March Knot
March Knot is the 3rd square in 2023: A Year of Celtic Knots. This series of oversized squares features a new design each month. Choose your preferred colorwork technique and create as many squares as you want for a blanket or create a matching pillow (or may I suggest a bag or a wall hanging?).
Size
Each Celtic knot square fits in my large squares category.
To create March Knot with the interlocking crochet technique you’ll start with 40 windows in your foundation row.
The mosaic crochet option is on a chart size of 77 x 77.
Interlocking & Mosaic
All of my designs come with the fully written pattern and chart for TWO colorwork techniques: interlocking crochet & overlay mosaic crochet.
Bottom-Up or Center-Out
The interlocking crochet version of every Celtic knot square is made from the bottom-up.
The original overlay mosaic crochet version is made from the center-out.
A new bottom-up overlay mosaic crochet option was added as of November 2023.
Interlocking crochet sample by an Anonymous Squirrel, using dark brown as the Main Color (first color used).
March’s Design
These loops look like hearts to me, and I considered using them for February but it also reminds me of a clover so I figured it could fit in the month of March with St. Patrick’s Day.
This “holiday” always felt important to me as a kid because it meant my birthday was exactly 6 months away. Plus, my mom liked to point out that we have Irish blood in us. And Scottish. And Danish. And then there’s my dad’s side (mostly German with a heavy dose of Russian and English).
I suppose that makes me a typical Canadian (with a blend of ancestors).
Phyzome under the GFDL., CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Chart Update
Important news this month: I have updated the way the interlocking crochet charts look and have included a chart-reading key. January and February Knot have been updated with this addition as well. See more
Sharing is Caring
I sure am loving it when people share their knot squares in my Facebook group! It has been so encouraging to hear that some people have just learned interlocking or mosaic crochet and are now creating cool things like the rest of us!
Plus, it’s really great seeing all the color options!
Crocheting March Knot in February
I have been crocheting each square in the month before it gets published.
But, last month I got a bit distracted making a bunch of February Knot mini-squares.
Because I got distracted with all the mini-squares, I didn’t have time to make February Knot with my “official” brown and black yarn. I finished up the scrap yarn version instead.
When I suddenly realized it was the end of February and I only had a few days left to get my March Knot square completed I also realized I still had a half-done February Knot attached to my yarn.
And I couldn’t just use the other black and brown yarn I have because I have a half-done September Knot attached to that yarn. September is my birthday and I wanted to do it first.
Clearly I got distracted with other, more exciting, projects.
My circle of squares! These are the February Knot mini-squares in the mosaic crochet technique.
This month caught me a bit off guard. Did you know February is a short month? It has been that way forever, but somehow it surprised me this time!
I had to do a mad rush of crocheting to get my March Knot squares ready for March 1 – oops! And I finished just a few days late.
My interlocking crochet samples so far. January, February, and March Knot! White is used as the Main Color (first color used).
In 2022, when I was designing these squares, I started a few of the designs using scrap yarn I had laying around. Once my designs were finalized I bought yarn so that my squares would all match.
I have this white (Phentex Worsted) and blue (Red Heart Super Saver, Macaw) for all my interlocking crochet squares in this Celtic knot series. I’m excited to see them all joined togethr as a blanket!
Thank you, testers!
The “2023: A Year of Knots” series was tested by Altona Newcombe, Angela Kermack, Ann Walter, Anonymous Squirrel, Brandi, Chantal Lariviere, CrochetCarob, cyncitycrochets, Divya Tellakula, Eva, Heather Passmore, Just Duckie Crochet, Kami, MadeByMrsJones, Maja Serec, Margaret Maillet, Marijke Laenen, Pleva, Roxy’s Yarnstitchery, ScorpiosHook, Tehzeeb Mahil, & Wolsalon.
Center-out overlay mosaic crochet sample by Eva.
Interlocking crochet sample by Heather Passmore.
Interlocking crochet sample by ScorpiosHook.
Center-out overlay mosaic crochet sample by Wolsalon.
Bottom-up overlay mosaic crochet sample by JustDuckieCrochet.
Interlocking crochet sample by Maja Serec.
Center-out overlay mosaic crochet sample by CrochetCarob.
Interlocking crochet sample by CynCityCrochets.
One Square or Twelve
The “Year of…” series of squares have been designed to have 12 different squares.
However, I also think it looks pretty awesome to make the same square a few times and create a blanket.
This image shows an example using Wolsalon’s March Knot square repeated as a blanket.
Counting Stitches
I like to time myself when I work. Sometimes just for fun, sometimes to schedule how much needs to be done by what time, and sometimes just to see how fast I am compared to others.
