Celtic Books

These stencils are perfectly cut from heavy flexible vinyl. The Celtic designs are lovely. All of them are straight. Two are narrow (about 2 1/4 inches wide) and two are wide (from 3 1/2 to 4 inches.) One of the wide borders is a complex interlaced bird. All of these stencils would add beauty to your walls, quilts, leather, or other projects.

I found the stencils very easy to use and clear I could not find any thing like them in Ireland

These stencils are perfectly cut from heavy flexible vinyl. The Celtic designs are lovely. All of them are straight. Two are narrow (about 2 1/4 inches wide) and two are wide (from 3 1/2 to 4 inches.) One of the wide borders is a complex interlaced bird. All of these stencils would add beauty to your walls, quilts, leather, or other projects.

Not my favorite in this series, and not one I've been able to do much with. Your art may vary. As with all, a bit of history and then a lot on constructing the various animals used in Celtic illustration. If you want to know how to build your own knotted dragon, to fit the dimenions of your artwork, this is the book to own.

It's four stars if you're doing Celtic animal work. If not, you may not need to own this one.

This is an excellent book for those looking to create celtic designs.

This book teaches the origins of animal style. It shows various belt, buckle and brooch designs. It then goes into dog, bird, and people patterns.

The book is best used when accompianied by Aidan's other Celtic Design books. I have 7 of the books in this series and love them all!

All in all this is a great book for someone looking to create celtic designs.

Aidan Meehan has made himself into an advocate for the resurgence of Celtic design. After years spent studying art in Ireland and Scotland, Meehan can claim not only historical expertise, but a wealth of technical expertise as well. Meehan writes of the elements of Celtic design as something alive and vibrant that can be a welcome addition or inspiration to any artist's palette.

This small volume is a presentation of the use of animal patterns in jewelry and decoration from the Sutton Hoo burial, the Celtic gospels, and many other sources. Meehan provides a basic historical discussion, but his focus is on how the designs were created. Using a patient style and countless pen-and-ink drawings in a book that is an essay in the calligrapher's art, Meehan has produced another valuable, living reference in a long series.

Whether you are a jeweler, designer, or a tattoo specialist, there is much to draw on here. The only thing I ever miss in Meehan's books is the inclusion of photographs of the original works. I'm sure Meehan has very good reason's for the omission, but for the curious, this is a bit of a challenge.

The book's about 1/4 running and infill designs, 1/2 medallion, and 1/4 history of spiral design. Useful stuff, and powerful in an ancient way. The work I've carved based on this material sold the first time out.

This is an excellent book for those looking to create celtic designs.

This book teaches about the prehistoric spiral, the megalithic spiral then goes through early & middle celtic spirals. It then follows into the insular and golden age spirals.

The book is best used when accompianied by Aidan's other Celtic Design books. I have 7 of the books in this series and love them all!

All in all this is a great book for someone looking to create celtic designs.

Meehan is not only the most proflific writer of celtic pattern books, but one of my favorite to read. A warning here, these are fairly serious books for people that are truly caught by the art of the Celts and wish to know more about it. These are not clip art books nor stencils. Meehan does a beautiful job of joining historical information and the construction. In reading books you know that he loves this subject. His books are full of tantalizing hints into another world that throws around terms like 'the Waldalgesheim pattern'. Which he does explain, but leaves one with the desire to run out and find a book specific to that subject and learn more. Short of doing what I suspect might be doctoral work on the subject, reading Meehan's books are the way to go. He also has a useful appendix of terms in the back. My favorites in this book however are the discussion on the triskele, the triple sprial patterns, which are not considered knotwork per se, and are therefore not to be found in the standard books on knotwork. This book also covers some of the more freeform curving designs that do not come under the knotwork category. Well worth the read.

This book is a classic because it is all inclusive in what it is giving the quilter. A method and patterns to make the 20 blocks all included.

The patterns are large enough that the beginner isn't going to be handling sharp tiny precision areas and yet intricate enough that your fans will wonder how you did anything that "LOOKS" so complicated.

If you want to try hand applique I would highly recommend Celtic because the results are spectacular and the method is very simple.

The graphics for this book are really great, showing the author's use of the multi-colored fabrics. The patterns are very easy to follow. The complete pattern is displayed first, then each part of the pattern is then shown. This makes it really easy to transfer the pattern pieces. The only thing that disappointed me: I would have liked to have more patterns. But I still recommend this to someone who is interested in applique and celtic patterns.

This book shows you how to combine the technique of Celtic quilting with traditional applique to create some lovely flower blocks. It provides 13 different flower designs along with detailed instructions. There are also suggested layouts for complete projects which bring together the different flower designs. I highly recommend it.

