How to create a few basic Celtic knots, illustrated in ASCII
When you draw these knots, they can be done in ASCII or by hand on graph paper; the method is much the same.
A brief warning: if you have difficulty understanding any of these knots, copy them to Notepad and change the font to Lucida Console, size 10. This is the most attractive
font I have found so far for displaying Celtic knots. If the size is different, it ceases to be a
monospaced font, so be sure you have it right.
In any Celtic knot, the main idea is to be sure that every line
alternates going over and under when it overlaps itself. In fact, you can draw the
outline of any of these knots on a sheet of
paper and then determine whether the line overlaps or underlaps by starting at any intersection and working outward.
This is the most simple Celtic knot to draw. It is in the shape of a
heart and is designed to work the same way as an ordinary knot, like you would tie in your
shoelaces.
/\ /\
/ \/ \
/ /\ \/\ \
\ \/\ \/ /
\/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\
/\ /\
\/
Several of these can be
joined together by the trailing ends to make more
complex knots. Four of them can be connected in a
square, or two opposite each other can be connected. They can be made pointing in any direction, as
below.
/\ /\
/ \/ \
/ /\ \/\ \
\ \/\ \/ /
\/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\
/ /\ /\ \
/ / \/ \ \
\ \ /\ / /
\ \/ \/ /
\/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\
/ /\ \/\ \
\ \/\ \/ /
\ /\ /
\/ \/
Another
simple knot is the
loop. This just looks like a
diamond, and it can be
linked with other loops or other hearts. The larger it is, the more easy to
distinguish from the rest of the pattern it becomes; smaller ones can be used together to make a chain.
/\
/ \
/ /\ \
\ \/ /
\ /
\/
/\ /\ /\
/ \/ \/ \
/ /\/ /\/ /\ \
/ / / /\/ /\ \ \
\ \ \/ /\/ / / /
\ \/ /\/ /\/ /
\ /\ /\ /
\/ \/ \/
/\/\
/ / \
/ / /\ \
\ \/ / /
\ / /
\/\/
Something that
looks especially pleasing when done in ASCII, and is also impressive when drawn by hand, is the
spiral.
Imagine taking two pieces of yarn and winding them around each other, and you
understand what the spiral is supposed to look like. It can be made
alone, like below,
\ \/ /
\/ /
/ /\
\/ /
/ /\
\/ /
/ /\
\/ /
/ /\
/ /\ \
Or combined with other knots, like this knot that combines the loop with the spiral.
/\
/ \
/ /\ \
\ \/ /
\ \/
/\ \
\ \/
/\ \
\ \/
/\ \
/ /\ \
\ \ \/
/\ \ \
\ \/ /
\ \/
/\ \
\ \/
/\ \
\ \/
/\ \
/ /\ \
\ \/ /
\ /
\/
A rather
minor category of knot that I am going to
discuss is made by combining two
heart knots. Personally, I call it the double heart knot; I don't know if there is a specific
technical name for it. It looks like this:
/\ /\
/ \ / \
/ /\ \/ /\ \
/ / \ \/ \ \
/ / /\ \ \ \
\ \ / /\ \ / /
\ \/ / \ \/ /
\/ / \/ /
/ /\ / /\
/ /\ \ / /\ \
/ / \ \/ / \ \
\ \ \ \/ / /
\ \ /\ \ / /
\ \/ /\ \/ /
\ / \ /
\/ \/
These can be made
huge or
tiny. They can also be made with two sets of
lines instead of one to make a very
attractive knot, as will be illustrated below.
To make a more
complex knot, you may want to consider making one of the
basic knots, but using two sets of lines to make it. To do this, simply pay close attention to where the lines intersect. An intersection in one of these
knots will consist of
four lines, rather than
two and will look like this:
\ \ \ / / /
\ \ \/ / /
\ \ \/ /
\/\/ /
/ /\/\
/ /\ \ \
/ / /\ \ \
/ / / \ \ \
A heart knot using two sets of lines will look like this:
/\ /\
/ \ / \
/ /\ \/ /\ \
/ / \/ / \ \
/ / /\ \/\/\ \ \
\ \ \/\/\ \/ / /
\ \/ / /\/ / /
\ \/\/\ \/\/
/\/\ \/\/\ \
/ / /\ / /\ \
/ / /\ \/ /\ \ \
/ / / \ / \ \ \
\/
Note how each of the
intersections follows the pattern shown above. Almost any knot can be made this way, provided that it is
large enough.
Almost all knots are a combination or variation of one of these, with added
loops,
twists and
spirals to make them
pretty. Just use your
intuition and you will soon be creating knots like these, that can be used for design and on web pages. Try to identify the different simple componenents used in each one:
/\/\
/ \ \
/ /\ \ \
\/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\
/ /\ \/\ \
/ / /\ \ \ \
/\/ / / /\ \ \ \/\
/ \/ / / \ \ \ \ \
/ /\ \/ / \ \/\ \ \
\/ /\/ / \/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\ / /\/ /\
\ \ \/\ \ / /\ \/ /
\ \ \ \ \ / / /\ /
\/\ \ \ \/ / / /\/
\ \ \ \/ / /
\ \/\ \/ /
\/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\
\ \ \/ /
\ \ /
\/\/
/\ /\
/ \/ \
\ \ \/ /
\/\/ /
/ /\/\
/ /\ \ \
/ / /\ \ \
/ / / \ \ \
\ \ \ / / /
\ \ \/ / /
\ \ \/ /
\/\/ /
/ /\/\
/ /\ \ \
/ / /\ \ \
/ / / \ \ \
/ / / \ \ \
/ / / /\/\ \ \ \
/ / / / \ \ \ \ \
/ / / / /\ \ \ \ \ \
\ \ \ \/ /\/ / / / /
\ \ \/ /\/ /\/ / /
\ \ \/\ \/\ \/ /
\/\ \/\ \/\/ /
/\/ /\/ /\/ / /\/\
/ \/\ \/\/ /\/\ \ \
/ /\ \/\ \ \/\ \/\ \ \
\/ /\/ /\/\/ /\/ /\/ /
/ /\/ /\/ /\/\/ /\/ /\
\ \ \/\ \/\ \ \/\ \/ /
\ \ \/\/ /\/\ \/\ /
\/\/ / /\/ /\/ /\/
/ /\/\ \/\ \/\
/ /\ \/\ \/\ \ \
/ / /\/ /\/ /\ \ \
/ / / / /\/ /\ \ \ \
\ \ \ \ \ \/ / / / /
\ \ \ \ \ / / / /
\ \ \ \/\/ / / /
\ \ \ / / /
\ \ \ / / /
\ \ \/ / /
\ \ \/ /
\/\/ /
/ /\/\
/ /\ \ \
\ /\ /
\/ \/
/\ /\
/ \ / \
/ /\ \/ /\ \
/ / \/ / \ \
/ / /\ \/\/\ \ \
\ \ \/\/\ \/ / /
\ \/ / /\/ / /
\ \/\/\ \/\/
/\/\ \/\/\ \
/ / /\ / /\ \
/ / /\ \/ /\ \ \
\ \/ \ / \ \/
/\ \ \/ /\ \
\ \/ \ \/
/\ \ /\ \
\ \/ \ \/
/\ \ /\ \
\ \/ /\ \ \/
/\ \ / \ /\ \
\ \ \/ /\ \/ / /
\ \/ / \/ / /
\ \/\/\ \/\/
/\/\ \/\/\ \
/ / /\/ / /\ \
/ / /\ \/\/\ \ \
\ \ \/\/\ \/ / /
\ \ / /\ / /
\ \/ /\ \/ /
\ / \ /
\/ \/