"Tarot helps you meet whatever comes in the best possible way."
Knitted Tarot Case Instructions
Finally, here’s the complete instructions (as a pdf file) for my knitted tarot bag (I prefer “case” since there are four sides and a flat bottom) as pictured in my earlier posts and above. Send me pictures if you knit your own. Happy knitting.
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Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me HERE.
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36 comments
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June 3, 2008 at 9:12 am
Elizabeth Cassedy
Mary, Thank you so much for doing this. I have admired the Tarot Cases that you knitted and asked if you would give us the pattern at RS. Again, thank you for the pattern. I promise to send a picture of my case.
June 3, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Elizabeth Genco
YES!! Of course, I love the one that I have, but I too was itching for the pattern when I saw them at the RS. I love the flat box shape. Thank you so much.
(I’ll post a link to this post over on AT if it hasn’t been done already…)
June 3, 2008 at 11:39 pm
marygreer
E & E – Okay, you can test the pattern since it’s the first one I’ve ever created and written down. Let me know anything that is unclear or wrongly marked. I made up the method for doing the bottom so I’m hoping the instructions are clear for others.
June 4, 2008 at 4:15 am
HiC
Do you sell these, by any chance ? Or would you perhaps be interested in selling them at a shop, perchance ?
June 4, 2008 at 4:43 am
marygreer
HiC – Thanks for asking. I’ve just started to sell them when I’m at events but probably don’t make enough cases to sell through a shop. And, the per hour wage is laughable, as is. When I get back from teaching at the Omega Institute I may offer what I have left over on the blog. Then, I’ll see if I want to keep knitting them or go back to socks or ???.
June 5, 2008 at 12:57 am
TarotByArwen
This inspires me to start knitting again. I have one bag I crocheted but I like these cases because of the form and flap. Now I must relearn how to cast on! Luckily I have several knitting nut friends who will happily readdict me. 🙂 Thanks for being so generous as to share this!
June 5, 2008 at 1:46 am
marygreer
Arwen –
For cast-on help, try the great video instruction series here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/cast-on
June 5, 2008 at 3:39 am
TarotByArwen
Oh fine! Feed my internet addiction AND my knitting addiction. Thanks!
June 7, 2008 at 12:17 am
Barbara Moore
Mary, thanks for posting the pattern! I am looking forward to using it to make a case for my recently acquired Knitting Tarot. I just posted about it, and about the Omega class of yours that I attended. Such great memories!
June 7, 2008 at 12:19 am
Barbara Moore
oops. I mistyped my url and don’t know how to edit my comment. This comment has the correct url.
http://www.allthingstarot.blogspot.com
June 7, 2008 at 1:52 am
marygreer
Barbara – The url tends to get taken out automatically by wordpress. So I added it back in. It looks like this will be a wonderful blog full of behind-the-scenes stories of how decks and tarot ideas come about. I loved hearing all about the Knitting Tarot.
http://www.notsoswift.com/amindandacard/knittingtarot/now_available88763.html
July 20, 2008 at 9:44 pm
terri
It’s nice to ‘meet’ you, Mary… (thru your blogs, of course!) I too am a knitter. I am going to try your pattern here. Also, a word of thanks for your books on the Tarot.
March 7, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Gail Wood
I remember this from when you first posted it. I have just relearned to knit. I’m so glad it’s a nice cotten yarn. I love the texture. Once I practice a little more, I’m going to try this one! Hopefully, I’ll have one at RS09.
May 6, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Christine in Knitvada
OMG! You knit too? I found this link on Ravelry and I couldn’t believe my luck. “The Mary Greer?” Cool! ~Happy knitting! ~Christine in Knitvada.
May 7, 2009 at 8:34 am
Mary K. Greer
Gail – I didn’t get see a bag by you at RS09. Post it on Ravelry.
Christine – Be sure to post a photo on Ravelry when you’ve finished your bag.
May 25, 2009 at 7:12 am
Deborah
Hello Mary
I’m so very excited to run across your website. I’m new to Tarot. My question is; is there a particular deck of cards that a beginner should start out with? I’ve ordered your book from Amazon.com. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
May 26, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Mary K. Greer
Deborah – Wherever you start is perfect! There are many “schools” of tarot most of which reflect a branching of the tradition. Most books and teachers in the U.S. are influenced by the Rider-Waite (Smith) deck and the traditions of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (which include the Thoth deck). In Europe, Marseille-style decks are more popular. There’s also several schools with Egyptianized decks. I generally teach with the Rider-Waite but I encourage people to find a deck and tradition that works best for them. If you are primarily using the tarot psychically or as an “oracle” and aren’t interested in tarot systems and symbolism then any deck that appeals to you will probably do.
December 25, 2009 at 10:28 am
Tabitha Dial
I put a link to this very blog entry on my wish list, knowing my boyfriend’s mother would love to make me a bag.
I really love the end result. Thanks for sharing your pattern.
Cheers.
December 25, 2009 at 9:35 pm
mkg
Tabitha –
I’m glad to hear you got your case. There are photos of several tarot cases done by others at ravelry.com – for those who are members of that wonderful knitting site.
Mary
April 15, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Donna
I am just learning Tarot, but have knitted for some time. So happy to be able to combine the two.
April 16, 2010 at 12:23 pm
mkg
Suggestion for those who are knitting this case – make sure you knit as tightly as possible because you want a firm case. I tend to knit tightly anyway, so it’s no problem for me, but the only dissatisfaction I’ve heard is from people who knit quite loosely.
