Add a vibrant burst of color to your entryway or dining table! The Wildberry Mandala is about to become your new favorite centerpiece. Adventure on a journey of gorgeous textural crochet stitches and color changes that make every round of this mandala one of a kind. Inspired by warm days spent berry picking with loved ones, the palette evokes the sweetness of strawberries, blueberries and summer memories. Bake your favorite berry desserts and gather round the table with this mandala serving as the focal point.
Time: 1 day
Skill level: Intermediate
Size: 31 cm (diameter) before blocking
Gauge: 4 rnd 6.5 cm
Materials
Yarn: Sheng Tang Fang Zhi 4 ply CC1: beige, CC2: peach, CC3: red, CC4: navy
Hook size: US size G 4.00mm
Stitch marker
Scissors
Special Stitches
Cl (cluster) = [yarn over, insert your hook into the indicated stitch, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 2 times, yarn over, pull through all loops on your hook.
Picot = ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook.
BPsc (back post single crochet) = insert your hook around the indicated post of the stitch from back to front and back again. Finish as normal sc.
BPdc (back post double crochet) = yarn over, insert your hook around the indicated post of stitch from back to front and back again. Finish as normal dc.
FPsc (front post single crochet) = insert your hook around the indicated post of the stitch from front to back and front again. Finish as normal sc
FPdc (front post double crochet) = yarn over, insert your hook around the indicated post of the stitch from front to back and front again. Finish as normal dc.
FPpop (front post popcorn with 3 dc) = insert your hook around the indicated post of the stitch and make normal popcorn with 3 dc, ch 1 to secure.
V-st = (dc, ch 1, dc) in same st
Pattern Notes
- Similar weight of yarn can be substituted, check gauge.
- Ch 1 doesn’t count as stitch.
- Ch 3 in the beginning of the new round counts as dc, unless mentioned otherwise.
Pattern
Rnd 1: With CC1 make a magic ring, ch 1, (cl, ch 3) 6 times in the ring, join with sl st to beg cl. (6 cl, 6 ch-3 sps). Fasten off CC1.
In the next round and following rounds, when you are instructed to place a stitch marker (pm), you need only do it once in the round, not on each repeat around.
Rnd 2: Join CC2 in any ch-3 sp, ch 1, (cl, ch 2, cl) in same sp, ch 2, skip cl, *(cl, ch 2 (pm), cl) in next ch-sp, ch 2, skip cl, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg cl. (12 cl, 12 ch-2 sps). Fasten off CC2.
Rnd 3: Join CC3 in marked ch-sp, ch 1, sc in same sp, skip cl, (cl, (ch 2, cl) twice) in next ch-sp, skip cl, *sc in next ch-sp, skip cl, (cl, (ch 2, cl) twice) in next ch-sp (pm 2nd cl, will be work in rnd 5), skip cl, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg sc.(6 sc, 18 cl, 12 ch-2 sps). Fasten off CC3.
Rnd 4: Join CC4 in any sc, ch 1, BPsc around same, skip cl, 4 dc in next ch-sp, picot, skip cl, 4 dc in next ch-sp, skip cl, *BPsc around next st, skip cl, 4 dc in next ch-sp, picot, skip cl, 4 dc in next ch-sp, skip cl, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg BPsc. (6 BPsc, 48 dc, 6 picot). Fasten off CC4
Chart rnd 1-4
Rnd 5: Join CC1 in marked cl from rnd 3, work behind previous rnd and work only in 2nd cl of rnd 3, ch 1, BPsc around same, ch 9, *BPsc around next st, ch 9, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg BPsc. (6 BPsc, 6 ch-9 sps). Do not fasten off.
Rnd 6: Sl st to next ch-9 sp, work in ch-9 sp and picot from rnd 4 only, skip other sts, ch 3, (6 dc, picot, 7 dc) into same ch-9 sp, sc in next picot, *(7 dc, picot, 7 dc) in next ch-9 sp, sc in next picot, repeat from * around, join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch. (6 picot, 6 sc, 84 dc). Fasten off CC1.
