I am still mildly obsessed with tin toppers. Last month I created and shared a little pattern made to look like an air mail envelope. But, the workshop I am doing for my guild meeting in March comes just before St. Patrick’s Day, so I felt like designing something more seasonal. So, I’ve designed a little Celtic knot pattern that is sized to fit the top of an Altoid’s tin.

Last week I looked at some tutorials and tried to learn how to draw Celtic knotwork. It is tricky but really fun to draw once you get the hang of it. You can see the progression of my attempts here:

By the time I got to the bottom of the page on my sketchpad, I was getting the hang of it.

Unfortunately, things that work on paper don’t always translate well into cross-stitch, and the bottom knot was way too complicated a design to fit on a tin topper. I had to simply things quite a bit, but that’s okay.

Instead, I’ve created a simple knotwork design that will be quick to stitch, and you can customize the colors really easily. If you’re not into tin toppers, it would also make a nice bookmark or greeting card motif. Click on the image below to access and download the free PDF pattern:

The pattern calls for DMC Light Effects metallic thread in Old Gold (E3821), but you could substitute it with Kreinik #4 Braid in Vintage Gold. I just wanted to give the knot a little sparkle!

I hope you enjoy it.