While I'm not thrilled with the portrayal of the Druids in this book, the traditions portrayed (Celtic warriors, farmers, slaves) and even the Roman politics surrounding their invasion of the Druid Isle and the subsequent anhialation of many living there made this a fascinating read. The story of Anghus and Kordelina is at once heartbreaking and strange - definately not like anything else I've read!

I found this book by accident. I picked it up because I wanted to learn more about the Celtic ways. I was in for a ride. I LOVE IT. Not only did I had a hard time putting it down, I learned quite a deal of informations I didn't know about the Celtics. I felt like I was living through it.
Well written. I hope to find more of Kathryn Cocquyt's work! If anyone knows more about any books she might of published, please let us know!

The Celtic Heart is an epic tale set in the first century AD, in a Celtic tribe off the coast of England. This fantasy book keeps you engaged, and I felt it difficult to put the book down after finishing a chapter. The images are vivid and I feel extremely knowledgeable about the Celtic people of that time, their religions, rituals and moral values. This is my favourite type of book - an absorbing novel with historical significance from which I really feel as though I have learnt something important.

In a day when computer programs can generate knotwork and clip-art sources for Celtic art abound, it is refreshing to see a new and serious effort being made to train the hand, eye and mind in the skill and understanding of this art form. The technique is interesting in an historical sense because it shows how human hands could accomplish 'the work of angels' and it is also of great value to the modern hand-craftsman who wishes to continue in this tradition. The method of knotwork construction that Meehan teaches is remarkable for a reason that the author only casually mentions. This is that the layout marks are absorbed into the finish piece. An artist working in permanent ink, as did the medieval scribes who illuminated such masterpieces as the Book of Kells, after they have mastered the technique, can draw complicated knots without erasing or leaving messy layout marks. The book begins with a series of three grids, illustrated by dots and lines. These are necessary to illustrate the system, but unfortunately may give the reader the impression that the system is overwrought. Perhaps the author says a bit more than is needed at first, because the system is pretty easy to use once you understand it. In fact, by thoroughly illustrating the simplest knots in relationship to the grids in the first lessons, Meehan is making it possible (if the student perseveres) to layout more complicated knots with an economy of effort and ink. I highly recommend the book, but with the caution that the first lessons require patience. Had he cut to the chase without quite so much preliminary analysis I would gladly give it 5 stars. Stephen Walker

I had a few books by George and Ian Bain but could never figure out what they were trying to get at. This book finally broke it down in a way I could understand. Now that I know the basic technique, I have expanded to all sorts of interesting knots. I can also go back to my Bain books and figure out where the break lines are so I can reproduce those knots without driving myself crazy.

I agree with the other reviewers that at first the system seems a bit complicated, but the break-line and center-line drawing methods in this book have made it really easy for me to freehand knots on anything. I like not being a slave to clip art or stencils. I've gone to those pottery painting places and just plopped a gridwork of dots out and then penciled out my outline on uneven or unusual shapes. When I'm in meetings, I doodle knots on scratch paper.

I gave the book four stars instead of five because I bailed out after 2/3 of the book, when it got to making corners, 3-cord and 5-cord plaits. After I understood the basic method, I figured out how to turn corners all by myself. The 3-cord and 5-cord plaits aren't as interesting to me because they can't be used in standalone knots. Also, Meehan tends to document every single variation on a knot even if it's not very pretty.

I definitely recommend this as a way to train your brain. I am hoping to find a similar book that makes it easier to do triangular and circular knots.

Agree with the reviewer below; the construction methods can seem a bit complex. But this ain't clip art, and the meditation needed to grasp the framework is part of why we're doing this particular form of art in the first place, no?

Even as a straightforward source of material to adapt to your own artwork (I work at a scale of roughly 1/4" to 1'), it's rich. I love the pages of permutations.

I think this is my third favorite Meehan (fils?) book, after Knots and Spirals.

I am really enjoying this book. The arrangements are great for mandolin and Irish bouzouki. The CD that is supplied with it makes the whold thing complete. The only 'slight' problem that I have with it is that some of the arrangements may be a bit too 'classical' for the strong traditionalist.

This is a very nice book and CD. It is not session music per se, and might not be welcomed at sessions. The CD is interesting, and you can tell the artist's Russian heritage from the playing. I found myself listening to the CD for pleasure, along with my family.

The tunes are lovely, well-arranged and make for great playing. It is a beautiful book CD combo, and highly recommended for the player of slow airs in the Celtic and early music.

