Crochet
Going round in circles – a giant granny mandala
How are you doing? Do you feel like you go round in circles sometimes, not in a good way? Or that life involves one step forward and two steps back sometimes?
I am just coming out of a period like that and thankful for crochet and other craft activities that have been great for handling stress and some emotionally tricky times.
One of my favourite recent projects – as yet unfinished, I have to admit – is the giant granny mandala that I’ve been doing in lovely soft Easter colours. I chose them from the Stylecraft Special DK range of gorgeous shades that I never seem to get tired of.
My inspiration? Those very naughty but very lovely sugar coated Easter eggs sold by a UK choccy company beginning with a Big C…
As well as the delicate vintage pinks, the muted browns, the creams and the soft yellows and greys, I also went for some toning darker shades to set it all off. Its worked well, I think and the mandala is now big enough to form a circular table cloth. I just have two or three rows to do now and then need to decide which edging to use.
Now with Easter only a couple of weeks away, I want to complete this but then make a second one, slightly smaller as a table topper. I’ve started a quilted table runner in lovely spring-like yellows toned in with greys but my sewing skills are faltering a bit and I think that I may not have that ready for Easter Sunday Tea!
As I do the next giant granny mandala I’m going to revise my pattern to make for an even smoother final effect and perhaps alter the colour scheme slightly to include a brighter yellow – but I will be doing a tutorial as I go along and posting it up on the blog with more photos.
In the meantime, as I’ve mentioned the current mandala on Facebook and in a couple of other blog posts, I’ve been asked for the colours used, so happy to oblige so that you can use this list as inspiration for your own designs.
All are Stylecraft Special DK as I’ve said – I buy mine from Woolwarehouse UK, which has a lightning fast service and who offer free delivery on orders over £25. With my Simply Crochet magazine code (its in the Woolwarehouse advert every month) I can also get 10% off… Makes buying yet more yarn EVEN more tempting.
Vintage pinks
Pale rose
Clematis
Grape
Vintage neutrals
Parchment
Mocha
Silver
Vintage blues/purples
Denim
Violet
Lavender
Baby blue (from the Stylecraft DK baby range) You could use cloud blue as an alternative
You can choose the order you like best and use the colours for any kind of project. This is the order that I used the colours in the one that I’ve been making, so you can get an idea of the different tones:
- Parchment
- Pale rose
- Clematis
- Mocha
- Silver
- Violet
- Lavender
- Parchment
- Pale rose
- Silver
- Denim
- Lavender
- Parchment
- Silver
- Clematis
- Grape
- Parchment
- Mocha
- Pale rose
- Clematis
- Grape
- Silver
- Denim
- Parchment
- Silver
- Baby blue (from the Stylecraft DK baby range) You could use cloud blue as an alternative
- Denim
- Parchment
- Pale rose
- Parchment
- Silver
My last three rows will probably be clematis, mocha and grape with a border in parchment. But don’t hold me to that – I will probably completely chance my mind (or more likely, forget what I’ve written here) when I next get chance to work on it.
I’ve been distracted the last week or so my yet another new project, which I just had to get finished. Its yet another stash basket… But this one involved going round in circles in brighter spring colours this time. Tutorial and post dedicated just to the coming very soon.
xxxxxxx Kathryn
Thanks for sharing the colours you have used – and introducing me to the other Stylecraft DK ranges – I hadn’t thought to look!
Thanks Sandra I only noticed that the baby range has different shades when I went to a little local yarn shop! The baby blue is only a bit different to cloud blue but it is different xxx
My colours! 🙂 Love them.
Corine
x
Thanks Corine – its good to change to new colours – loving your brights, can’t wait to see what you do with them xxx
Can you share the pattern for your mandala?
I will be doing Lauretta – I am going to make another one with the same colours and do a photo tutorial and pattern for it. It should be ready next week 🙂