I have really enjoyed creating this Goldwork kit and finally getting it out of my head and into the real world! honestly I've been thinking of this design in some form or another for years. And I am so happy with the final result - I hope you are too.
Celtic Inspiration
Original Celtic knot designs can be dated back to the 3rd-4th century. When it comes to interpreting their meaning, we do face some challenges. Without written records, the meaning of some of these unique symbols will inevitably have been lost in the mists of time.
Most commonly though, these continuous patterns are thought to have referenced eternity and eternal life. Celtic knots famously comprise of one continuous line, with no beginning and no end and so are often regarded as a symbol of infinity.
For this particular design, I was inspired by the Celtic God Lugh.
Lugh is portrayed not just as a warrior and King, but also as a master craftsman and is therefore associated with the arts and creativity.
In mythology, his appearance is often compared to the sun, and so in the Victorian era and Gaelic Revival, Lugh was often seen as a Sun God.
Lughnasa (or Lughnasadh/Lúnasa) is the festival of the beginning of the harvest season, traditionally the 1st August.
The festival was founded by Lugh as funeral games in memory of his foster-mother Tailtiu. She was said to have died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture. Tailtiu may have been an earth goddess who represented the dying vegetation that fed mankind.
The festival was similar to the Ancient Olympic Games and included ritual athletic and sporting contests, horse racing, music and storytelling, trading, proclaiming laws and settling legal disputes, drawing-up contracts, and matchmaking. You can read more about Lughnasa here.
Materials
For the first part of the design we're using Jap thread. It has a thread core with metallic ribbon wound around the outside. This comes in a range of sizes and is generally couched onto the surface of the fabric (as with many goldwork threads and wires). Jap does refer to Japan, though I'm not sure exactly why the thread is called that. It's the most thread-like of the materials we're using in this kit.
The next material we're using is Pearl Purl. Given this name because it looks like a row of pearls. It is a tightly wound wire with a hollow centre. It's the most rigid of the materials we're using for this piece. This wire can be couched, cut and stretched making it quite a versatile material.
We're also using Rococo thread in this piece. Similar to Jap, this has a thread core with a metallic exterior. It's also crimped to give a wavy, textured effect. This is generally couched onto the fabric too.
The last type of material we're using in this kit is Bright Check. Bright Check Purls are made up of a very fine wire thread that is wound into a soft flexible hollow tube with a serrated/jagged edge giving it an excellent sparkle. It is often cut into smaller pieces and used almost like beads.
Because many goldwork threads sit on top of the fabric, at some stage they have to be brought through to the back to be secured. This is a technique known as 'plunging' the thread.
I definitely recommend plunging and securing your threads after each section or else all those ends can get a bit messy!
The number of Celtic Sun kits available is quite limited, so to be guaranteed to get one its's best to sign up to a Needle Nerd subscription. Any remaining kits will then be available for pre-order in the shop. And once they're gone, they're gone!