All together now

All Zoya Matyushenko patterns.

I am in awe of her talent.

I have made three others as presents, but these are all mine! 🙂

Edit: I am often asked where I get the hoops from

I am in theUK. I try not to use Amazon and other large companies as I’m unsure of their ethics and I know Amazon avoids making tax contributions to the UK economy. I always use small independent firms when I can.

I get the hoops up to 50cm from Glitterwitch and the 70cm hoops Dannells

Calla

Another beautiful pattern by Zoya Matyushenko available on Ravelry

I wanted it to look a little more open so I made this small variation:

Part of Row

28:

FPDC in FPDC, BPDC in BPDC, – (ch3, skip one BPDC, BPDC in next BPDC) 4 times

29:

FPDC in FPDC, BPDC in BPDC, (ch1, sc in ch3space, ch1, BPDC) 4 times

30:

FPDC in FPDC, (3FPDC around the BPDC, sc in ch1 space, FPDC around sc, sc in Ch1 space) 4 times

~

This one is sewn onto a 50cm coated metal hoop from Glitterwitch.

First I attach the mandala to the hoop with stitch markers at each picot point, then I sew each point onto the ring going over the ring 3 times. I thread the yarn through the edge of the work along the back, to the next point.

Made with Scheepjes Sweet Treat 2ply cotton in Snow White and a 2.5mm hook

That is Crochet Mandala/Dreamcatcher number 10 made, 3 as presents for my grandchildren, 7 for me. The obsession continues!

 

Another Day Another Dreamcatcher

This is my second ‘Agnes’. (a free pattern) You can see my first one in Turquoise here.

I made it with Scheepjes Sweet Treat, Snow White and a 2.5mm hook.

It took 2 balls, with just one row to go, so I had to break into a third to do the last row and for sewing onto the 50cm hoop.

I first attach the completed doily onto the hoop with stitchmarkers and then sew each point onto the hoop, threading the yarn through the work to the next point….

like this one: Ruta

also in Scheepjes Sweet Treat, but this time in Tropic 

and a 2mm hook, attached to a 40cm hoop.

Onto the next one.

 

Crochet Mandala for Outside

Just a little bit obsessed with making mandalas at the moment and I am thinking about hanging this one outside on the wall of my garage to see how it is affected by the weather before making more.

I would really love to paint the outside of my house in bright zany colours, like Katwise, but my neighbours would ……. well you can imagine! So the next best thing might be to cover my house in crocheted mandalas

This one is in Stylecraft Special DK made with a 4.5mm hook and attached to a 70cm coated metal ring which I got from Dannells. I’m on the look out for larger hoops but so far have not found any in the UK. I might have to use some Hoola Hoops.

It is sewn onto the hoop with the same yarn

This pattern and yarn combination would stretch to a 1m hoop I think, if the edges did not cover the frame.

The pattern, Tuuli, is a free pattern by Zoya Matyushenko and I think it is my favourite of her designs. I have made it before in cotton thread, for Little Miss M, and one for myself.

I am sure to make it again – next time in white.

Please let me know if you know where I can get large hoops, maybe wooden, preferably white or a natural wood colour.

Yennefer completed

You can see the beginning of this mandala journey in this post. It took a while but at last I found a 70 cm metal hoop to attach the mandala to.

Using Scheepjes Whirl, Turquoise Turntable, and a 3.5mm hook, I cut the thread after Round 19, 24, 30 and 32 to wind off until the next colour join or two. I think I have used just over half the Whirl on this mandala and I will make another with the yarn that remains.

I didn’t block this one, I attached each point to the hoop with a stitch marker

and then using a needle and a length of the yarn, I sewed each picot point to the hoop, threading the yarn through the edge to get to the next point

It will hang on the wall above my fireplace, but I’m wondering if I should mount it on something first.

Yennefer

Sometimes to urge to start a new project is overwhelming and I have to set all of the WIPs aside and just go for it. 

Zoya Matyushenko’s new pattern Yennefer was irresistable.

The instructions are well written but do not come with a photo tutorial, so I make a copy of the photo on my laptop and then crop it and enlarge so that I can see the details as a guide.

I’m using Scheepjes Whirl Turquoise Turntable – ooooo – I just have to pause to delight in this gradient yarn – it feels gorgeous and looks so inviting – I had to stroke and squidge it for a few days before breaking into it. The photo does not do it justice. Oh the joy of the colour and how it fades from light to dark ………… ………… …….

It is soooooooooo pretty.

I tried a 4mm hook, but it did not hold together, so I am using a 3.5mm hook to make a mandala which I will sew to a metal hoop and hang in the wall. You can see other mandalas/dreamcatchers I have made here , here, here and one for a wizard here.

I am not getting the stitches even but hope, by the end, they will look ok

Zoya is a magician with crochet and creates all sorts of amazing effects. Each round is an adventure and the sense of achievement is huge and so satisfying.

I am working from the pale turquoise on the outside and by the end of Round 14, I thought I would, cut the yarn and wind off some of this pale turquoise, in order to get the full range of the gradient colours into the mandala.

At each join another strand of darker turquoise is added, I wound the yarn past one join and cut it at the next

Round 15 is started with the slightly darker yarn.

Working these Rounds is like reading an exciting book, I’m eager to get to the end of the ‘chapter’ and to get onto the next one, a real page-turner. I want to see how the next bit of the story affects the last bit and see the story unfold, each new stitch, a new character. I can’t put it down.

Sometimes I wish there was a photo to explain the next Round, so for my own future reference, this is the beginning of Round 17.

I am often asked how long I take to make a blanket or a mandala and it is always a difficult question to answer as I pick crochet up in odd moments and never time myself. But I was interested to see how long each of the ‘Petals’ took to make so I set my Stopwatch

At least I have an answer if asked about this one – if only for one part of it.

The work is much softer in Scheepjes Whirl than in a finer crisper cotton, but I’m hoping that once stretched on a hoop the details will be defined enough for a pleasing effect.

Onto the next petal….

 

 

Crochet Mandala

Ever since making a dreamcatcher for Little Miss M, Another Birthday, Another Dreamcatcher, I have wanted a similar one for myself.

The design is Tuuli by Zoya Matyushenko.

I made this with Scheepjes Sugar Rush and Rico Essentials 2ply cotton yarn and a 2.5mm hook. Attaching it to a 50cm coated wire hoop from Glitterwitch.

If you make this design, don’t make the same mistake as me and make far too many loops and points on the final rounds – oops – when will I learn to constantly check the stitch count!

Here it is photographed against a turquoise background

Now to decide whether to hang it on the wall or dangling from the ceiling.