with a very active dog and my almost 6-years-old son it would be impossible to keep it clean for a long time. So I thought grey might be the best choice for me – not too light and not too dark. But don’t you agree that cables look fantastic in darker shade as well?
I didn’t use classical Aran crochet (cabling) for my Celtic Tiles blanket. Instead I decided to go for an overlay crochet – my beloved crochet technique. What does it mean? It means that there is a plain background made with sc and dc stitches (US terms) and cables are added onto this background on the right side of the blanket. So wrong side is plain and right side is structured, and there are two layers instead of one.
Overlay crochet made this blanket a little bit more sturdy and heavy than it would be with just classical cables. But this is exact effect I wanted to achieve. I wanted to create a blanket which you can really feel. It’s not very well draped, but it’s very warm and cozy – just perfect for winter times.
This design may look a little bit tricky, but I have a happy news for you! Esther of It’s All In A Nutshell is making video for this pattern. It means you will be guided though each and every row and stitch. I can assure that this video is very detailed and if you have never tried overlay crochet before – maybe this is the right time to give it a try.
Approx. 87g of Stone Washed XL is used for each square (just under two skeins) and entire blanket weights 1820g.
FREE pattern will be published next week here on my blog. And if you would like to use the same yarn as me, there are kits available for purchase via Wool Warehouse (HERE*) and Deramores (HERE*) - both UK retailers ship orders internationally. And of course you can find Stone Washed XL yarn in your local Scheepjes shops. I will keep you updated... :)
UPDATE: Celtic tiles Blanket pattern is available for free HERE. You can also purchase a ready-to-print PDF of this pattern HERE on Ravelry.
Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
* thank you for using my affiliate links. It costs you nothing and helps to support my blog.
I find something magic and mystery about Celtic knots. They have been attracting me for a long time, and I have always wanted to crochet something with them. If you search with key words “celtic crochet knots” or “celtic crochet” you will most likely see lots of crocheted cowls, and scarves, and mittens, and maybe cardigans. But there are not so many Celtic Mandala’s. I thought it’s unfair and decided to think of one myself. And this is how my new Celtic Cabled Mandala was created.
Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue
Celtic Cabled Mandala pattern is available in my Ravelry shop HERE.
To be honest I made first attempts in Celtic designing a year ago when I was working on my Joana’s Mandala and Border patterns. But unfortunately that time my inspiration took me into absolutely different direction and finished design didn’t look Celtic at all. But still I loved it a lot. So I named this mandala after my friend and let idea of designing something truly Celtic go. For a while.
I believe that ideas live their own lives, and sometimes they are very stubborn. They are knocking the door to your creative world again and again. And they just don’t want to leave you alone. This was the case of my Celtic idea. And also my husband insisted I should come back to this and finally create something with Celtic knots.
I started to browse lots and lots of images and illustrations to see which knots can suit my idea the best. I was amazed how widely Celtic elements and signs are being used in contemporary art and design: in painting, jewelry, leather art. Everywhere. And there are lots and lots of Celtic tattoos out there.
During my visit to Sweden I saw a man on the beach. And he had a Celtic mandala tattoo on his leg. Such an absolutely ideal, wonderful tattoo with 4 Celtic knots framed inside the circle. After I came home I started to search for similar knots, and found one which seemed not very difficult to be translated into crochet. I couldn’t find its meaning. But as far as I understood it’s a variation of Triquetra (Trinity) Celtic knot which symbolizes eternal life or the never ending circle of life. If you have a deep knowledge about Celtic culture I will be very grateful if you could help me to find the meaning of this knot.
And I started to crochet… Well… It was not easy. Not easy at all. After probably 5 attempts I could come up with a simplified version of this pattern which was the most elegant in my opinion. Because of working in rounds, I had also to struggle with “turning effect”, and had to apply some tricks to keep the pattern symmetrical. And I am so happy it worked out!! After main part was finished I also came up with a small border, which helped to enlarge this mandala a bit.
This pattern was tested and approved by 14 experienced testers. The difficulty level is Advanced (or Advanced Intermediate). This pattern uses lots of front post stitches, and although they are not difficult themselves, their placement can be tricky. But there are tons of pictures in the pattern to walk you through every single round and stitch. This is the most detailed pattern I have ever created. So if you are familiar and comfortable with cabling (front and back posts stitches), you will handle it. But, please, be aware that it needs lots of attention, concentration and counting!!
This pattern contains complete instructions to make a round Mandala purse. Its size will depend on yarn, hook and your personal gauge. Mine is approx. 26cm (10 1/2 in) large across and 2.5cm (1in) deep. In the picture below you can see what the back of my bag looks like.
But this pattern can be used in many more ways. As a chair pad (with extended version), table decoration, potholder, wall hanging and even a pillow throw. You name it! By the way if you decide to make a pillow cover, you can later make a pillow form yourself just in exact size needed. Please, check THIS tutorial.
I used yarn in one solid color to make purse and chair pad. I chose Bloom by Scheepjes for the bag (you can purchase it at Wool Warehouse*, Deramores*, Paradise Fibers (US)* and in your local Scheepjes shops) and Soft Fun yarn by Scheepjes for chair pads (available at Wool Warehouse*, Deramores* and local Scheepjes shops).
