Showing posts with label mandala rug. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mandala rug. Show all posts
The life of a crochet designer is nice and creative, but sometimes also challenging. My biggest challenge is to organize my stash and keep track on all yarns and colors I have. We moved the house half a year ago. To be honest, it was scary even to think of packing all those tiny balls. I even joked with my husband, that I pack just my yarn, and he does the rest of the stuff. It all went well though, and I even bought a new IKEA cabinet to fit everything I kept in boxes before.
One day I will make a virtual tour in my brand-new studio for you. But this post is about yarn. With every new Scheepjes release I am getting a few test samples to try. And today I would like to tell you about Mighty*. This is how my space looks now. You can see it on the upper shelf of my central cabinet :)
First I need to say, I have never seen or come across anything like Mighty before. It is a natural fiber blend with 32% Jute and 68% Cotton. And jute is what it makes Mighty yarn unique, in my opinion. Just to add, Mighty yarn comes in 50g balls with 80 m each. And 4 mm (G) hook is recommended.
Making a jute rug has been my dream forever. I have been looking at jute “yarns” in building and DIY stores for ages. You know those ropes you used to tie together packages? I even bought two of those, and even tried to crochet with them. My hands hurt terribly. It was all scratchy and itching. I think I managed to finish a small potholder but didn’t move any further.
So you can imagine my happiness when I first heard about release of Mighty yarn! My happiness doubled when first samples landed in my box. I made a quick flower to see how it’s worked up. And, wow, it was so soft. I must say I fell in love. The only disadvantage I can see at the moment is limited range of colors. But fingers crossed new colors will be added over the time.
You can purchase Mighty yarn in Scheepjes local shops and via online retailers:
Wool Warehouse* (UK, international shipping)
Caro’s Atelier* (NL, Europe)
Taemombo* (US and Canada)
I didn’t plan any rug designs at that time, but because I had perfect yarn for a rug I just had to design something for it. And today I am happy to introduce it to you! My Ocean Time Mandala Rug.
Ocean Time Rug pattern is available HERE on Ravelry and HERE on Etsy, and is offered with 20% discount through Monday, March 30th, 2020. The discount was already applied, the price you see is final, and no codes are needed.
Ocean Time Mandala Rug is using very popular technique – mosaic crochet. If you have never tried it before, you can polish your skills with two free patterns: Nya Blanket and Infinity version of Nya blanket.
Usually, mosaic crochet uses stand-alone charts or charts together with written instructions. But because my new mandala is worked in flat rounds (and I have not seen anything done like this before), I decided to include round-by-round written instructions together with progress pictures. Due to multiple increases on every round, the chart would look confusing. And I thought that progress pictures would make a better job.
My rug is approx. 90 cm/ 35.5" across. My lovely testers Laura Jackson, Lisa Marlow, Esther Schippers and Faye Pike made fantastic job testing the pattern. Faye decided to use Scheepjes Secret Garden yarn, and I am simply in love with how it turned out. It has both vintage and boho touches. Check Faye's Ravelry project page for all details about yarn and color changes.
And just to remind you, the pattern for Ocean Time Rug is available HERE on Ravelry and HERE on Etsy, and is offered with 20% discount through Monday, March 30th, 2020.
Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
One day I will make a virtual tour in my brand-new studio for you. But this post is about yarn. With every new Scheepjes release I am getting a few test samples to try. And today I would like to tell you about Mighty*. This is how my space looks now. You can see it on the upper shelf of my central cabinet :)
First I need to say, I have never seen or come across anything like Mighty before. It is a natural fiber blend with 32% Jute and 68% Cotton. And jute is what it makes Mighty yarn unique, in my opinion. Just to add, Mighty yarn comes in 50g balls with 80 m each. And 4 mm (G) hook is recommended.
Making a jute rug has been my dream forever. I have been looking at jute “yarns” in building and DIY stores for ages. You know those ropes you used to tie together packages? I even bought two of those, and even tried to crochet with them. My hands hurt terribly. It was all scratchy and itching. I think I managed to finish a small potholder but didn’t move any further.
So you can imagine my happiness when I first heard about release of Mighty yarn! My happiness doubled when first samples landed in my box. I made a quick flower to see how it’s worked up. And, wow, it was so soft. I must say I fell in love. The only disadvantage I can see at the moment is limited range of colors. But fingers crossed new colors will be added over the time.
You can purchase Mighty yarn in Scheepjes local shops and via online retailers:
Wool Warehouse* (UK, international shipping)
Caro’s Atelier* (NL, Europe)
Taemombo* (US and Canada)
I didn’t plan any rug designs at that time, but because I had perfect yarn for a rug I just had to design something for it. And today I am happy to introduce it to you! My Ocean Time Mandala Rug.
Ocean Time Rug pattern is available HERE on Ravelry and HERE on Etsy, and is offered with 20% discount through Monday, March 30th, 2020. The discount was already applied, the price you see is final, and no codes are needed.
Ocean Time Mandala Rug is using very popular technique – mosaic crochet. If you have never tried it before, you can polish your skills with two free patterns: Nya Blanket and Infinity version of Nya blanket.
