Spanish Mandala: Create Your Own Sun!



My new Mandala design is here! And it’s in overlay crochet again! I wanted to create a very thick piece, heavily covered with overlay stitches, so that background is not visible at all. And it worked! Let me introduce a Spanish Mandala to you!
Spanish Mandala. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet
Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue

Spanish Mandala pattern is available for purchase in my Ravelry shop HERE and on Etsy HERE. And there is a giveaway running on my Instagram HERE till 9:59pm, May 28 – feel free to enter to win your free copy of the pattern. UPDATE: giveaway is closed and winners were announced on my Instagram page.
Giveaway on Instagram - by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

Quite often I am asked what inspires me to create mandalas… so here is a story behind Spanish mandala design. Several months ago I occasionally saw a picture with ceramic plate in one of the Facebook groups. Oona Lynnett (another group member) posted it with a caption “If only I was clever enough to turn this into a pattern...” Well… I can’t even explain what I felt at that moment. This pattern, those colors! It was one of the hundreds handmade plates available in numerous gift shops in Cordoba (Spain) where Oona goes every winter to see her parents. Did I hesitate for a moment? Not really. I dived into my stash immediately, picked the colors and started to crochet at once.
Spanish ceramic plate
Photo credit: Oona Lynnett

I have never been to Spain myself and I don’t have any knowledge about Spanish traditional art, so if you are from Spain, please correct me. I was trying to dig over internet to find more pictures with ceramics, and plates in particular to see more examples of this art and to recreate my own “collective” image of a Spanish plate. Nowadays handmade tiles, vases and dishes are very popular among tourists visiting this country. But for Spain it is more than that – it is a very old tradition that has been cultivating over the centuries.
Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

“The typical colors used in the decoration of ceramics are those associated with the sunny Mediterranean coast: cobalt blue, deep yellow, red, purple, pink, and white. Since a good deal of the ceramics made in Spain are individually hand-spun on a wheel or molded by hand, and then fired, glazed, painted and fired again, you will often find that although common in resemblance, no two pieces are exactly alike. Their lively bright colors - which are trademarks of Spanish ceramics - mask these “imperfections” and make these artworks great for table use or simply as decoration!” (Sourсe)

So this is how my mandala was born. Surprisingly, the design was finished in two days… And then I decided to recreate it with plain, pastel colors and turn it into a round pillow cover. I chose Soft Fun yarn by Scheepjes, because the range of its shades is very wide, and I could pick exact colors I wanted.
Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

The color possibilities of this (and any) mandala design are endless! During the test I was so much inspired by work of Cindy Douglass, and felt like “stealing” her color palette for my third mandala. So yes, the full credit for “catching” the right shades goes to her!
Spanish Mandala by Cindy Douglass
Photo credit: Cindy Douglass
You will need 1 ball of Soft Fun yarn in each shade – and it will be enough for making the pillow. You can purchase Soft Fun via Wool Warehouse* (international shipping),  Deramores* (on sale till May 30), and in your local Scheepjes shops. You will also need a 4mm (G) crochet hook to go together with this yarn (I used Clover Soft Touch*), though it might be needed to change to a smaller size in the middle of the mandala to prevent it from curling. Everything depends on your personal gauge.
Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

And then you will need a tapestry needle to weave yarn tails in and a zip in matching colors and long enough to create a comfortable opening for a round pillow form. Oh yes! You will of course need a round pillow form! You can purchase it or make it yourself. Next week I will publish a tutorial to show you how to do that (and you don’t even need a sewing machine!).

Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

My two bright mandalas are made with scraps of blend wool yarns from different brands. I am not even able to name them all. I bought them in Belarus several years ago and I am not sure they are available for purchase worldwide. But if you would like to recreate one of these two Spanish mandalas, you can use Soft Fun as well. I looked into the chart to give you an idea of shades (though of course you can always choose your own).
Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

So, mandala 1 (blue and orange): C1 (2427 or 2449), C2 (2518), C3 (2401), C4 (2432), C5 (2511), C6 (2492), a bit of 2426 or replace it with C5.

Mandala 2 (purple and green): C1 (2449), C2 (2518), C3 (2491 or 2532), C4 (2511), C5 (2531), C6 (2515)

The colorway for pastel version is given in the pattern.
Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

There are many ways to use this mandala. I turned mine into a round pillow cover with zip. You will find instructions for the back part in the pattern and also tutorial about how to put your cushion together. But this mandala can also be used as a separate flat piece – for example as a wall hanging, front decoration for a fabric pillowcase (round or square). You can turn it into a stool cover. And you can also square it up using Dandelion Border pattern (check it HERE) which will perfectly work with Spanish Mandala’s stitch count! If you would like to keep this mandala round but to enlarge it, you can add a Joana’s border (the pattern is HERE). But please, be aware that Spanish Mandala has quite a thick fabric while Joana’s Border is more pliable…
Spanish Mandala was inspired by ceramic handmade plates. Overlay crochet pattern by Lilla Bjorn Crochet

Lisa Kasper wrote on my Facebook page: “I love almost anything with colors. Mandala patterns are my latest obsession. I am no longer content to make "granny" afghans. I like to create pieces of art. The mandala is the perfect art form for bringing the old, but respectful, utilitarian workmanship of crochet into the 21st century. I love all of your creations!”

