Revisiting the Granny Mandala.

Posted on November 11, 2010

Soooooooooooooo. Get your 4mm hook and your 8ply wool ready and lets get started!!! Round 1: Make a magic ring. if youve never done this before now, click here for step by step photo instructions.. and into this circle make 3ch (counts as 1dc) 1dc, *ch1, 2dc* repeat ** until you have 6 2dcs separated by 1ch each, join with a slst to 3rd chain of original 3ch. Pull the end of the magic circle closed nice and tight and weave in those ends, go on, weave as you go! Round 2: Join next colour with a slst into a 1ch space from previous round and ch3 (counts as 1dc) 1dc, ch1, into the SAME space, dc2tog, *ch1, into the next space dc2tog, ch1, dc2tog* repeat sequence until each 1ch space from the previous round has 2dc2tog each separated by 1ch.

(dc2tog: yarn over hook, insert hook into stitch, pull through a loop, yarn over, pull yarn through 2 loops on hook, yarn over, insert hook into the SAME stitch, pull through a loop, yarn over, pull loop through two loops on hook, yarn over again, pull loop through remaining three loops on hook.) Rounds 3 & 4: Join new colour with slst into a 1ch space from previous round, ch3 (counts as 1dc) into the same space, make 2dc, *ch1, 3dc into next space* repeat until end of round and join with a slst into 3rd ch of original 3ch. Each 1ch space should be filled with 3dc each cluster separated with 1ch.

Rounds 1-3!

Yes! Thats better! Photos are far more interesting than words!!!!

OK lets make our first round of increases.. Round 5: Join new colour with a slst into a 1ch space from previous round, ch3 (counts as 1dc) 2dc, 1ch, 3dc into same 1ch space, *ch1, into next space 3dc, ch1, 3dc* for entire round, at end of the round ch1 and join with a slst to 3rd chain of original 3ch.

Rounds 6&7: No increases in these rounds, just repeat rounds 3 & 4 Round 8: Increasing again, but this time only in every SECOND 1ch space from previous round. So, join new colour with a slst to 1ch space and ch3 (counts as 1dc) into the same space, 2dc, ch1, 3dc, *ch1, into next space 3dc, ch1, into next space 3dc, ch1, 3dc* repeat for the entire round and at end of the round ch1 and join with a slst to 3rd chain of original 3ch.

I love watching rainbows emerge.. they get more and more beautiful with every colour! Rounds 9, 10 & 11: No increases, just repeat rounds 3 & 4.

Round 12: Increasing again, so repeat instructions for round 8. BUT. increase every three 1ch spaces. (Increase, normal 3dc cluster, normal 3dc cluster, increase.) Rounds 13, 14 & 15: No increases, just repeat rounds 3 & 4 again. Round 16: Increasing every third space, repeat round 12.

This is a nice size mandala and will be bigger after a darn good blocking!!!!!! From this point onwards, just keep repeating the increases with three rows between them without increasing, the edge with your favourite edging! I usually do a round of sc, then a mini shell-stitch: With right side facing you, into 1 stitch make 1sc, 1hdc, 1sc, slst into next two stitches and repeat sequence all the way around. I added a few extra rounds to this one in natural undyed wool. I had grand plans to make it into a veeeeeeeeeeeeery special baby blanket, but then remembered that I hadnt make the ends secure enough to stand the wear and tear, so lucky for KB, as she LOVES this one (natural fibre addict) it is the new centre piece for our table and it looks awesome.

Mandala-rific!

OK, well I hope you have lots of fun making yourselves some beautiful mandalas!!!! If youre a raveler and want to bookmark/ queue/ hook it! Click HERE for the link to all of the patterns and tutorials Ive popped on there. And click HERE for google images of beautiful mandalas where you can click to get lots of info for your beautiful selves! Im off. must fly. its 6pm already where did the day go? Boring jobs await my creatively-itchy hands think big piles of dishes an unmade bed and dinner awaiting cooking. Oh and a Raymond to feed too! Wishing you all a perfectly blessed day, Lots and lots of love from Alice and Raymond XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX p.s thinking of perfect blessings thank you. oh THANK YOU anonymous person who handed my cay keys in to the supermarket customer service desk this afternoon. you are a flipping legend and gratitude did not even cover the feeling I had when my keys were back in my hands!

Scallop Fest
Posted on March 17, 2011

to create a colour explosion or seven!

Oh, and by the way, the granny circle pattern is HERE! Making these scalloped edge pot holders has created a new obsession. The picot edge has fallen out of favour and the scallop edge (if thats even the right name for it, it could be shell? Scallop edge is my name for it anyway, not to confuse it with my happy little mini-shell edging!) is the new supreme edging in my crochet world! Once Ive finished the item I want to edge, I make a row of single crochet right the way around, to make it all nice and even and finished looking, then I slst into the first stitch and chain 1 for a bit of wiggle room. Then, skip one stitch and make 5dc into the next stitch, skip one, slst into next stitch, and carry on right the way around and slst into that first chain.

RAINBOW TRAINGLE
Posted on August 1, 2010

Its me again! tee hee! Ive been working on little wee projects lately, which deserve a whole post in themselves I think sometimes that Ill save some of my work for posts in the future when Im not being so productive, but creativity is a process dont you agree? I find that Ill create something, and LOVE it! Be obsessed with its beauty! Then a few

weeks later, Ill have improved my skills and look at the original and think gosh! what c**p! So when I was creating my Granny Mandala pattern, I made a mistake which became something quite cool actually! And just in case anyone would like to have a go, here is the pattern!

