Elisabeth Andree's Crochet Contribution to Mandalas for Marinke

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 lovely crochet mandala is a thread crochet version of Wink’s standard 12-round free crochet mandala pattern. The maker used a 3.5 mm crochet hook and a combination of two different types of cotton crochet thread. She adapted the crochet pattern “with some surface crochet and a different edge” to give it a more floral design.

Meet the Maker

This heartwarming crochet mandala comes from Elisabeth Andree. I met her at the same time that I met Wink online, as both women shared their stories with me for Crochet Saved My Life. She was also one of the featured Instagrammers in my weekly crochet roundups where I shared that:

Her IG tag succinctly describes her as “Dutch, vegetarian, crochet & yarn addict” and if you check the About page of her blog you’ll learn a lot more about her interests and creativity. You can also find her on Ravelry and Pinterest. What I love most about her crochet is the lovely, bright colors she chooses. 

That terrific use of color works well on this mandala that incorporates bright versions of melon-y colors ensconced in rounds of white that make the brights even brighter. The surface crochet adds additional pops of color, a bit like outlining, as well as fresh texture. Lovely.

Plus she added a special message: “You see dear Marinke, you are not gone, you are here!” This truth made me smile.

Words by Wink

In July 2012, Marinke discovered overlay crochet for the first time, using the crochet mandala pattern from CAROcreated. She shared:

“Overlay crochet is based on single crochet rows, in which you crochet into the backloops only, thus creating an ’empty’ front loop to work in the next rounds. It looks complicated when you first see the pattern, but after a few rounds it all makes sense and you really start to get the hang of it!”

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. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports, “Women experience twice the rate of depression as men, regardless of race or ethnic background. An estimated one in eight women will contend with a major depression in their lifetimes.” Here are five symptoms of depression than women are generally more likely to report than men:

1. Anxiety
2. Outbursts of Anger
3. Oversleeping
4. Somatization
5. Weight Gain

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.