Rnd 7: Join CC2 in any sc, ch 5 (count as tr and ch 1), (tr, ch 1) 6 times in same sc, skip 6 sts, BPsc around next 2 sts (on each side of picot), ch 1, skip 6 sts, *(tr, ch 1) 7 times (pm in first tr) in next st, skip 6 sts, BPsc around next 2 sts (each side of picot), ch 1, skip 6 sts, repeat from * around, join with sl st to 4th ch of beg ch. (6 BPsc, 48 ch-1 sps, 42 tr). Fasten off CC2.
Rnd 8: Join CC3 in marked tr, ch 1, FPpop around same, sc in next ch-sp, (FPpop around next st, sc in next ch-sp) 5 times, FPpop around next st, skip ch-sp, sc in next picot of rnd 6, skip ch-sp, *(FPpop around next st, sc in next ch-sp) 6 times, FPpop around next st, skip ch-sp, sc (pm) in next picot of rnd 6, skip ch-sp, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg FPpop. (42 FPpop, 42 sc). Fasten off CC3.
Chart rnd 5-8
Rnd 9: Join CC4 in marked sc, ch 3, 4 dc into same st, skip 1 st, hdc in next 3 sts, sc in next 5 sts, hdc in next 3 sts, skip 1 st, *5 dc in next st, skip 1 st, hdc in next 3 sts, sc in next 5 sts, hdc in next 3 sts, skip 1 st, repeat from * around, join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch. (30 sc, 36 hdc, 30 dc). Do not fasten off.
Rnd 10: Ch 3, dc in each st around, join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch. (96 dc). Fasten off CC4.
Rnd 11: Join CC1 in any st, ch 2 (doesn’t count as st), BPdc around the same st, BPdc around each st around, join with sl st to beg BPdc. (96 BPdc). Fasten off CC1.
Rnd 12: Join CC4 in any st, ch 4 (count as dc and ch 1), skip 1 st, V-st in next st, ch 1, skip 1 st, *(dc, ch 1) in next st, skip 1 st, V-st in next st, ch 1, skip 1 st, repeat from * around, join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch. (24 dc, 24 V-st, 72 ch-1 sps). Fasten off CC4.
Chart rnd 9-12
Rnd 13: Join CC2 in any lone dc (not in a dc of a v-st), work in dc only, skip sts of v-sts, Popcorn (worked same as FPpop but not as a FP stitch) into same, ch 5, *popcorn in next st, ch 5, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg popcorn. (24 popcorn, 24 ch-5 sps). Fasten off CC2.
Rnd 14: Join CC3 in any ch-sp of V-st of rnd 12, work in front of ch-5 sp, work in ch-sp of V-st only, skip other sts, ch 3, 4 dc into same sp, ch 1 (pull popcorn to front), *5 dc in next ch-sp, ch 1, repeat from * around, join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch. (120 dc, 24 ch1-sps). Fasten off CC3.
Rnd 15: Join CC1 in any Popcorn of rnd 13, ch 1, FPsc around same, ((FPdc, ch 1) around next st) 4 times (pm in first FPdc), FPdc around next st, skip ch-sp, *FPsc around next popcorn, ((FPdc, ch 1) around next st) 4 times, FPdc around net st, skip ch-sp, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg FPsc. (24 FPsc, 120 FPdc, 96 ch1-sps). Fasten off CC1.
Rnd 16: Join CC4 in marked FPdc, ch 1, FPsc around same, ch 2, skip ch-sp, FPdc around next st, dc in next ch-sp, (FPdc, picot, FPdc) around next st, dc in next st, FPdc around next st, ch 2, skip ch-sp, FPsc around next st, skip 1 st, *FPsc around same, ch 2, skip ch-sp, FPdc around next st, dc in next ch-sp, (FPdc, picot, FPdc) around next st, dc in next st, FPdc around next st, ch 2, skip ch-sp, FPsc around next st, skip 1 st, repeat from * around, join with sl st to beg FPsc. (24 picot, 48 FPsc, 48 dc, 96 FPdc, 48 ch-2 sps). Fasten off CC4.
Weave in ends. Blocking optional.
Chart rnd 13-16