These beautiful crochet mandalas are from Esther in Holland, who goes by the nickname Es. She shares on her blog,
“I live with my boyfriend and our daughter in the Netherlands, although I do have some Texan spirit in my blood because I was born in Houston and spent most of my childhood growing up there. During my childhood, I was always creative spending most of my time drawing, coloring and painting. I just loved my crayons and color-by-number paintings as a kid! Later on, inspired by my mom, I started knitting and sewing my own clothes, cross stitching and even did some quilting. And now finally I have fallen in love with the art of crochet!”
She adds on Etsy,
“In my search for new crochet patterns, I couldn’t really find what I was looking for. This started my
DREAM * I decided to make my own designs
CREATE * wrote them down and made the patterns
INSPIRE * to share with the rest of the world,
…..and that’s how stitchES crochet designs & more was born!
I like to accommodate both worlds – patterns & DIY kits for those who love to be creative themselves and ready-made designs for those who appreciate and admire handmade items.”
Her note for the project, written on her beautiful and inspiring business postcards, reads,
“This mandala is made in loving memory of Wink. Depression is such an ugly illness. I’m so sorry you lost your battle and hope you are finally at peace. Thanks for your inspiration.”
In her own blog post, she adds,
“I wanted to make a mandala in honor of Wink and to help raise awareness about depression. I too have been suffering from depression and stress the last couple of years and I finally took the first step and reached out for help. Being creative and making things with my hands helps and this blog will also be a way to express my thoughts and share my creative items.”
And she also explains her mandala pattern and color choice:
“Looking through Wink’s many beautiful mandala patterns, I made my choice. This one caught my eye because it reminded me of the sun. Sunlight brightens your mood. Just about everyone, regardless of whether or not they suffer from depression, feels better when the sun comes out. Because I was on Cyprus at the time I let the sunshine guide me with my color choices.
It turned out to be a bright and cheerful mandala.
Here is a list of the yarns and colors I used (from left to right):
- Phil Coton 3 color 0049 Craie
- Phil Coton 3 color 0052 Azalee
- Phil Coton 3 color 0062 Poudre all by Phildar
- SMC Catania Fine color 1020 Jade by Schachenmayr
I hope it will bring a smile to someone’s face. For the finishing and personal touch I added a wooden button with my artist name, stitchES, on it.”
Currently I’m reading a book called A Waltz Through La La Land: A Depression Survivor’s Memoir
Once the depression finally hits, he tries to explain that he’s always been a “fraud”. He says he only got through school easily because he chose an easy school, because he chose an easy degree. Faced with the pressure of attending law school, he realizes he can’t fake it anymore, leading to a suicide attempt, and his early treatment is all about this feeling that he’s been faking it. This intrigued me, I think, because I’ve seen this in men I’ve known in my life. It happens with women, too, of course, but I’ve seen it more in men’s depression, this magnifying of every flaw and minimizing of every success in such a way as to eradicate any bit of self-esteem. The book captures this problem of depression well and I’m looking forward to finishing the chapters to see how he works through this in treatment to gain a more balanced perspective on himself.
This post is part of a Mandalas for Marinke remembrance project