Gradually moving forward with the runic alphabet. With today’s Eihwaz done, I have only three runes to go: Sowilo, Ingwaz, and Dagaz. That means that all other runes are alreasy available for download in the blog archives!
Anyway, the freebie today is Eihwaz.
Eihwaz rune free cross stitch pattern
Today’s free rune is Berkana (sometimes spelled Berkano) – a rune of feminine fertility, birth (rebirth) and motherhood – and rune #20 in my cross stitch runic series.
Rune Berkana free cross stitch pattern
Pattern size: 38 x 49 stitches, 10 colors
Download Rune Berkana free cross stitch pattern in PDF
Please note, that this pattern is a little bit (two stitches) wider than most of the runic patterns of the same design. I had to make it like this because the rune’s neame is longer 🙂
The symbolic tree for Berkana on the pattern is pomegranate.
OK, the project is not finished yet, because the idea is to make a postcard. But the stitching is complete, and looks like this:
Right now I understand that I should have placed something on the photos for size reference. The actual stitching is very small, about 9 cm in height (3.5 ”) and 8 in length (3.2 ”).
For my next step I have to find a postcard blank and mount the stitching in. Hopefully the result will be as pretty as I imagine it 🙂
A little update on my progress with the trees project, that I started after returning from Singapore. I love miniature patterns! A day or two, maybe a week of work, and you already have something to show:
As you can see, I finished the oak part (top left), and moving fast onward with three other trees (top to bottom: apple, juniper, willow). The cross stitching here is no problem at all, but there also is a lot of back-stitching, which is much complex. Well, I designed this pattern and thus brought this onto myself 🙂
The next big idea I have is to make a postcard out of this project. But I have never tried making cross stitch postcards before. Do you know any good tutorials on how to do it?
Remember, I promised to complete the whole runic series by the end of summer? I hope you don’t remember that vow, because I’m seriously out of schedule with six more runes to go, and the summer is almost over. But still, as I just wrote, only six more runes to go: that means that 18 runes are adapted into patterns already, and that’s a lot!
Today I made (very true to season!) Jera rune.
Jera rune free cross stitch pattern
Good news at last! Last week I finally completed the Vault dwellers couple for my sister. And it would be a post of pride if I hadn’t forgotten to make a photo 🙂 But I did, and as for now the finished work is being framed (not in detective stories kind of way) – so no photos until next week. Anyway, the whole picture looks great and I really hope that Katie will like it as much as I did 🙂
So this week I started something new. This is a pattern with different types of trees that I designed for my Etsy shop. Somehow I decided to stitch it first and post on Etsy after – no idea why. It is very small and I hope to use it for a postcard.
Progress so far:
While most of the sources I check to know the meaning of runes rarely agree with each other (it is very funny how websites in English and websites in Russian write very differently about the same runes), all of these sources agree that Wunjo is the rune of happiness and joy. So I hope you will find joy in stitching it!
Rune Wunjo free cross stitch pattern
Pattern size: 36 x 49 stitches
One more rune and one step closer to completing the runic series. The list of runes to adapt is getting smaller and I still have time to finish every pattern this summer, as promised 🙂
Today’s rune is Uruz.
Uruz rune free cross stitch pattern
Pattern size: 36 x 49 stitches
Starting the last ten uncovered previously by my patterns Nordic runes, is Ansuz – the rune of Odin, the rune of power and leadership.
Ansuz in the A of the Nordic runic alphabet, and stands for Odin, the ancestral god, who is said to give first humans the gifts of life and intelligence (this is why Ansuz is sometimes called Odin’s breath). This is the rune of wisdom, that governs our abilities to put things in order and name them. And because according to many ancient myths knowing the true name of something or someone gives us power over this thing or person, Ansuz is also a rune of great power. But always remember, that with great power comes great responsibility 😉
Rune Ansuz (Odin’s breath) free cross stitch pattern
Pattern size: 36w X 49h stitches, 8 colors
