Sandra's Designing Blog

New Year, New Collection

Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 16th Jan 2022

Mandala's, circles, Brioche, Wool, Silk Mohair & mindfulness knitting

Happy New Year Folks!

During the Christmas period, after the rush of knitting kit orders I managed to finish my latest lace and slip stitch design for 'The Knitter' magazine (more about this in a few months).

Once done I decided to work on an idea that had been brewing in my head for some time, Knitted Mandala's.

A mandala (Sanskrit for “circle”) is an artistic representation of higher thought and deeper meaning given as a geometric symbol used in spiritual, emotional, or psychological work to focus one's attention. The image first appears in India via the Hindu text known as the Rig Veda c. 1500 - c. 500 BCE but has been used by cultures around the world in many different periods up to the present.

The details of the meaning of a given mandala depend on the individual creating or observing the image, but mandalas in every culture serve, more or less, the same purpose of centering an individual or community on a given narrative in order to encourage introspection and, ultimately, an awareness of one's place and purpose in the world; this awareness then allows for peace of mind.

I design and create the mandala's using Brioche knitting, a technique that I'm in love with. It's a process that I really don't have to think about once I've worked out an initial starting plan, the design just comes to life. I have to stick to one or two rules to create the circular shape but after that anything goes. To finish I block and stretch the mandala out and attach to an embroidery hoop. No doubt I'll be creating more of these over the next few months so make sure you come back to see my progress.

Please come along to my social media channels or reply to this email to let me know your thoughts on these.

I'm quietly amazed at these little beauties myself.