Celtic Knot Filet Crochet Center Piece

It's funny, but the one thing that I always knew that I never wanted to be was a housewife.  Now this is the part where the person writing usually starts to talk about that now that they have experienced the wonders of this lifestyle it's really not what they expected at all.

That's not what I'm going to tell you.

Moving to a different city in a different state was probably not the best idea.  Like all big decisions, this one was based on the best intentions, and for the most part it was still the right choice.  My husband has a good job that he enjoys.  The weather is better here and Bug-A-Boo can play outside almost every day.  The only real down side is that it has been pretty isolating for me.

I love my kid, and I love my husband, but I hate my lifestyle.  I hate the drudgery of it all.  The lack of personal control leaves me constantly depressed.  Suddenly loss of financial independence and the time for self improvement makes me want to scream.  And the sleep deprivations means that most days I need a calculator to do simple math and at least one day a week I should not be driving (but probably am anyway).

People keep saying, "It get's better."  They say, "Treasure this time, they grow up so fast."  My Bug-A-Boo is growing fast, but I tell you what; I look forward to the day when I don't have to worry about being pinched, poked, or slapped.

I went back to work for awhile not too long ago.  By and large it was a failure.  I could do the work fine, but management had some issues to work out and the hours were all over the board.  There was no rhythm or moral there and so I left.

But that's no excuse to not keep trying.

If any of you have been asking, "What's with all of the filet crochet pieces?  Isn't that an outdated crochet form?"  I'll put my two cents, it's simple to carry around and can be done even when half asleep.  With a ball of thread, a hook, and a pattern I can throw a project in my bag and work whenever it appears that there may be a few minutes alone.  It's also meditative. With only two main stitches, sometimes crocheting feels like I'm waltzing, counting 1-2-3, 2-2-3,3-2-3, etc. in my head.

In December I had a small operation that led to a numb spot on my lower lip.  This has strangely affected my ability to block large pieces.  The method that I have been using for years to pin anything involved holding a line of pins with my lips so that my hands are more free to work.  With the dead spot, this has proved difficult.  To try to compensate for this, I purchased a set of lace blocking wires and decided to try them with this filet piece.

As a learning activity I would say this was a win, although not in the way that I would have liked.  It turned out that my gauge was really too tight to use these wires effectively.  I could only feed them through the short sides and, not thinking things through to begin with I probably looped the wires through too often, thus causing the sides to block out with a slightly ruffled look.  This also meant that I was not able to stretch the piece to block it as I would normally.

Oh well, we live, we learn, and we have an iron.

And so I give you another filet crochet center piece.  I hope it brings some calm to your life as well.

If you would like a PDF of this pattern and have a Ravelry account, a copy can be found here.

If you would like a PDF of this pattern from Etsy, it can be found here.

Feel free to change the thread, gauge, or size to fit your needs.  Just please do not try to sell this pattern as your own.

If you have any problems that you think that I might be able to help you with, email me at GridMammalCrafts@gmail.com .

Celtic Block Center Piece

Materials:

·         2 Balls of Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread, Extra Fine Size 30, 500 yds, White

·         1 Steel Crochet Hook, Size 11, 1.10 mm

Gauge:

·         21.5 Squares Wide x 31 Squares Tall = 4 inch x 4 inch

Finished Size:

·         17.5” Wide x 12” Tall

·         94 squares tall x 94 squares long

Notes:

·         Chart rows that are highlighted yellow are duplicate rows from a previous chart.

·         Remember, the last double crochet stitch in a block is the first double crochet stitch of the next block

·        

All instructions are written in American crochet terminology.

Key:

            Filet Crochet

·        

Filled Square = 1 Double Crochet Stitch through the top of the next 4 stitches from the previous row

·        

Open Square = 1 Double Crochet Stitch, Chain 2, skip 2 stitches of the previous row, 1 Double Crochet Stitch in the next stitch of the previous row

Charts:

·         Unfortunately, for ease of reading, the pattern had to be broken up over several pages.  The edges of each row and column are numbered and the section of the pattern is labelled with a header.  The sections are oriented as shown in the following table.  I would suggest, depending on your tastes, working along an entire row as you go along.  This will take you across a couple pattern pieces as you finish each line.  On the final page you will find the pattern in its entirety, but very small to fit on a single page.

A	B
C	D

Just the Beginning:

·         Base: Chain 283 (loosely) + chain 3         

-          (This the will create a base chain of 283 and the chain 3 will be the first double stitch of the wall of the first square)

·         Row 1: Turn work, double crochet into the fifth chain from the hook, double crochet into the next 281 ch

·         Row 2: Chain3, turn work, dc into the second dc from the hook, dc into the next 280 dc, dc in the end ch 3

·         Row 3: Chain3, turn work, dc into the second dc from the hook, dc into the next 5dc, (ch 2, skip 2 dc, dc in the next dc) x 90, dc in the next 5 dc, dc in the end ch 3

Charts:

            A

            B

            C

            D

            COMPLETE