Mindful Crochet

· by · in Crochet Mandala, Crochet Stories, Mindful Crochet. ·

It is well known that crocheting can help relieve stress and anxiety. So what do I do when my crochet projects become a source of stress and anxiety? I start a new project!

Yesterday, I was stressing out a little because I was beginning to worry that I wouldn’t be able to finish a couple of blankets that I’ve been working on before winter was over. Which made me start to stress out because I want to make my daughter a sweater/duster and I haven’t even started it yet. Then I started to stress out because I really want to make a woven plaid tartan afghan in my husbands family clan colors. Which made me stress out because I wanted to post a blog but couldn’t think of anything to write about.

ozcrochetmemeAnd then I just stopped and took a step back – I love to crochet – it’s not work, it’s not a task, it’s not supposed to be a source of stress.

My list of planned or promised projects will not get shorter. I will always have too many works in progress. My strategy of not starting a new project until I finish an old one was becoming increasingly harder to maintain. My attempt to control my crocheting priorities by making lists, which normally helps me focus, wasn’t working. It was time for me to crochet for the love of crocheting, for the comfort of feeling soft yarn, for the sense of happiness that it brings me to create something beautiful from a hook and some yarn.

It was time for me to make a Mandala. Not just make a Mandala – I will make a mindful Mandala. It will be an intentional and indefinite work in progress. I will work on it slowly and mindfully. I will listen to soft music while I work on it instead of trying to watch television and count at the same time.

Crochet Project Notes – Mindful Mandala

I will be following the Mandala Madness Pattern tutorial series posted by It’s All in a Nutshell Crochet. This is an 18 part video tutorial series – Mandala Madness

Choosing Colors for my Mindful Mandala

Years ago, in my more eclectic days, I bought a deck of tarot cards that were different thanoshozen my standard Rider-Waite tarot deck. The images, colors, and symbolism of this new deck took my breath away. These were not the old – tell your future, soothsayer type cards – they were a tool to help you gain insight through meditation.

The Osho Zen Tarot deck is beautiful. The cards are beautiful, the meanings and symbolism of the cards are beautiful. This will provide the inspiration for my Mandala color choices.

I will achieve Mindful Crochet by choosing a random card, choosing the colors that speak to me from that card, and really – I mean really – think and meditate on the meaning and symbolism of the card as I crochet.the-fool-3

To start my new Mindful Crochet project I picked my first card – The Fool. I’m sure now that this will be good.  The Fool Card indicates that if you trust your intuition right now, your feeling of the ‘rightness’ of things, you cannot go wrong.

I’m hoping this will be a meaningful project. I’m hoping that I will learn some new stitches and something new about myself. If nothing else I will have a WiP that doesn’t stress me out and maybe someday I will have a beautiful Mandala.

I might even start my first round on my Mindful Mandala today – but then again I might not. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

~Tami – Tanglewood Knots

 

34 responses to “Mindful Crochet”

  1. I LOVE this post for so many reasons! Stressing about unfinished WIPs (I do this every day!)…Starting new projects before finishing others (I just did this!)…Tarot inspired colors (OMG! I love my Tarot cards!)…Mindfulness and Mandalas (I have been searching for a mandala project that brings peace to my chatty brain)….AAAAGGHHH!!!! 😱😱😍😍 Thank you! Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. It’s so easy to get caught up in projects and not see the end of it. I really needed this post as I’ve been finding myself stressing over the fact that I have so many unfinished WIPs. But then, as you point out, crochet should be fun, right? Love the idea of a mindful mandala!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Ahhh this post is perfect for me to read today! It’s so relatable and you have so much talent – I think that can factor in being stressed when you want to just show your crochet flow and start new things ha! So looking forward to seeing this project and the concept is perfect, who knows you may even start a trend. Cheers to crochet and it’s beauty… I also have a habit of starting new project just because I want to touch it 😅 happy Tuesday xx

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I am working on this mandala too!! I ❤ ❤ it !! I am almost done with the third step. I have not been able to put it down!!! There are times when there are so many projects in my head that I want to start, finish …. etc.etc… It can get overwhelming. Thanks for this post 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Think you’ve hit a nerve with several of us. I’m a sewist first but have become a yarnist in recent years. Only discovering amigurumi a few weeks ago I have definitely got the bug but still felt a bit lacking but wasn’t sure in what as my sew mojo is on a long vacation!

    A mindful mandala is exactly what I seek. A long love affair 😍 As soon as I started to read your post I knew in a nano second what my inspiration will be. Aruba! My most fav place on the planet. After a seemingly never ending grey winter I crave the colours.

    A virtual high five to you for sewing the seed 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  7. This definitely just speaks to me. I can’t wait to see how it all comes out. I’m not sure I’m quite ready to have a “just whenever” project laying around, I’m too go go go right now and I think it would defeat the purpose. Mostly because I just tried this same idea with yoga instead of crochet, lasted a week, lol. But I hope to be there soon and maybe join you in this project!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Great post! I guess that is what my triangle shawl is my non stressing project. I started it long ago in a land far far away. I have not given myself a due date for it. I work on it when I have a few small scrap balls ready.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I was looking for a project to take with me when I can’t be at my computer and this sounds like a perfect one. I agree about the feel of yarn in my fingers it soothes me. It allows my mind to relax in social settings where I reluctantly put because of my husband’s career. He never complains when I bring busy work along with me while he does his thing.
    I’m not familiar with tarot cards but the picture you posted has such beautiful color choices I am sure the mandala will be vibrant.
    Thank you for inspiring another yarn project. I can’t wait to show you how it comes out.
    Artists unite…

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks! The Osho Zen Tarot is more of a meditation tool than a traditional deck. The meanings of the cards really promotes Taoist/Zen philosophies. I love it! Your poems are just as vibrant as any yarn – perhaps the colors you see in your poems could give you palette inspiration. 🙂

      Like

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  12. I just recently put down a project and picked up a new project. The first project is almost done. The last little section of it was driving me nuts with all the color changes. So I decided I needed a change of pace for about a week. 🙂 Will I get it done? Yes. Maybe even today.

    Liked by 1 person

      • Ok. I should probably clarify. Yarn project. I do a lot of other crafting too. 🤣 And I’m working on designing an Alice in Wonderland themed crafting room. Because yeah. Then my mess will totally be confined to one room. When I’m not also using the family room, the living room, the kitchen, the driveway…contemplated using the bed of the pickup truck the other day as a work surface.

        Liked by 1 person

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