Revisiting the Granny Mandala….

Helloooooo!!!!!!

I hope you’re all having a fabulous week!! I certainly am and it is very much due to the amazing and beautiful sunny weather we are STILL having!  It seems that summer has arrived early and it is just the best! 

I’m pleased to announce that my creative slump is officially over!  I noticed that today as I was leaving the house for work, I had an urge ‘make’ which I am sure was directly related to the fact that I couldn’t!  So I’m back on the hooking buzz with enthusiasm after a week or so of not doing much!

I’ve been contemplating my Granny Circles for a while now, and decided that it is time to re-do that tutorial, as since I first had a play with making the circle back in August, I’ve learned a few new techniques and stitches, and I like the way I’ve been doing the centres lately much more… they’re not as ‘squished,’ so I decided to do up a brand spanking new tutorial!  Please remember that the mandalas will be a big bigger when finished as they need to be blocked… I lay gladwrap on my carpet in a sunny spot and wet the mandalas, then pin them to the carpet gently stretching them out to their full size and leave to dry!  This tutorial is for a flat piece of work and it is not intended to be used as a cushion, so please work the increases accordingly if you have other purposes for this!!  I’ve seen some amazing creations in ravelry with the beautiful granny mandala and some STUNNING colour combining and I’m hoping that after this refreshment I’ll see many more!  I love seeing these beautiful circles spinning joy through my computer screen!  if you make one, let me know!  I’d love to come and see your beautiful work.

Soooooooooooooo………. Get your 4mm hook and your 8ply wool ready and let’s get started!!!

Round 1: Make a magic ring…. if you’ve 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 2dc’s 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!  That’s better!  Photos are far more interesting than words!!!!

OK… let’s 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 hadn’t 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 you’re a raveler and want to bookmark/ queue/ hook it!  Click HERE for the link to all of the patterns and tutorials I’ve 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!

I’m off…. must fly…. it’s 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 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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!