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This is one of my MOST requested projects.
Everyday many, many people come looking for my
Celtic Wish Pouches.

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Celtic patterns have inspired people for ages.

The way they twist & turn is fascinating & quite magical. Exploring their hidden meanings is a great way to interest your children in learning more about the art & life of ancient European civilizations ( the Celts, Norse & Vikings, among others).

This little project was a hit at our house!

These pouches depict the same symbol worked in 2 different techniques.  My 9 year-old son knit the smaller one (which includes a finger knitted handle & celtic happiness symbol) while I cable-knit a much more complex version.  We enjoyed working on projects that were related to each other but challenged us each at our own skill level.

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My son enjoyed knitting the straight-forward pouch in a few hours (over several days). He chose the pure-wool yarn & experimented with various sizes of needles to arrive at the gauge he thought would look best.  He cast on the number of stitches which he thought would give him the finished width he was looking for & he calculated how many rows he needed to knit to achieve the length he envisioned.

(Note: Lots of math & design skills plus a bit of patience were built into this project !)

Twisting the symbol & sewing it on the pouch was the step that really made him proud.
He feels like he’s taken the next step along the knitting path…  

He knits every day now.

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A few notes about the Celtic Wish Pouch :

Applying the happiness symbol to the pouch is a bit complicated.  Younger children might need help forming it & sewing it to the pouch. It is much easier to form the symbol if you have it in front of you.

You can save & print the symbol above or you can use the happiness symbol template which I designed, to draw your own.  (HINT – this is a great form drawing exercise – it’s not so easy to do -this one took me quite a while to get it even !)

Now, for a bit about the Celtic Wish Pouch which I knit….

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I have had my eye on this book for years but sadly it’s been priced well beyond my means whenever I’ve come across it online. Suddenly, I found it used, for only 20 euros !
I snapped it up instantly & am so glad that I did….

Elsebeth Lavold is known as Sweden’s leading knitwear designer. Outside of her native country, she is well-known for her knitting books (this one is probably her most famous)
& her exquisite line of beautifully coloured, natural-fibre yarns.

In her book, Viking Patterns for Knitting, she revealed that she had accomplished something that very few knitters can dream of doing…

She invented a new knitting technique!

Her innovation allows one to start a cabled pattern or knot anywhere on a piece & then end it again, just as quickly.

Of course, I had to try it out…

It took a while to get the hang of it but after reading over her very clear directions a few times, I jumped right into it.

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I will say right now, that if you don’t know how to cable, you might want to start with something much simpler.  However, if you’re up for a challenge, this will fill the bill !

THE HAPPINESS SYMBOL

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The happiness symbol, also known as St. John’s Cross or St. John’s Arms is represented on
many Northern European historic objects. The image/picture stone seen above, which was found in Hablingbo, Gotland, Sweden, was created between 400 -600 AD. The symbol was adopted by many early societies including the Celts.

Oddly enough, it is still in daily use across the world – you can find it on road signs in Denmark, Finland, Iceland & Norway where it marks sites of cultural interest.

If you have a young knitter in your house who is looking for a project that will give them great satisfaction while teaching them some new skills & a touch of history – this is a good place to start.

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To download your Project Plan

– click HERE

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I hope you like it !

 

Make Stuff ♥  Be Happy !

 

 

www.HandworkHomeschool.com