Making a Crochet I-Cord and a Celtic Knot!

I am trying to learn something new every week, and this week I watched a wonderful video tutorial by the generous and talented designer, June Gilbank.  She demonstrates how to make a crocheted i-cord.  This is something that I have never seen anywhere else.  If that is not amazing enough, she shows how to do it if you are left-handed, as well!  It is such a revelation as it is a relatively easy technique, and there are so many uses for this type of cord.

After I had crocheted quite a length of cord without any particular project in mind,  I remembered that I had always wanted to try making the "Celtic Stonework Knot" from Nicky Epstein's amazing "Knitted Embellishments" book.  It takes some concentration to follow the diagram, but the book is very well illustrated which makes it easy to learn how to tie this knot as well as several others that are useful for making frog closures.  

All in all, it was a productive learning day.  Sometimes it is hard to take time out to learn new things, but I am trying to commit to doing so on a regular basis, as it can only make my design work more interesting!