Renee's Crochet Mandala And Story of Healing with Crochet

This pretty mandala was made using the standard 12-round crochet mandala pattern by Wink. I love how many of these were made for the project and yet how each one is different because of the decisions made by the crafter in terms of yarn fiber and weight and hook size and color. This lovely one comes to us, along with a beautiful yellow star, from Renee, who shares,

“I first learned how to crochet when I was eleven years old, but I didn’t really get into it until ten years later. Crocheting helped me de-stress from my crazy physics classes. My favorite things to crochet are blankets and lemons.”

Elaborating on this particular mandala, Renee shares,

“I was inspired by Wink’s use of color in her mandalas. Her weekly mandalas were my favorite, which is why I chose to crochet a basic 12 round mandala for this project. I loved how she would draw inspiration from anything that made her heart skip, and would then derive a color scheme for a mandala using that inspiration. Pure color therapy at its finest.

Renee goes on to share some of her own experience, writing,

“Crochet has gotten me through some rough times in my life; most significantly, my struggle with post-partum depression. My PPD manifested in the forms of anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, and the act of crocheting gave me an outlet for all the negative energy. I had something positive and physical to focus on. Counting stitches is also something that I found to be therapeutic. Now, two years later, I am in a much better mental state thanks to my therapist, my supportive husband, and crochet.

She adds, “The stigma surrounding mental illness needs to end. People need to know that it is okay to get help.”

And for Wink’s family, she writes,

“I am so very sorry for your loss. Wink brought happiness and inspiration with her wonderful color-filled works of art. My heart goes out to each and every one of you.”

This post is part of the Mandalas for Marinke remembrance project.