You will obviously need a crochet hook (I used Clover Soft Touch 4mm hook*) and zipper, 2 metal rings and strap for the bag. Here is the detail of bag’s closure. To make it look more professional you can line it with fabric using THIS sewing tutorial.
After 5 solid mandalas were finished, I decided to try something else. To make Celtic Cabled Mandala in tapestry crochet with two colours at once: one for overlay image, and another one for background (with Stone Washed* yarn by Scheepjes). It was tricky, but possible! And I decided to create another tutorial about how to use tapestry crochet for this pattern. It is offered as a bonus to the main “solid” version.
What else to add? I am VERY happy with my new purse. And I think I will make another one. Or maybe two? And what about you? :)
You can subscribe to monthly newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue
Celtic Cabled Mandala pattern is available in my Ravelry shop HERE.
A Story Behind the Design…
To be honest I made first attempts in Celtic designing a year ago when I was working on my Joana’s Mandala and Border patterns. But unfortunately that time my inspiration took me into absolutely different direction and finished design didn’t look Celtic at all. But still I loved it a lot. So I named this mandala after my friend and let idea of designing something truly Celtic go. For a while.
I believe that ideas live their own lives, and sometimes they are very stubborn. They are knocking the door to your creative world again and again. And they just don’t want to leave you alone. This was the case of my Celtic idea. And also my husband insisted I should come back to this and finally create something with Celtic knots.
I started to browse lots and lots of images and illustrations to see which knots can suit my idea the best. I was amazed how widely Celtic elements and signs are being used in contemporary art and design: in painting, jewelry, leather art. Everywhere. And there are lots and lots of Celtic tattoos out there.
During my visit to Sweden I saw a man on the beach. And he had a Celtic mandala tattoo on his leg. Such an absolutely ideal, wonderful tattoo with 4 Celtic knots framed inside the circle. After I came home I started to search for similar knots, and found one which seemed not very difficult to be translated into crochet. I couldn’t find its meaning. But as far as I understood it’s a variation of Triquetra (Trinity) Celtic knot which symbolizes eternal life or the never ending circle of life. If you have a deep knowledge about Celtic culture I will be very grateful if you could help me to find the meaning of this knot.
And I started to crochet… Well… It was not easy. Not easy at all. After probably 5 attempts I could come up with a simplified version of this pattern which was the most elegant in my opinion. Because of working in rounds, I had also to struggle with “turning effect”, and had to apply some tricks to keep the pattern symmetrical. And I am so happy it worked out!! After main part was finished I also came up with a small border, which helped to enlarge this mandala a bit.
About the Pattern and Different Ways to Use
This pattern was tested and approved by 14 experienced testers. The difficulty level is Advanced (or Advanced Intermediate). This pattern uses lots of front post stitches, and although they are not difficult themselves, their placement can be tricky. But there are tons of pictures in the pattern to walk you through every single round and stitch. This is the most detailed pattern I have ever created. So if you are familiar and comfortable with cabling (front and back posts stitches), you will handle it. But, please, be aware that it needs lots of attention, concentration and counting!!
This pattern contains complete instructions to make a round Mandala purse. Its size will depend on yarn, hook and your personal gauge. Mine is approx. 26cm (10 1/2 in) large across and 2.5cm (1in) deep. In the picture below you can see what the back of my bag looks like.
But this pattern can be used in many more ways. As a chair pad (with extended version), table decoration, potholder, wall hanging and even a pillow throw. You name it! By the way if you decide to make a pillow cover, you can later make a pillow form yourself just in exact size needed. Please, check THIS tutorial.
What You Will Need
I used yarn in one solid color to make purse and chair pad. I chose Bloom by Scheepjes for the bag (you can purchase it at Wool Warehouse*, Deramores*, Paradise Fibers (US)* and in your local Scheepjes shops) and Soft Fun yarn by Scheepjes for chair pads (available at Wool Warehouse*, Deramores* and local Scheepjes shops).
You will obviously need a crochet hook (I used Clover Soft Touch 4mm hook*) and zipper, 2 metal rings and strap for the bag. Here is the detail of bag’s closure. To make it look more professional you can line it with fabric using THIS sewing tutorial.
After 5 solid mandalas were finished, I decided to try something else. To make Celtic Cabled Mandala in tapestry crochet with two colours at once: one for overlay image, and another one for background (with Stone Washed* yarn by Scheepjes). It was tricky, but possible! And I decided to create another tutorial about how to use tapestry crochet for this pattern. It is offered as a bonus to the main “solid” version.
What else to add? I am VERY happy with my new purse. And I think I will make another one. Or maybe two? And what about you? :)
You can subscribe to monthly newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
DISCLOSURE: This blog contains affiliate links. If you purchase a (any) product via a link on my blog, I get a small percentage contribution from the store which enables me to keep providing you with free patterns. It costs you nothing extra to visit the store via my link, but ensure I get the credit for the sale. Thank you for your support!
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