Usually, mosaic crochet uses stand-alone charts or charts together with written instructions. But because my new mandala is worked in flat rounds (and I have not seen anything done like this before), I decided to include round-by-round written instructions together with progress pictures. Due to multiple increases on every round, the chart would look confusing. And I thought that progress pictures would make a better job.
My rug is approx. 90 cm/ 35.5" across. My lovely testers Laura Jackson, Lisa Marlow, Esther Schippers and Faye Pike made fantastic job testing the pattern. Faye decided to use Scheepjes Secret Garden yarn, and I am simply in love with how it turned out. It has both vintage and boho touches. Check Faye's Ravelry project page for all details about yarn and color changes.
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Last month Labyrinth Mandala pillow pattern was released (you can read about it HERE). It was inspired by monochromic vector illustrations. This design became a big success, I got lots of lovely messages and comments, and recently quite a few projects have been finished (yay!). For some this pattern looks like Aztec, others see Greek motifs… When I finished several pillows, I thought it would be nice to grow Labyrinth Mandala in something bigger. Into a rug maybe. And today I am happy to introduce Labyrinth Border to you.
Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue
Labyrinth Border was designed especially for Labyrinth Mandala, but it can be used for any mandala (or any crocheted circle) with 208 stitches on the last round. It’s the same in style and in stitch pattern, and it also imitates Brioche knitting stitch.
Border is available for purchase as a separate pattern HERE on Ravelry. If you would like to purchase Border together with Labyrinth Mandala, please put them TOGETHER in cart and 2$ discount will be automatically offered at the check-out. Previous purchases will also count. Even if you bought Mandala pattern before - please, put it to cart together with the Border. Ravelry system will see it as already purchased and you will not pay twice.
The border consists of two parts: wide part with graphical petals and narrow geometrical edge. I recommend to use only 2 colors for each section as it helps the pattern to pop up well. But you can also go creative and mix ombre shades together. I bet it will look very pretty, too!
As Labyrinth Mandala, the border is also made in overlay crochet technique with lots of front post stitches. The pattern is not very tricky (though you may say the opposite looking at the pictures), and lots of progress pictures are included to help you with every round.
It’s true that this pattern requires lots of attention and concentration. If you are fond of counting – then it is right for you. And if you are not fond of counting – both Labyrinth patterns will teach you to be patient. And it’s just always nice to try and learn something new.
I have created two Labyrinth rugs – both using Bloom yarn by Scheepjes* (16 skeins in total for both Mandala and Border). One of them is with 2 shades only (804 and 813). And while making another one I wanted to experiment with colors a little bit. My idea was to start with dark green and to gradient change to light green-yellow-white by the edge. Well, to be honest, I didn’t like how it was turning out. So several sections were frogged and I continued to work with only 3 colors. I believe it looks nice, what do you think? And did you know that green is a new color for year 2017? Great! My rug is in trend!
Bloom is Worsted yarn, and both rugs are approx. 82cm (32in) large across. I used 4.5mm (US7) Clover Amour crochet hook* and it gave me just the right tension. The fabric is sturdy and keeping its shape very well. Of course, if you use yarn in another weight, your rug will become either bigger or smaller.
If you intend to use this design as a rug, please, make sure you add anti-slip protection. Because this is not a lace design the anti-slip carpet pads can be a very good solution. Please, read HERE more about how to make your crocheted rugs non-slip.
About Labyrinth Border pattern in brief:
• Level: Intermediate (front post stitches, working in 3rd loop)
• Materials: Worsted yarn in 2 colours (Bloom by Scheepjes - available via Wool Warehouse HERE*, Deramores HERE*, Paradise Fibers (US)* and in your local Scheepjes shops), 4.5mm (US7) crochet hook*, stitch markers, scissors, tapestry needle to weave in ends.
• Size: The size of the finished border depends on the yarn and hook you use. My rug is approx. 82 cm (32 inches) in diameter (including central mandala).
• 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)
Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
* thank you for using my affiliate links. It costs you nothing and helps to support my blog.
Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue
Labyrinth Border was designed especially for Labyrinth Mandala, but it can be used for any mandala (or any crocheted circle) with 208 stitches on the last round. It’s the same in style and in stitch pattern, and it also imitates Brioche knitting stitch.
Border is available for purchase as a separate pattern HERE on Ravelry. If you would like to purchase Border together with Labyrinth Mandala, please put them TOGETHER in cart and 2$ discount will be automatically offered at the check-out. Previous purchases will also count. Even if you bought Mandala pattern before - please, put it to cart together with the Border. Ravelry system will see it as already purchased and you will not pay twice.
The border consists of two parts: wide part with graphical petals and narrow geometrical edge. I recommend to use only 2 colors for each section as it helps the pattern to pop up well. But you can also go creative and mix ombre shades together. I bet it will look very pretty, too!
As Labyrinth Mandala, the border is also made in overlay crochet technique with lots of front post stitches. The pattern is not very tricky (though you may say the opposite looking at the pictures), and lots of progress pictures are included to help you with every round.
