Aztec Dazzle Mandala for Yarndale 2014

Have you ever crocheted along happily, loving how everything is coming together nicely ..... sewing in the last thread .... standing back and looking and saying 'wow, that really looks fab, well pleased with that'  and then realising that instead of 16 dc in the Magic circle, there are only 14 - noooooo - Who makes a circle with 14 as a starting number .. really!!

It's just happened to me ... I couldn't believe my eyes!  So anyway, the mis-counted item in question was my test pattern for my Yarndale Mandala.  I love how it looks despite being an oddie;  the yarn I used is a 4ply, in autumn colours that I am rather enjoying ... strange with me being a Lucy/Cath Kidston colour palette fan!

Aztec Sun Mandala

Aztec Sun Mandala in 4ply - measures 7.25" (18.5 cm) across

As an extra pop of the darker colour, I used a surface chain circle after row 4; also used a big darner threaded with double yarn to stitch into the circle at the centre and out through the dc's in row 2 to create a spiked effect. No pattern for this one, just experimenting with stitches!  

My Yarndale Mandala is finished and on it's way to Skipton UK ... and needless to say, it is not an oddie!   I have mainly followed my test pattern, but bearing in mind that the Mandala for the Yarndale display must not be bigger than 8 inches, and that I used much thicker yarn Elle Gold DK, size 4mm hook, it is quite lovely but quite different. Diameter across is 7.5cm.  This is the first colour-way I made up. This will hang in my Craft Studio, as a memento of Yarndale 2014 ... lovely.  I used a different colour combo for my Yarndale Mandala, the pattern for which is up on my blog today!

Aztec Dazzle Mandala 

May 11 was my birthday and well as Mother's Day (in South Africa);  we had a lovely lunch at my daughters home, with friends and family ... just missed my eldest son so much ... he lives in Woking UK!  A beautiful bunch of gorgeous pink roses and gymsophila stands on my dining room table, so lovely. Special time, very precious.

Until next time

xxx Pat