Difficulty: Intermediate ✦✦✦✦✧
Perfect for the upcoming holidays, St. Patrick's day and Easter, here is a new free Celtic knot square crochet pattern to try. I have designed this square as a relatively simple pattern (compared to my other knots) to introduce this method of crocheting Celtic knots to you. It even includes a video!
Though these squares can be used to make a blanket, I have decided to make pillows out of them. I need new throw pillows for my couch and thought this was a perfect pattern to use.
I used a 5mm hook with worsted weight yarn (Loops and Threads Impeccable and Vanna's Choice). The square with a simple sc border makes a 10 inch square.
Due to the nature of the relief/post stitches, the square will look a little wonky (and not perfectly square) until it is blocked.
Gauge: 8 stitches in 8 rows (alternating row 1: sc, row 2: hdc) is 2 inches wide and 2.25 inches tall.
Special Stitches:
Left-on-top Cross: fpdtc around each of the 2 post stitches 2 rows below and 2 stitches to the left, sc in the next st, fpdtc around each of the 2 post stitches 2 rows below and 2 stitches to the right.
Note: The post stitches can also be stitched around the sc 2 rows below if no post stitch exists yet in that location, especially when combined with a horizontal row.
Right-on-top Cross: fpdtc around each of the 2 post stitches 2 rows below and 2 stitches to the left, sc in the next st, inserting your hook under the 2 post stitches just created: fpdtc around each of the 2 post stitches 2 rows below and 2 stitches to the right. (The second set of fpdtc should be under the first set of fpdtc created.)
“FPDTC and Short Horizontal Relief Row” to the Right: YO 3 times, pull a loop around the stitch down 2 rows and to the right 3 stitches, YO, skip 1 stitch, pull a loop around the next stitch, pull a loop through 2 loops on the hook and continue until you have 1 loop left.
“FPDTC and Long Horizontal Relief Row” to the Right: YO 3 times, pull a loop around the stitch down 2 rows and to the right 3 stitches, YO, skip 1 stitch, pull a loop around the next stitch, YO, skip 1 stitch, pull a loop around the next stitch, pull a loop through 2 loops on the hook and continue until you have 1 loop left.
In other patterns, this stitch is called a 1-anchor horizontal relief row like in the image to the right.
These can also be stitched to the left (simply replace right with left in the instructions above).
The short rows can also be stitched at the beginning of a complex stitch, for example: "short horizontal row and fpdtc". In this case, they are stitched over the sc just stitched rather than on a row below.
Note:
In this pattern, when I write "repeat XX times", I intend for you to stitch the sequence in the parentheses or brackets XX times. For instance, "(ch 3, sc in the ch-3 sp) repeat 3 times" means stitch "ch 3, sc in the ch-3 sp" a total of 3 times (i.e. stitch ch 3, sc in the ch-3 sp, ch 3, sc in the ch-3 sp, ch 3, sc in the ch-3 sp).
Pattern:
chain 36.
Row 1: starting from the 2nd chain from the hook: sc 35. Turn.
Row 2: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 3: ch, sc 35. Turn.
Row 4: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 5: ch, sc 35. Mark the 18th stitch. Turn.
Row 6: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 7: ch, sc 15, fptc around the marked stitch 2 rows below, fpdc around the hdc above the marked stitch, sc, fpdc around the same hdc as the previous fpdc, fptc around the same marked stitch as the previous fptc, sc 15. Turn.
Row 8: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 9: ch, sc 12, fpdtc around each of the first 2 post stitches below, sc 7, fpdtc around each of the remaining 2 post stitches below, sc 12. Turn.
Note: Make sure to skip 2 stitches in the row below after making the post stitches to keep the number of stitches in each row the same.
Row 10: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 11: ch, sc 9, fpdtc around each of the first 2 post stitches below, sc 13, fpdtc around each of the remaining 2 post stitches below, sc 9. Turn.
Row 12: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 13: ch, sc 3, fptc around each of the next 2 sc 2 rows below, sc, fpdtc around each of the 2 post stitches below to the left, sc, fpdtc and short horizontal row to the right (ending at the 2nd fptc made), fpdtc and long horizontal row to the right (ending at the 1st fptc made), sc 13 (mark the 7th stitch), fpdtc and long horizontal row to the left, fpdtc and short horizontal row to the left, sc, fpdtc around each of the 2 post stitches below to the right, sc, fptc around each of the next 2 sc 2 rows below (where each of the horizontal rows end), sc 3. Turn.
