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Free celtic knot SVG files

Free Celtic knot SVG files with true interlace: trinity knots, square and long plaitwork panels, round rosettes, a braided frame, a seamless band, linked hearts, a shamrock knot and a tree of life. In every one each strand passes over and under by turns, and the crossings still read when the knot is cut.

20 designs. Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with them.

Or choose one below for its PNG, DXF and cutting sizes.

How the weave is drawn

A Celtic knot only looks woven if every strand goes over one crossing and under the next, all the way round. These files are made by finding each crossing and marking them over and under in turn along the strand, so there are no mistakes in the weave to spot later.

Most of the set draws each band by its two edges, with the under band’s edges stopping against the over band’s. Every line ends on another line, which means the whole knot lifts off the mat as one piece and can be cut from card, wood or acrylic as well as vinyl. At 100 mm the bands are roughly 5 to 9 mm wide and their edge lines about 2 mm.

The classic way to draw a knot is with solid bands that are cut back either side of each crossing. That is how the solid rosette is drawn, and it necessarily falls into one loose length for each crossing, so it suits engraving and transfer vinyl. The layered trinity knot solves this with a backing layer, and the stencil plate does it the other way round: the knot is the hole, and small bridges show where the strand passes under.

Sizes and materials

For adhesive vinyl, the trinity knots, the linked loops and the knots with five and six loops weed easily from about 60 mm. The square panels and the long panel have many small cells: cut them at 120 mm or more. On a laser, engrave any of them as a fill, or cut the line-drawn knots from 3 mm plywood at 150 mm, where the lines are about 3 mm wide.

The seamless band repeats every 14.3 mm. Place copies exactly 100 mm apart and weld them for a longer border. The braided frame leaves a clear circle about 60 mm across at 100 mm.

How to open the files

  • Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
  • Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
  • LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
  • Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
  • Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions

How many strands does a Celtic knot have?

It varies, and counting them is part of the pleasure. Here the trinity knot, the seven-crossing knot, the pinwheel, the rosette, the five-loop knot and the braided frame are each a single endless strand. The linked loops, the hearts and the six-loop knot have two, the long panel and the band have three, and the two square panels have six.

Why does the solid knot come apart when I cut it?

A solid band has to be cut where it passes under another, or the crossing would not show. Each length between two such cuts is then its own piece. Use the knots drawn by their edges when you need one piece, or the layered knot, whose backing holds the lengths.

What does the trinity knot mean?

The triquetra is found on carved stones and in manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. Christians have long read its three points as the Trinity, and it is also used simply as a sign of three things joined: past, present and future, or land, sea and sky. With a circle through it, the circle is usually read as eternity or unity.

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