Mostly Mini Mandalas

Crochetland and Blogland are both alive with the sound of crocheters hooking mandalas, it seems to be utterly infectious, and I too have been caught up in the madness. My first mandala was made from one of Wink's patterns featured in Simply Crochet last year. The link to buy the pattern, "Petals to Picots Mandala" is here. Like many, I'd never even heard of mandalas back then, but now every self-respecting hooker has made one, or at least thought about making one :)

My colour choices weren't the best but I had zero stash. (How in heaven's name has my stash grown so big since then ???) Anyway. Of course once you have made a mandala there is then a minor mystery - what do you do with it ? Well, let's face it, they're just doilies with a superiority complex, and this mandala now sits on my wicker table with a bowl of crochet "stuff" on top of it....

I did at some point make another one of Wink's mandalas, again from an issue of Simply Crochet, but - the poor thing - I had completely forgotten about it until today when I was rummaging around for something else, and out it popped. When I made it I hated the colours. But looking at it now I have no idea why I didn't like it. The colours are flippin brilliant - fiery and fiesta-ish .......

Yes, yes, I know its not a mandala in the traditional sense (is there a traditional sense ?) but it really was described as a mandala. Honestly.
After making those two mandalas, life continued in its normal mandala-free way, until recently when Lucy of Attic24 blogged her request for mandalas for Yarndale. You can read Lucy's post here. Once again I was in the mandala-zone and HAD to make a mandala to send off to Lucy - I mean it would have been rude not to.
I used Lucy's own mandala pattern, and I deliberately used totally random bits from my oddments stash, you know those really teeny weeny balls of wool that are really only good for one round of one small granny or flower. I keep mine all on clothes pegs to prevent carnage in the oddment bowl.....

As I was saying my Yarndale mandala is really random colour-wise, and has turned out super-zingy and I LOVE it!!!

.... I know it isn't a perfect circle, but that's just fine with me, I am just soooo happy with the colours, nothing could make me not LOVE this mandala :)   After that there was no going back and my hooky fingers were itching to make some more.....

And so I give you my genius idea of making mini mandalas to remind me of the projects I've finished.

I used Lucy's mandala pattern again, but stopped after 7 rounds, thereby keeping my mandalas mini-sized :) Here are the ones I've made so far ....

Can you spot which projects they're for ?

So far there are mini-mandalas for the three baby blankets - Harrison's Baby Blanket, Jacob's Baby Blanket and Jasper's Baby Blanket....

... for two lots of bunting - Blue Birthday Bunting and British Bunting ...

... and for Little Miss' Bright Bag and Mum's Monochrome Cushion ...

I could just look at all this colour all day long, I'm love Love LOVING it ..... 

Isn't it just FAB-U-LOUS .... :)

Every time I finish a project, I'll make a mini-mandala, in the colours that I used for that project. Next job is to make a display board for them. Busy busy busy :)