Celtic Crochet

I picked up the new booklet on Celtic Crochet by Annies Attic yesterday after teaching my last class of the day. This is all due because a lady I crochet with, Ruth, has been telling me so much about it and I decided it's time I tinker with it.

So I picked up my basket of floss (embroidery thread) and picked out some colors I thought would be fun to experiment with.  I selected an ombre thread of various shades of purple, a bright red, and a bright green.  The pattern really called for four colors but since I was using the ombre of purples, I thought I could get away with using three.  You can see my results in the image there above ... click onto the image to make it bigger.  (My work has not been blocked yet, or ...gasp... had it's ends tucked in!)

I think the concept behind Celtic Crochet is somewhat similar to the Overlay technique I've been having so much fun playing with -- except that Celtic is done in stages with assembly required.  I think it's the color play that makes these two techniques somewhat similar and thus fun to do.   In reality, the Celtic Crochet technique is closer to the Crochet'n'Weave TM technique, whereas Overlay is done as all one piece; no assembly required. 

One thing I will admit to is that I had a tough time figuring out the last row on my sample.  I decided to study the photo in the pattern only to realize that they photographed it "wrong side up."  (Please note that Celtic Crochet is touted as being reversible, but I think any time the trim or "face stitches" are facing downwards, that the wrong side is showing.) 

I decided to study the one image they showed "rightside facing" (I have my sample piece covering their image in my photo above) and I was immediately able to work out the edging in my head.  Was it the instructions, or was it me?  I don't know, but I do know it was very late in the evening when I was tinkering with it.  Maybe I was just too tired to wrap my mind around the written instructions.  Maybe I should tinker some more...