Granny triangles!!! Did you see kate at Foxs Lanes wall of pot holders? I saw them and fell in love with the look, so when I discovered how to make a triangle, I decided to have a go at making a pot holder for the wall above my stove! The first of many, if Im inspired enough!

So here is how I made it. Ive only made one so far, so if you have a whirl and find a mistake in my pattern, please let me know and Ill update it! Every time I try to write a pattern, I get myself so hopelessly muddled! So once again, Ive written in a different colour, some easier for me to understand guidelines!!!!! Round 1: ch4, join with slst to make a ring Round 2: ch3 (counts as 1dc) 8dc into the ring. Join with a slst to 3rd ch of original 3ch. Youre increasing in this round, so double grannies each time. You want to create 3 lots of doubles which have a 3ch space between, to create a corner, and 1ch between each set of doubles.

Round 3: ch3, then between the stitches, 2dc, ch3, 3dc into the same space as you would to create a corner in a granny square. Ch1. Skip 3 dc stitches from round 2, 3dc, ch3, 3dc into same space, repeat once more, ch1 and join with a slst to the 3rd ch of original 3ch. From here on in, youre working it like a granny square just with 3 corners instead of 4, and making sure you make a 3ch gap in between each granny in each corner to allow room for turning. Then, 1 granny in each space down each side of the triangle. Round 4: Ch3, 2dc into 3ch space, ch3, 3dc into same space. (You have just created a corner here) Ch1, 3dc into next space, ch1, into the next space 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch 1, 3dc into next space, ch1, into next corner space, 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch1, into next space 3dc, ch1 and join with a slst into 3rd ch of original 3ch. Round 5.. onwards! Repeat round 4 as many times as you like! Edging: I just did a round of sc, then another round of sc with a ch loop on one of the corners to hang it above my stove. Ive just made a pretty little shell edging for a mandala which Im going to show you later on in the week, and that would look lovely on one of these, so I may need to alter it!

Ornamental Pot Holders!

So Ive prepared a wee tutorial for you, if you would like to make your own. but first let me show you a picture.

An African Flower turned mandala I love it deeply.. So if you would like to make one too, quickly click here and a little box will pop up with the pattern for the african flower. This is the pattern by Lounette Fourie and Anita Rossouw and full credit for the beautiful and highly popular motif of course is theirs!!! (the ravelry pattern page is here!) So I made these with 8ply wool and a 4mm hook. For the back. I used a 5mm hook to save time and wool, and it hasnt affected it, just be careful when you hook them together that you dont end up with bunching.. Make one african flower, but dont make the last edge with dc.

Once you have made the flower, edge it with 1sc into each stitch, EXCEPT the middle (the tallest part of the petals) of each petal, make 2sc into this stitch. When you have completed the round, join with a slst into the 1st sc, then ch3 and 2dc into the same stitch. Ch1 and skip 2 stitches and make 3dc into the next stitch, ch1, skip 2, make 3dc into next stitch and so on and so on until you have completed the round! In the next round, change colour and join new colour with a slst into a 1ch space from previous round. Into the same space, make 2dc, ch1, 3dc. *Ch1, 3dc into next 1 ch space, ch1, 3dc into next 1ch space, ch1, into the next space 3dc, ch1, 3dc* Repeat ** until you have completed the round, then ch1 and join with a slst to the 3rd ch of original 3ch. In easier-to-understand language, you want to make a granny (3dc cluster) twice, then 2 grannies each separated by 1 chain for this round.

I hope this photo is helpful for you to see that the colours are a bit samey to really see the difference in the rounds, sorry about that! For the next TWO rounds, join new colour with a slst into a 1ch space and ch3 (counts as 1dc) 2dc into same space. ch1, 3dc into next space and continue until the end of the round. ch1 and join with a slst to the 3rd ch of original 3ch. Coolies! Youve just finished the front!!! OK so now you need to make a back and I did this by making the typical dc circle. Make a magic ring (tutorial here if youve never seen how this is done) ch3, 11dc into ring and pull tight, join with a slst to the 3rd ch of original 3ch. ch3, dc into same stitch, 2dc into each stitch for the entire round, join with a slst to the 3rd ch of original 3 ch. ch3, dc into same stitch, dc into next stitch, 2dc into next stitch.. until end of round, join with a slst to the 3rd ch of original 3ch. Continue in this

fashion, each round increasing the number of single dcs between 2dcs as the circle grows. e.g. next round will be 2dc into one stitch, 1dc into next two stitches. next round will be 2dc into one stitch, 1 dc into next 3 stitches until the back is the same size as the front.

Now hook them together with a 4mm hook! I used sc and at the end of the round join with slst to the first sc. Now ch1 and slst into the next stitch, into the next stitch make 1sc, 1hdc, 1sc, slst into the next 2 stitches, then into the next stitch, make 1sc, 1hdc, 1sc. continue until end of round. Now ch as many stitches as you want to make the hanging loop (I did 6) and slst into the same stitch to join the loop. And there you have it! Weave in those ends and voila!

I am sooooooooooooooooooooo loving these right now! As I said, I made more than a few on my trip to Turangi.

Like these. And this..

And of course, a rainbow.

And this lovely one which I gifted to a colleague yesterday as a house-warming gift which she LOVED!

I think this is what the offspring of enlightenment and retro kitsch would look like. beautiful mandalas hanging above the stove. When KB saw the one I have kept (the one I used for the tutorial) she said yay! I might not burn myself using this one! Its nice and thick! Cue silence.

Darling. if any food so much as touches this pot-holder I will go crazy.. It took two and a half hours to make and it is purely for looking at. Well its not a pot-holder then. its a WALL HANGING! So we decided it was an ornamental pot holder!

SITE: http://crochethealingandraymond.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/grandalasquare-tutorial/