JOURNAL: MAKING MANDALAS
Emily Penn of The Loopy Stitch loves designing and crocheting mandalas, and shares her tips and reasons for making this versatile motif
There is something therapeutic, relaxing, and mindful when it comes to creating crochet pieces made in the round, like the mandala. I designed my first, called Wheel of Hope, in 2017, and now nearly every design that has come off my hook since has been a mandala. I am drawn to designing them because of the endless possibilities that can be made within each one. All the variables such as stitches, techniques, and colours, come together to make these pieces unique and fun to make.
WHAT IS A MANDALA?
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning circle and is a symbol of wholeness and connection. There are three main types of mandalas: Teaching Mandalas, Healing Mandalas and Sand Mandalas, but when it comes to mandalas in the crochet world, we mainly use Healing Mandalas. They are more intuitive, made for a purpose such as meditation, and can awaken feelings of calm, channel focus and concentration.
Have you ever wanted to design your own? Well, I’m pleased to say it is not as hard as you think. If you know how to make crochet stitches, and are good at frogging, have yarn and hooks, then you have what it takes. All that is left to do is to put the stitches together in a way that you like and to make sure that they sit flat. And if they do not, then you frog, and repeat. It is about learning what stitches can go where, if the height of the stitches will help or hinder and how they create shapes within themselves, therefore creating an overall shape and feel of the mandala.
LEARN TO ‘CROODLE’
When I am designing new patterns, most of the time they are not planned, nothing is on paper, and I have no idea what will be done on consecutive rounds. I call this ‘croodling’ which is short for crochet-doodling. Basically, you play with stitches until you like what you have done and your stitches don’t bunch up and aren’t pulled tight – they are just right.
Due to this technique of croodling, I believe anyone can design their own mandala. When you are ready to take the next step, have a look at your yarn stash and see what colours jump out at you, then begin playing. Start with the basics and what you are comfortable with. Just don’t forget to write down what you have done in case you want to make the same pattern again. Keep in mind the general rule of thumb when designing things in the round; each round is increased by the number of stitches in the first round and so on. This rule is mainly for designs that do not have too much flare involved.