Row 14: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 15: ch, sc 3, right-on-top cross, sc 4, fpdtc around each of the next 2 post stitches below to the right, sc, fptc around the marked stitch below, fpdc around the hdc above the marked stitch, sc, fpdc around the same stitch as the previous fpdc, fptc around the marked stitch below, sc, fpdtc around each of the next 2 post stitches below to the left, sc 4, right-on-top cross, sc 3. Turn.
Row 16: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 17: ch, sc 3, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 4, fpdtc around each of the next 2 post stitches below to the right, sc, right-on-top cross, sc, right-on-top cross, sc, fpdtc around each of the next 2 post stitches below to the left, sc 4, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 3. Turn.
Row 18: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 19: ch, sc 3, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 4, [left-on-top cross, sc] repeat 3 times, sc 3, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 3. Turn.
Row 20: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 21: ch, sc 3, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 4, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, [sc, right-on-top cross] twice, sc, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 4, fptc around each of the 2 post stitches directly below, sc 3. Turn.
Note: When stitching these post stitches, for the purpose of the next relief row, the first post stitch made of each pair will be called the “first” stitch and the second post stitch will be called the “second” stitch.
Row 22: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 23: ch, sc 9, short horizontal row to the right and fpdtc around the second post stitch below to the right (return pulling a loop through every 2 loops on the hook until there are 2 loops remaining) together with a fpdtc around the first post stitch below to the left (not the fptc directly below), long horizontal row to the right and fpdtc around the first post stitch below to the right together with a fpdtc around the second post stitch below to the left (not the fptc directly below), [sc 4, short horizontal row to the right and fpdtc around the second post stitch below to the right together with a fpdtc around the first post stitch below to the left, long horizontal row to the right and fpdtc around the first post stitch below to the right together with a fpdtc around the second post stitch below to the left] repeat 3 times, sc 6. Turn.
Row 24: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 25: ch, sc 35. Turn.
Row 26: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 27: ch, sc 35. Turn.
Row 28: ch, hdc 35. Turn.
Row 29: ch, sc 35. Turn.
Border:
ch, sc in each stitch around, with (sc, hdc, sc) in the corner stitches and 2 sc around each hdc along the sides.
To increase the size of the square, follow this border with a round of hdc, with (hdc, dc, hdc) in the corner stitches, and then another round of sc as described above. Each repeat of these two rounds will increase the width of the square by 1 inch.
To make my 10 inch pillow, I stitched a simple border of 1 round of sc. To make my 12 inch pillow, I stitched 2 repeats of this pattern (i.e. 5 border rounds: sc, hdc, sc, hdc, and sc).
Note: after assembling my pillows, I would recommend 1 round of hdc for the border of a 10 inch pillow.
Video:
Here is a video of the difficult relief stitches (Rows 13-23). The video has no dialog (I was getting over a cold and my voice was not pretty). I hope it helps you if you find yourself having trouble with the post stitches and horizontal rows.
Update 23 June 2019: I have just realized that this video is missing Row 15. Sorry for any confusion this has caused!
Diagram of the pattern:
Using Two Colors in the Square:
To make a 2-color square with the post stitches in contrast (as I have done in my yellow pillow), use standard tapestry crochet techniques.
On the last stitch before the color change, complete the stitch until you are to pull the last loop through all loops on the hook. Pick up the new color and pull a loop of that color through all loops on the hook to change colors seamlessly. You can carry the contrasting color loosely on the back of the work (this will lead to a messy back which is okay if you're making a pillow).
I found it convenient to use 2 strands for the color work, one for each side of the heart, so that I did not have to carry my yarn quite as far. I also found it handy to crochet over the working end of the contrasting yarn when making the return row, but only on when stitching into the color stitches that match it. This hid the yarn and brought it back to the first stitch where I needed to pick it up.
Making a Pillow:
When making a pillow, after blocking the squares, hold them with wrong sides facing each other, insert your hook through both squares at once, and sc in each stitch around with 3 sc in each corner.