I used this quote because I wouldn’t say better myself. Mandalas are my huge obsession, too. And I do think each and everyone is a small piece of art (crochet, ceramic, fabric or painted).

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33 comments

  1. Beautiful work - you are very talented!

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    1. Thank you! This mandala was born so fast, that I am afraid it was not me who created it :) But someone else guided me through my hands... Sometimes I get such a feeling.

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  2. WOW! What a gorgeous pattern, you really have interpreted the tile in crochet. I am stunned at its sheer beauty.

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    1. I was trying to step away from the plate, so that I don't replicate it. I used different images as an inspiration! :)

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  3. Hi Tatsiana, I love your creation and can't wait to make it. I went to ravelry to purchase and I tried Spanish Mandala as the coupon code for the 30% discount and it said that was not a valid code. Is that the wrong code or am I doing something wrong. I really want your pattern but always like to save money when I can. It's very generous of you to give a discount. I love all of your works of art !!! Judy Draper

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    1. Hi Judy! The code is definitely valid. Did you type it with space? Try do it without any spaces or just copy the cope from blog post. It should be SpanishMandala in one word.

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  4. Dear Lilla,
    I love this design, but why Spanish?I'm Spanish and there are so many topics about us. Anyway, great and lovely job.

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    1. I called it Spanish, because this design was inspired by a ceramic plate found in Spain. I didn't mean anything else :) I also plan to create Celtic mandala in the future. And maybe Indian... No other cultural reasons from my side.

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  5. Estoy interesada en comprarlo pero el.patron solo esta en inglés?

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    1. Yes, unfortunately this pattern is available only in English. With US crochet terms.

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  6. Hi Tatsiana - what a wonderful job you have done recreating this ceramic plate in yarn :) I love your patterns and your blog posts - you are so friendly and just nice and also talented :). I am also doing the Dance on the Beach CAL - Mine is a Sea version - Ive been crocheting for far too many years to remember but I am also learning so much from it and discovering new blogs although I have been following yours for some time now. Thank you for this and the great bathroom organiser pattern - what a great idea using knitting needles. Maggie Lewin

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    1. Hi Maggie! Thank you very much for your nice words! I do enjoy this CAL (my first ever). I hope you too :)

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  7. Hi Tatsiana, great pattern indeed! I tried to buy it on ravelry but the actual payment page did not work. Do you also offer it somewhere else, like etsy?

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  8. Problem solved! managed to buy the pattern after all

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    1. Hi Cristina! Good to know you could finally get the pattern with no problem. I hope you will like it :)

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  9. This is one for me, what a fantastic design. fabulous dahling!

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  10. just gorgeous, you really have the talent to design overlay crochet, your mandalas are always so beautiful.

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    1. Thank you! But this time I also had a wonderful inspiration :)

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    2. yes you had, but still, I could'nt make it in to a crochet pattern. I started yesterday making this mandala and it is a lot easier than it seems, I work with Larra from scheepjes just using the six colors I had in my stash.

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  11. This is beautiful!! I bought the pattern yesterday, however when I printed it out today I noticed that it is for the blue and gray colored mandala. Not the vibrant colored red orange yellow green one as noted in the blog.... I know I'm being a big cry baby, but would you have a conversion chart for which thread to use to make the one as shown in the blog? There are so many layers... It would be helpful to me (who's just starting) to know which color to pick up next..?

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    1. oh, I am sorry for misunderstanding! I think I did mention that pattern contains colourway for pastel version only. I made bright versions with scraps of different yarns I had. I don't even remember the names... But You can see the possible colorway for both bright versions in the blog post. All shades are listed above 3rd picture from the bottom. And you can see color palette for Soft Fun on Scheepjes.com website. Hope this helps :)

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  12. Hi, my daughter in law is Maja Bjorn Toft, are you related?

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  13. Where can i download this pattern please? It is the most beautiful mandala i've seen.

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    1. Hi Marlene, Spanish Mandala pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry and Etsy (see direct links in the post - just bellow first image).

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  14. I have a 16" round pillow insert. Will this pattern fit? Thank you!

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    1. The size of finished mandala will depend on the yarn and hook you choose. and also on your personal gauge.

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  15. Hola, como estas, compré el patrón, pero no lo he podido traducir, son muchas abreviaturas y no he logrado descifrar bien los aumentos, este patrón está disponible en español? Gracias

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    1. Hi Cynthia, this mandala pattern is only availbale in English...

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  16. Gorgeous! Love all your patterns, and the CALs! Quick question - is it better for you if I order from Ravelry, or from Etsy? I like the artist/designer to receive as much of the profit as possible. Thanks!

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    1. Thank you for asking :) Ravelry is better and you wil receive all updates automatically.

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  17. такая красота,спасибо,

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