Mourning Athena Rug Pattern

Lookie! Actual artness

Anyhoo... I want to enter the contest over at #ArtisanCraft, because the topic is Greek/Roman... and since I, you know, teach Greek and Latin, it seemed like the perfect topic for me. I chose Athena because my dissertation is on an Athenian festival, the Panathenaia, in honor of Athena Polias.


I've got an old piece of canvas, not left over but from a yarnless kit I picked up just to get the canvas. It's probably over 15 years old now. So I thought it was about time I put it to use. It's got a usable field of 101x76 holes, so that was the size I limited myself to for the pattern. I've also got a bunch of gray yarn cut, from back when I was planning on doing a gray version of Cinderella Castle, but since I've now decided on a blue castle, I've got tons o'useless gray cut yarn. So gray color scheme. I haven't decided on the background color yet. I'll have to cut the yarn regardless. Her dress would have been yellow (saffron, actually), just to let you know. And let's all remember she's the patroness of Athens, so no, that is not a Spartan helmet.

She is called the Mourning Athena, by the way [link] . I got a picture of her in the Akropolis museum while I was in Athens in 2005. I used my picture as the reference. No copyright worries, since the piece is nearly 2500 years old now. That's her spear she's resting her head on.


It took about an hour to get the basic design, but about six to actually make the pattern (made in Photoshop Elements 4). My back hurts now.


The contest is due in exactly a month, so that's how long I've got to latch it. I can probably get it done in a few days if I force myself.


This pattern is free for all to use, providing I am credited as the maker and no money is earned.