Reminder: I am updating and republishing all of the #MandalasForMarinke posts. They will appear in the same order as they originally appeared. So far I have updated the initial post as well as Marinke’s excerpt from Crochet Saved My Life. This is the first post that shows contributions of crochet mandalas for the project.
I spent the long weekend in Larkspur (north of me in Marin) and when I returned back to San Francisco I found the first of the #MandalasForMarinke contributions waiting for me. Opening this first package made me so happy. The mandalas are beautiful but more than that I just feel the energy and outpouring of love that went in to making them.
I sent a photo to a wonderful friend who has been very supportive of this project although he didn’t know Wink (and doesn’t crochet) and he responded:
“The color is so rich and vibrant. A metaphor for the richness of love for her, the richness of her feelings.”
I so agree. It touched my heart. I can already tell that when the mandalas are displayed together they are going to have an astounding impact. Thanks for all contributions and support.
Beautiful Crochet #MandalasForMarinke
This first contribution comes from Laura (more info about her below) in Indiana. She sent two gorgeous mandalas. The first is made using Wink’s crochet pattern for the standard 12 round mandala. It’s done in beautiful rainbow colors in what feels to me is likely a soft DK weight wool (although I’m not certain).
The second is a floral mandala in pretty shades of pink and purple that makes me smile when I look at it. It makes me think of Wink’s photos where she is wearing flowers in her hair, noting that this is a little thing that makes her happy, and of the #wearingflowersinmyhairforwink Instagram project that happened last week.
About the Maker
These crochet #mandalasformarinke were made by Laura of JustLauraInStitches whose bio on Facebook says,
“Hoping to encourage others to find JOY in creativity.”
Beautiful intention.
Message From The Maker
Everyone who contributes to the #mandalasformarinke project is invited to share as much or as little as they would like in writing about their own story, a message to Wink’s family, a thought about depression, etc. Laura shared:
“I have struggled with depression and am thankfully a survivor. Thank you for doing this for Wink and for awareness. Like for Wink, my stitching – whether with yarn or fabric – has definitely helped me to cope. It still does. Wink has inspired so many people and will continue to do so.”
I so agree that Wink’s work will continue to inspire people for a long time to come, especially with your words propelling her work forward in this way. Crochet can’t fix everything, of course, but it was one tool in Wink’s toolbox that helped make her life a little bit better for several years during which she really gave a lot to the world. It is in the toolbox for many of us.
Words by Wink
I shared Wink’s story from Crochet Saved My Life on the blog earlier. It reminded me how powerful her own words were and how articulate she was about so many things. It inspired me to try to add some of her own words from her blog or other communication with her to each of these contribution posts.
Back in 2012, when she shared my book on her blog, Wink wrote:
“I had NO idea that something so simple as keeping your hands busy helps so many women, all around the world! And I just want to thank you, my lovely readers, for keeping me motivated on a daily basis, and for making me feel so welcome in this amazing bloggy family. I love you all. <3”
The loss of Wink leaves a hole in the community but I wanted to share that she had written that three years ago because it shows that both crochet and this crafty community gave her strength, brightness, inspiration and so much more for a stretch of time.
This photo by Laura
The Black Dog of 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. For today, I want to share a video about depression that I just saw in my Crisis Text Line volunteer training in the section on the topic of depression and that really resonated with me. It’s about the Black Dog of Depression
All contributions to Mandalas for Marinke are welcome and will help raise awareness about depression while honoring her work in the same way that Laura’s great contribution has done today.
Beautiful colours and a wonderful project. Keep watching your post box! 😉