I normally play a guitar for personal enjoyment (that means I am the only one who will listen to me play). I bought a mandolin in September and I wanted something other than Blue Grass so my wife bought me this book for Christmas.
You have to have some idea on how to play mandolin before jumping into this book. Fortunately I already had a beginners book that taught about what pick to use, how to hold the instrument and pick, etc. This book is strictly music and tab. It is flat-pickin all the way.
None of the songs were familiar, I had not heard any of them before. But the book comes with a CD so you can hear them all played. The songs cover a range of moods and tempos. The level of difficulty varies also. The final challenge is conveying emotion through the music.
None of these songs are going to make the pop charts, but they are fun to play and I find myself humming them during the day.

Contains wonderful descriptions of the pre-Columbian structures in the northeast and people's reactions on visiting. However, I have a feeling that Imbrogno's name was listed but that he put very little writing into it. The bulk of CELTIC MYSTERIES is not in his style and far too much vivid imagination has been used to "explain" some of the findings.

This book would have been far better if a scientific presentation of subjective experiences had been maintained. It does the genre absolutely no good when an author suggests that the voyage of St. Brendan can be explained by help from extraterrestrials. Not that I don't believe in the probability of ET. Worse yet, Atlanteans are mentioned several times as probabilities. In 1980's vernacular, Oh gag me with a spoon. That discussion just should have been left out because it was unnecessary speculation.

The bulk material, however, makes up for some of the stupidity. I can recommend this book for the information on the sites and general weirdness it contains. Buy it.

First of all I feel it is important to let you know that this book is also published under the other authors name and a different cover.

Celtic Mysteries In New Englan

This is an excellent book on the generally unknown megalithic structures in America's northeast. It's a shame that these sites aren't being protected because they are not recognized as 'worth' any archaeological value. Developers are destroying them! I wish I could save them...

I had an interesting experience reading this book similar to the cases actually documented in it. Although the book is fairly short at 194 pages I found myself becoming extremely exhausted after reading a couple of pages. The experiences described by people who have come in contact with the structures range from seeing ghosts, UFOS, bright lights, heightened energy and general lethargy being the most common.

After reading a couple of pages I just felt so lethargic and drifted into deep REM dream sleep within 15 minutes. I believe I had a parallel dimension experience like the ones described in the book.

Somehow my love for megalithic structures and reading this book 'activated' my ability to tune into my astral self.

I believe these authors have solved the mystery of who built them:
Celtic Atlanteans

This is the first book to really tie together the UFO mystery and ancient megalithic sites. The stone structures in the Northeast United States are areas where there are reports of paranormal happenings. The book is an excellent account of two investigators trying to solve a mystery and being met with resistance from established science. The book reads like an adventure story.

This is the most thoughtfully laid out book of needlework I have ever seen--a friend and I wrestled for the only copy at a bookshop when it was between printings! Both the photos of Ireland and of the needlework "at home" are glorious. I've done a few of the designs and they've turned out wonderfully--my only caveat is that the graph colors can be difficult to distinguish, as is often the case with needlepoint charts, particularly British ones. Also, Appleton yarns can be hard to find in the U.S., but in these days of the internet, who cares? I'm confused by the other reviews as this is most definitely not a knitting book.

Alice Starmore has written an excellent book on Celtic Needlework, that includes Key & Spiral Patterns, Knotwork, Bird & Tree and Animal Patterns. Each project is wonderfully illustrated with large colour charts and detailed technical advice. I enjoyed changing the colours and inventing my own special touch

These are just some of the words that will come to mind when you see the patterns in this book. Alice Starmore is a genius at bringing simple patterns to life with vivid colorways. Many of the patterns can be used for other projects or crafts, for example, using variagated yarns and converting a cushion to a sweater. There are patterns for all skill levels, from a bookmark to a rug. The photography is wonderful as well, and all of the items are placed in beautiful still-lifes. Alice Staremore's Celtic Needlepoint makes as nice a coffee-table book as pattern book. Highly recommended for lovers of fiber arts as well as Celtic arts.

Working on an original trapunto element for a quilt. These designs and methods very helpful.

If you are looking for new quilting designs to provide variety to your work, this will be ideal. Marvelous illustrations leave you itching to start trying the new patterns.

I found this book to be excellent in its detail, instructions are very clear and although the book gives designs for Celtic quilting, it is also adaptable for Celtic knot Applique using bias tubes and also Trapunto or shadow work.there is in excess of 15 pages of a pattern library and the book gives details of various projects including a wedding ring cushion, a cot quilt, a wallhanging, several cushion covers, small cards, pincushions,evening bag, pram quilt etc.projects vary in size and difficulty It is an ideal book for both the beginner and experienced quilter, diagrams have full instructions, many full size and others which need to be photocopied at the suggested magnification. the book gives a list of mateirals required and includes practical tips relative to each project. Colour photography is really excellent and shows some close ups as well. I have now become hooked on Celtic Knot Designs.