It’s not a race, and there’s no winners for being faster, but I just like to know. You know?
With the interlocking crochet squares, it’s easy to see when you’re halfway done because each row is the same width.
With the center-out overlay mosaic crochet squares, it’s not as simple as saying, “there are 38 rounds, so halfway is row 19” because we are progressively making larger and larger rounds.
For example, round 5 has 7 stitches per side plus the 3 stitches in each corner, which means we are crocheting 40 stitches to finish round 5.
But, round 38 has 85 stitches per side, plus the 3 stitches in each corner, so each round is 352 stitches!
We are actually 25% done the square in the middle of round 20.
We reach the halfway point near the end of round 28.
And the three-quarter mark is reached in round 34.
Maybe this will help you budget your time (if you do that sort of thing). I sure found it eye-opening!
Interlocking Crochet Charts
I’ve had a chart explanation included in my mosaic files for a long time now, but I’ve shied from doing an interlocking one.
I have a YouTube tutorial on how to use the charts, and I no longer feel that is sufficient.
So, I’m now including a chart explanation for the interlocking crochet technique as well!
See more information about my charts and pattern keys here.
Improved Numbering
I’ve also improved how the interlocking charts are numbered. All the Celtic Knots designs will have this new file with the better charts.
I will be updating other patterns as needed. Please let me know if there’s something you’d like me to do sooner rather than later.
Important Details
Each file has it’s own important details regarding gauge and yardage.
See my list of tutorials if you’re new to any of these colorwork techniques.
Interlocking Crochet
The interlocking crochet version is done from the bottom-up.
All of the Celtic Knots squares are on a chart size of 81 x 81. This means they begin with 40 windows in the foundation row and will finish to about 20″ square.
Interlocking crochet / LFM crochet file includes:
– line-by-line instructions- instructions on reading a chart
– a one-page chart
Interlocking Crochet Details
- Chart is 81 x 81
- Gauge: 8 (dc, ch) x 8 rows = 4”
- 20″ x 20″ / 51cm x 51cm
- 4.5 mm hook (US7)
- Worsted weight yarn (490 – 565 yards total)
- Main color (MC) (knot) – 250 yards plus 75 for optional border
- Accent color (AC) (background) – 240 yards
Pleva crocheted March Knot using the interlocking crochet technique.
Center-Out Overlay Mosaic Crochet
The original overlay mosaic crochet version is done from the center-out so we don’t have to worry about any cut ends when we join our squares!
The mosaic crochet charts have been adjusted from their interlocking crochet counterparts. They are solid (there are no interlocking mesh dots on it) and they do not have the unnecessary border lines.
The full chart is 77 x 77 and will finish to about 19″ square. Take note, you’ll receive the top 1/4 of the x-marked chart that gets repeated for all 4 sides of the square.
Center-Out Overlay Mosaic Crochet file includes:
– line-by-line instructions
– instructions on reading a chart
– a one-page chart marked with X’s for mosaic crochet
Center-Out Mosaic Crochet Details
- Chart is 77 x 77
- Gauge: 16 sc blo stitches x 16 rows = 4”
- 19″ / 48cm
- 5 mm hook (H-8)
- Worsted weight yarn (600 yards)
- Main color (knot) – 260 yards
- Contrasting color (background) – 340 yards
Marijke Laenen crocheted this lovely center-out overlay mosaic crochet sample of March Knot.
Bottom-Up Overlay Mosaic Crochet
The additional bottom-up overlay mosaic crochet version can be done using Tunisian mosaic crochet if you’re trying to avoid an envelope border. Or you can weave in the cut ends. Another option is to crochet the squares together as you make them – create your foundation row as wide as three squares, for example, and crochet row 1 of all three squares, one after another, without cutting between them.
The bottom-up charts use the same solid image as the center-out mosaic crochet charts.
Gauge when worked from the bottom-up will be slightly different than when you work from the center-out.
You’ll receive both a single-page chart and a multi-page chart. Both charts have x’s marked on them for the dropped double crochets.
Bottom-Up Overlay Mosaic Crochet file includes:
– line-by-line instructions
– instructions on reading a chart
– a one-page chart marked with X’s (good for viewing on a screen)
– a four-page chart marked with X’s (better for printing)
Bottom-Up Mosaic Crochet Details
- Chart is 77 x 77
- Gauge: 14 sc blo stitches x 15 rows = 4”
- 22″ x 21″ / 56cm x 52cm
- 5 mm hook (H-8)
- Worsted weight yarn (590 – 840 yards)
- Main color (knot) – 260 yards
- Contrasting color (background) – 330 yards
- Optional envelope border – 250 yards
Kami’s gorgeous bottom-up overlay mosaic crochet sample of March Knot.
