Here is the next of the beautiful, inspiring, special contributions coming in to the #MandalasForMarinke remembrance project. I am grateful for each and every amazing contribution. You are invited to join; learn more here.
Beautiful Crochet Mandala
This crochet mandala is made using Wink’s standard twelve round crochet mandala free pattern. I love that it begins and ends with sunny yellow. And I also like that there are two rounds of each color in a row, making it unique from many of the other versions out there that change colors each row. She also added a couple of charms in her package that I’ve attached to the mandala for display:
Meet the Maker
This special contribution comes from Lisa, who you can find as YarnYenta247 on Instagram and YouTube. She describes herself as “a wife and mother with two grown children (one son, one daughter) and also a knitter, crocheter, passionate fiber lover and presently full-time RVer, living and traveling with her hubby and sun in a 32′ travel trailer”. She writes:
“Wink touched my heart and I was so saddened by her much too soon departure. I have been touched personally be depression and know the struggles of those suffering. My crafting has at certain points in my life been the only things to get me out of bed to face a new day. It is my hope that this project will help to shed light on this illness and bring acknowledgment and hope to more people.”
Words by Wink
One of Wink’s 2014 goals was to get outside more. She wrote:
“I have fallen in love with forest bathing. I spend a lot of my time indoors, behind my computer or on the sofa crocheting, and that needs to change. I’m a total couch potato now, and my goal is to become a professional forest bather by the end of 2014.”
About Depression
One purpose of this project is to raise awareness about depression so each post will end with some facts, thoughts or quotes about depression, suicide and/or mental health. Since Wink mentioned it, let’s talk a little more about the health benefits of Shinsrin-Yoku or “forest bathing”. Mother Earth News has an excerpt on the topic from the book Your Brain On Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness and Vitality
“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”
Then goes on to add:
“Among the many reasons to preserve what is left of our ancient forests, the mental aspects stand tall. … Medical doctors, including Franklin B. Hough, reported in early U.S. medical journals that forests have a “cheerful and tranquilizing influence which they exert upon the mind, more especially when worn down by mental labor.” Individuals report that forests are the perfect landscape to cultivate what are called transcendent experiences—these are unforgettable moments of extreme happiness, of attunement to that outside the self, and moments that are ultimately perceived as very important to the individual.”
Then the article discusses forest bathing in Japan, a program launched in 1982 “to encourage the populace to get out into nature, to literally bathe the mind and body in greenspace, and take advantage of public owned forest networks as a means of promoting health.” So perhaps it might be worth a try to take your crochet out amongst the trees in your area for a little bit every day!
All contributions to Mandalas for Marinke are welcome and will help raise awareness about depression while honoring her work in the same way that this great contribution has done today. Details to join here.
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