It’s true that this pattern requires lots of attention and concentration. If you are fond of counting – then it is right for you. And if you are not fond of counting – both Labyrinth patterns will teach you to be patient. And it’s just always nice to try and learn something new.
I have created two Labyrinth rugs – both using Bloom yarn by Scheepjes* (16 skeins in total for both Mandala and Border). One of them is with 2 shades only (804 and 813). And while making another one I wanted to experiment with colors a little bit. My idea was to start with dark green and to gradient change to light green-yellow-white by the edge. Well, to be honest, I didn’t like how it was turning out. So several sections were frogged and I continued to work with only 3 colors. I believe it looks nice, what do you think? And did you know that green is a new color for year 2017? Great! My rug is in trend!
Bloom is Worsted yarn, and both rugs are approx. 82cm (32in) large across. I used 4.5mm (US7) Clover Amour crochet hook* and it gave me just the right tension. The fabric is sturdy and keeping its shape very well. Of course, if you use yarn in another weight, your rug will become either bigger or smaller.
If you intend to use this design as a rug, please, make sure you add anti-slip protection. Because this is not a lace design the anti-slip carpet pads can be a very good solution. Please, read HERE more about how to make your crocheted rugs non-slip.
About Labyrinth Border pattern in brief:
• Level: Intermediate (front post stitches, working in 3rd loop)
• Materials: Worsted yarn in 2 colours (Bloom by Scheepjes - available via Wool Warehouse HERE*, Deramores HERE*, Paradise Fibers (US)* and in your local Scheepjes shops), 4.5mm (US7) crochet hook*, stitch markers, scissors, tapestry needle to weave in ends.
• Size: The size of the finished border depends on the yarn and hook you use. My rug is approx. 82 cm (32 inches) in diameter (including central mandala).
• 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)
Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
* thank you for using my affiliate links. It costs you nothing and helps to support my blog.
This year my crochet dreams are slowly coming true. I’ve dreamed of being published. And wow, two my designs were features in the YARN book-a-zine. Since then I have finished several other patterns which will be published soon (I will certainly keep you updated). For a long time my another dream has been to create something with T-shirt yarn, which I have never tried before. And I have been also dreaming to design a rug. With yarn in just one shade. And with combination of cabling and open lace parts. And ta-dah! Here it is! When my mom saw this rug for the first time, she said: Andromeda! I liked the sound of this name. So this is how my new rug is called.
The pattern was freshly released today and is available HERE on Ravelry.
 |
| Andromeda Galaxy (Source: Wikipedia) |
I used Mini Nooodle* yarn by Scheepjes for this rug. As you can see from the yarn’s name, it’s not a usual T-shirt yarn. At least not the same size, but a bit smaller. It is a cotton blend (50% Polyester, 50% Cotton) which goes together with 10mm hook. This yarn is very nice in touch, really stretchy and due to high percentage of polyester it is sliding on the hook very well. I believe projects made with this yarn will last for a very long time. You can have a look at complete color chart of Mini Noodle at Wool Warehouse HERE*.
Very often I could hear that working with T-shirt yarn is very hard for hands. But this is definitely not the case of Mini Nooodle. I mean of course it takes more efforts to work with it (because of the bigger size), but the yarn itself is not scratchy and it didn’t bring any harm to my hands. No need to say the rug was growing very fast. And I made it (already knowing the pattern) in less than 10 hours.
I believe this rug will perfectly suit in a bedroom (by the bed), bathroom, in a smaller room or in a zoned living room (to mark the space in front of the chair for example). It will greatly suit childrens' room! Due to a very intensive structure, it is very nice to walk on. And it will give a nice massage to small feet.
But please, be sure to use anti-slippery material underneath to prevent your rug from being slippery, as it may be very dangerous. You can ask for a professional advice in your local carpet or craft store.
You can crochet this mandala with lighter yarns – DK, Sport or even Fingering. And it will turn into a nice doily. You can also use it as a decoration for a pillow (I would sew mandala’s onto each and every pillowcase I have!!). I believe round pillow in contrasting shade would look especially beautiful with Andromeda mandala.
The size of my rug is 88cm (35in) across, but depending on the yarn and hook you use, and also on your personal style of crochet and gauge – you may get a larger or smaller finished project. I only used one shade, but wonderful ladies, who helped me with testing, added a few more shades to make their Andromeda’s colorful.
As all my patterns, Andromeda Mandala Rug contains written instructions (with US terms) together with tons of progress pictures to help you find the right placement for every stitch. But if you prefer to only work from written text – there is a print friendly copy available. With no pictures.
The pattern is aimed to Intermediate crocheters who already know how to make front post stitches. But if you are not afraid of challenges and would like to learn something new – this pattern may be right for you.
You can subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
DISCLOSURE: This blog contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product via a link on my blog, I get a small percentage contribution from the store which enables me to keep providing you with free patterns. It costs you nothing extra to visit the store via my link, but ensure I get the credit for the sale. Thank you for your support!
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