I find it fascinating to follow the ins and outs of Celtic knotwork, whether I’m trying to draw one or paper or just trace a design etched in silver.  Weaving so many lines together into a pattern, especially deciding where to run one line over or under another, takes some concentration.  And yet artists have been carving simple versions of these patterns for millennia.

We think of this traditional knotwork as Celtic, but similar patterns go back to rock carvings from the neolithic, and come to us from many parts of the world.  In fact, there’s some controversy about whether the Vikings adopted the style from the Celts or vice versa.  But line-crossing patterns aren’t limited to Europe, and indeed we find uncanny similarities between patterns of the British Isles, India, and China...