Be sure to check your gauge and make appropriate adaptations for the size you want.
April 16, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Gail Wood
I’m a loose knitter . I went down a needle size and got a very nice case. I’ve knitted several and have tried other yarns. I have to adapt a little to get guage. It’s a great pattern and they’ve all turned out well except for the first one but I put a bigger deck in it and it fits fine.
I added two stitches to the sides and to the front/back/flap and made one big enough for the Knitting Tarot. Seemed appropriate. Then I knitted and felted a little tote for it. I’d like to make a bigger felted tote because the book is so massive. But perhaps I’m being too obsessive. 😛
I like that it’s a case rather than a bag.
April 16, 2010 at 1:33 pm
mkg
Gail –
How wonderful to hear your experiences. What yarn did you use?
I’ve also knit a case for the large Thoth deck – had to add a stitch on each side and four stitches to the front and back. But that made it big enough to hold the deck in the box (did it for a friend who wanted the box included). Normally you don’t need extra side stitches for the Thoth as it is the same thickness as a RWS.
If you go much bigger than the Thoth size then you begin to lose the case shaping and firmness.
August 23, 2011 at 12:01 am
Zira
I am having SO much trouble with this thing. Do you by chance have any step by step images or work in progress images? This looks like such an easy thing, and then I fall apart after the cast on 29 more stitches part. It doesn’t tell how to get those stitches to which needle, or what direction the thing needs to be facing when you start the rounds…Its really quite confusing to me.
Any help would be really appreciated.
August 23, 2011 at 11:23 am
mkg
Zira –
There are lots of in-process photos submitted by others who have made the case on Ravelry (which you may have to join to see—it is well worth joining as there are lots of instructional materials as well as patterns and a forum): http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitted-tarot-case
No one in the past four years has asked these questions, so I don’t have more details at hand. In fact, my instructions are far more detailed than most knitting instructions – being the first I’d ever written and having made up the process for finishing the bottom—so I tried to be as complete as possible.
You cast on stitches in the same direction you are currently going – just add them to your needle and move to other needles as needed for space or to begin knitting. You move stitches onto other double-pointed needles (DPNs) by slipping them point-to-point from one needle to the next (as you would when moving any knitting to another needle or onto a holder). I’m pretty sure that I said you are to put 5 stitches on each of the two side needles and 18 stitches on the front and back needles. You’ll need to add one stitch (Make One) to the back/flap needle to increase it’s stitches from 17 to 18. It’s best to do this when knitting your first round after connecting the added on stitches. Note that there is one additional stitch when you cast-on. You use it to connect the fourth side back to the original flap by knitting two together (K2T) which should put you perfectly in place—having just knit the first stitch of the first round of knitting in the round. This should only be complicated if you have never knit in the round. The outside of the case should be facing you as you knit around the four needles (using a fifth needle to do so).
The bottom sounds a little complicated to do (but is actually easy once you’ve done it)—you just have to follow the instructions step-by-step.
Probably the major key to getting a good case is to use the cotton I recommend and knit as tightly as possible on as small a needle as is comfortable. I usually use a size 1 or 2 needle. Most problems come from using a different yarn or knitting loosely. Once you’ve put your deck in the case and left it there for a day or two it should hold the form fairly well.
If you have a deck that is a different size than the standard Rider-Waite, then you’ll have to adjust the number of stitches and may have to make some adjustments when finishing the last row on the bottom (which gets too complicated to explain easily).
Mary
__________ Mary K. Greer https://marygreer.wordpress.com/
December 7, 2011 at 6:37 pm
chanahliora
Looks beautiful. Dare I try it? Didn’t have much luck with knitting when I was young, but now that I am older I find I can do things I could not do when in my so called prime:)
Thanks for posting! Thanks to all the helpful comments and added links for places to go for help.
Chanah
December 7, 2011 at 6:55 pm
mkg
Chana,
It’s pretty simple except for the bottom, which is not that hard to do but is hard to explain. If you haven’t knit in the round or on double-pointed needles then it might seem difficult at first.
If you really want a firm case then you need to knit tighter than is probably comfortable.
Mary
June 4, 2012 at 7:21 pm
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June 15, 2012 at 1:04 am
fennario
Cotton doily yarn is good for crocheted bags. I made a gusseted drawstring Lenormand bag about five or six years ago, really simple, all double crochet and it’s wearing like iron, I’ve been hauling it around in my purse ever since I made it.
Openwork over contrasting cloth would be nicer, but probably wouldn’ thold up like that.
June 26, 2012 at 12:06 am
Janna
Fab! I want to start knitting and this isthe perfect project x thank you 🙂 x
July 8, 2012 at 12:28 am
Kortney Bewley
Hello! Thank you so much for this pattern! It worked up beautifully! here is my ravelry picture of it http://www.ravelry.com/projects/kida/knitted-tarot-case
February 18, 2013 at 5:09 pm
Rebecca Walker
Hi Mary–I am not an “expert” at knitting, but I have and use “cabled” or a “circular” needle rather than sets of double-pointed needles. How do you think I might need to modify or tweak these instructions for such, or should I just buck up and try the double-pointed? Thank you!
February 20, 2013 at 4:39 pm
mkg
I believe you can use two sets of circular needles in the same way as I’ve described, but I’ve never tried it. I’m afraid you’ll just have to experiment.
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