Celtic cross

In this tutorial I show you how to tie the Celtic cross.

I have been covering quite a few rope mats lately and the Celtic cross is similar in many ways. I have a fondness for cross symbolism, so this was a fun project for me. Like in mats that I make, I often take a look at the pattern then reverse engineer it. I have done so here as well and am happy with the result.

So, let’s jump right into the tutorial!

Celtic cross tutorial

The 2 pass version of the knot was tied with 2 cords of different color.

I used 3 1/2 feet (105 cm) of paracord 550 for each of the strands. For the sake of easier tying I recommend using a few inches more.

You could naturally also make the cross using a single strand that would be 7 feet long.

Now the fun starts!

Take one of the cords and form a loop. This is the right part of the cross.

Create another loop below the first one.

Pass between the loops to the left.

Create a loop on the left and pass over the standing end.

Spread apart the middle.

Take your secord cord and go over the bottom loop. You may want to secure this with a few pins (I don’t bother, but it is very handy).

Pass under two middle cords.

Then over-under to the top left.

Go over-under into the left loop.

Then travel over one-under two to the top right.

Go over-under the top two cords.

Turn back towards the bottom right going over one-under two.

Then into the right loop, over-under.

Then weave the working end over-under-over-under towards the bottom left.

Weave through the middle section (the one we spread apart), over-under-over.

Finally, weave through the last three cords (which include the standing end), under-over-under.

With this you have tied the knot. Now double it!

You double the knot by taking each of the ends and following the other end next to it. By using both ends like this you hide them from view.

You have 2 ends at the bottom and two at the top that need to be worked into the knot. Slowly remove the slack and work it into the knot.

Enjoy your new cross! I hope this tutorial helped you.

Feel free to comment for any questions that may arise!