Welcome to My Labyrinth: new overlay crochet design



First mandala design of the year 2017 is here! Or technically it is second design as last week my UFO pillow was published… But that was just an experiment with Camel crochet stitch and through it’s round and reminds of a mandala a bit, I would say that my true mandala was born today. Let me introduce: Labyrinth Mandala pillow.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com
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I feel magic when designs are being born fast. When true inspiration comes and you just need to grab yarns and hook at once and start crocheting immediately. I felt something similar when Spanish mandala was created. The same strong stream of creative energy and a few sleepless nights.

The story behind Labyrinth mandala is very simple. I was browsing black and white vector graphics on Pinterest the other day. Late at night of course. And I was amazed by how many graphical mandalas are out there. Suddenly those illustrations reminded me of a knitting brioche stitch. And ta-dah! Idea was already standing behind me. It was probably a very powerful idea because instead of going to bed, I went to bedroom to pick yarns. Not that I chose the yarns. I just grabbed first two skeins that came to my hands in the darkness (everyone in the house was sleeping already…). And started to crochet. After 2 hours it was clear my idea can work (and I could finally fall asleep, haha).

When next day my husband saw the wip he said: Labyrinth.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com

So here is my Labyrinth Mandala. I’ve made quite a few already trying different color combinations. And the possibilities of this design are really huge. You can make it with many shades, or only 2 shades. My dream is to try crocheting it once again with just black and white. As I take lots of progress pictures for all my patterns, black yarn would not work well as the stitches would not be seen. But one day when I have more time I will definitely recreate Labyrinth Mandala to make it look exactly like a black and white vector illustration.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com

I really-really wanted to imitate brioche knitting stitch, and to obtain a knit-look effect. And I think it worked well thanks to front post stitches and working in 3rd loops on some rounds. I used the same technique for UFO pillow, you can check a detailed tutorial HERE.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com

I made 2 pillow covers using Labyrinth Mandala. Both are reversible, with different color combination (or colourway) on each side. So that it’s easy to wash my pillowcases I inserted a zip closure. But if you don’t feel like sewing you can just join two mandalas by crocheting around, with single crochet stitches, for example.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com

For my pillow I used Soft Touch Clover hook (4mm/G)* and Soft Fun cotton yarn by Scheepjes. This yarn is available in a wide range of shades, so you can create bright or pastel versions. Or you can even mix unexpected colors together. Whatever palette you choose, it’s better to use only two shades for each of three sections. Exact yardages for each section are given in the pattern. You can find Soft Fun at Wool Warehouse (HERE*), Deramores (HERE*) and your local Scheepjes shops.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com


And here is another version with Bloom yarn* by Scheepjes:
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com

If you don’t need another pillow, there are many more ways to use Labyrinth Mandala pattern. You can make stool covers, trivets, wall hanging… and even a purse maybe? I am actually thinking about attaching two handles and adding fabric lining to one of my mandala’s. If you do so, please don’t forget to share pictures with me. I LOVE to see finished projects (please, use #labyrinthcrochetmandala to share them on social media).

The pattern is available for purchase in my Ravelry store HERE.
Labyrinth Mandala - original overlay crochet design by Lilla Björn. www.lillabjorncrochet.com
 

Here is brief information about the pattern:

  • Level: Intermediate (front post stitches, working in 3rd loop)
  • Materials: DK yarn in 2-6 colours (Soft Fun by Scheepjes*), 4mm (G) crochet hook, stitch markers, scissors, tapestry needle to weave in ends, zip (optional), ready pillow form. You can make one yourself using THIS tutorial.
  • Size: The size of the finished mandala depends on the yarn and hook you use. My mandala is approx. 39 cm (15 ½ inches) in diameter.
  • Language: English
  • Instructions: US crochet terms and abbreviations (including complete stitch guide), written instructions, step-by-step pictures. Print friendly copy of the pattern is available (with no pictures)
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    23 comments

    1. Awesome design. I'm a bit behind in my rips but couldn't wait to buy this. Thank you for another amazing design

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      1. Thank you very much Michelle! Can't wait to see your finished mandala :)

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    2. Very great pattern. I bought it yesterday. Which colour nummers did you use for the blue version?

