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I find one of the easiest ways to build nice, consistent Celtic knots is to use graph paper. This gives you an even guide to follow as you plot out your knot. I usually use graph paper where every second dot is slightly bigger, going both up and down. This leaves you with one regular dot, and then an emphasised dot, then another regular dot, and so on. You can bold every second dot yourself on regular graph paper by just using a different colored pen or marker to touch them up (see panel below for dot marking).

In each panel I will show you step by step how to create a Knotwork Border. Each new step will be in red. As you go through the panels, old steps will turn gold, and there will be a new step highlighted, again in red.




For the Lover's Knot Border I have marked off an area that is 9 x 4 big dots. I have placed walls between the innermost pair of big dots, making sure that I keep two big dots between the walls as I move across the marked off area. Now begin to "X" over your little dots, but only those that fall between the walls. Don't "X" off the little dots that are outside of the walls for this one.


Add your elbows around the knot now. You should end up with a knot that looks like the one above, and there should be two leftover strands on each end of the border, one above and one below.


Join the loose ends around the outermost walls. Now pick a spot where two knot lines intersect, and make your overs and unders.

Next, The Basic Knot Corner...


If you're enjoying these tutorials, you need to get a copy of my book Creating Celtic Knotwork: A Fresh Approach to Traditional Design, Published by Dover Publications, the book has much more information than these online tutorials have, more explanations, examples, exercises to work through... become a Celtic art master!


All tutorials copyright Cari Buziak, 1995-current