It didn’t start out as a rug. It started simply as more practice. Then it evolved with a little experimentation and lots of learning, as art projects sometimes do.
A series of Celtic knots, each one with a different symbolic meaning. From left to right, top to bottom: Dara, Trinity, Shield, Sailor, Solomon and Triskele. I found images online and drew my own patterns on paper sized to 8.5″ each. I love doing pattern work especially if there’s geometry involved.
Through January and into February, I enjoyed the intense eye and finger work. It reminded me of doing stained glass in some ways… the pattern making, the color selection, the tedium of repeditive tasks. Physically not as demanding on the neck and shoulders but more strain on the eyes after a few hours of hooking up close. Also, I don’t have proper back support figured out yet although my comfy chair studio is a nice change from the cold basement of my glassing days.
These pics show the process of making the Dara knot.
The Triskele knot I chose was perhaps the most complex and difficult. It was a good exercise to test my learning progress and to teach me some more lessons. When it was done, I was not happy with it. Too many colors (6) which makes it too busy. Plus, the yellow and white did not have enough contrast. In dim light, the yellow is completely lost.
So I decided to make another one. This time I chose a less complex design requiring fewer colors (just 3 in this version).
Once the six knots were finished it was on to make a design for the center. I decided on a six-pointed star with a ring through the loops. Because this center piece is larger than my 9″ frame, it required moving the cloth several times to hook the entire surface.
Since it was not originally designed as a one-piece rug, the next step was figuring out assembly of the seven pieces. For underlay, I bought a cheap anti slip mat from Walmart and trimmed it to the shape of the circles. Then I glued all pieces together with latex adhesive (Home Hardware).
Very experimental and quite unconventional as rugs go (requiring multi-piece assembly), but I enjoyed the learning from start to finish. Thank you for reading. This is my Celtic Knot Rug.
nellyglass studio 