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      1. Thank you! Oh yes, I should have added notes to the blogpost... For blue version I used shades C1 - 2412 (white), but you can also use 2426 for a "calmer effect"; C2 - 2489, and darker blue is 2401.

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    3. Thanks you for this quick reply 😊

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    4. I'm having trouble with row 23. The dtr seems to be loose with some exaggerated loops no matter what I do. Should I count on this evening out in blocking? Thanks for an amazing pattern.

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      1. Hi! If your dtr's turn to be too loose, feel free to replace them with tr's. this is valid for all overlay crochet patterns. Because we have different style of crochet, different length of the stitches will work better. So please experiment a bit and change from tr to dtr and from dc to tr (tr to dc) when necessary. And if FL (wjere you attach long stitch) is pulling too mych, it is better to make a longer stitch to relax the tension... I hope it makes sense :)

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      2. oops, sorry for spelling mistakes :)

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    5. Lovely mandala, but surprised one has to pay you twice for the whole mandala! Hmmmmm!

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      1. That's a mandala pattern (complete instructions to make a pillow) and then extension for a mandala. Border can be used separately for any other mandala with certain stitch count. And you can only purchase the Labyrinth mandala and to make a pillow. I believe it's nicer to pay less if you only need a mandala. And if you want a rug - you get a reduced price on the border. My patterns contain approx. 100 pictures each. I spend long months to create them. But I don't want to overprice them. I think people should have a choice.

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      2. Just to make it clear: you don't pay twice for a mandala. Labyrinth Mandala and Border are offered as separate patterns. And if you purchase a set (put them to cart together) you get a 2$ reduced price. If you purchased Labyrinth mandala before - you can still use this offer: you put BOTH Mandala and Border patterns to cart, but you don't pay twice for a mandala. Ravelry "knows" it was purchased already. So you only pay a reduced price for the Border... Hope that's clear :)

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    6. Your workisstunning as usual. Can't wait to give it a whirl

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    7. Hello Tatsiana, I bought both patterns last week and started to crochet this weekend. The pattern is nice and clear. The finished part one is very wobly like I have too much stitches in the round. I've already tried to go down to hooksize 3,5. I was using the Softfun with nr 4. Or should I use a nr 4,5?
      Hope you have an idea! TIA , Rietje

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      1. Hi Rietje, part 1 can be a bit wavy, because you work many rounds in the center in 3rd loops. But it should work itself out on next rounds. going down the hook size is a good decision. You may also need to work a bit tighter. It's hard to say without seeing your picture. Can you probably e-mail it to me?

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      2. I Pulled it out, and Have started again��. I noticed that it started wobbling after round 8. I've used hook 4,5 for the center and switched to hooksize 4 after round 6 now and It's a lot better!
        Thank you for the nice pattern! Rietje

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    8. Hello! Love this pattern! Is there a way tu turn it in square, adding borders? Thanks! Michela

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      1. Hi! Thank you :) you can use a Dandelion Border to square it up,but first you should bring stitch count to 248 stitches (5 rounds with sc and 8 increases per round).

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      2. Thank you so much for your reply! I will try....:-)

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    9. Hi Tatsiana. I am stuck on Row 15, is there only ever miss 2 sts on row 12? As the second repeat evolves, my trebles are no longer straight up and start to lean, and as I go along they get worse. It worse between the end of the repeat and start of the next where it’s essentially 4 sc. I frogged it about 10 times and cannot figure what I’m doing wrong. Thanks!

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      1. Hi! It's difficult to say from just your description. Can you please send me a progress picture?

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    10. Hello,
      I just purscahsed this patteen and i would like to turn it in to an octagan can you help me plz?

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