Christmas for me is a time for family. This year might be the last year that we spend Christmas with the “old” family members because my teenage sons are starting to date which brings new dynamics to our family. Unfortunately, I also know that this will be the last Christmas with my godmother who is terminal with cancer. Life changes continuously.

To me, mandalas are like life, changing continuously. I really love everything about mandalas. I love the changes in color, shape and texture. I love the symmetry, the rhythm of making them and how they look when finished. I have yet to see a mandala I don’t like.

My latest mandala I designed especially for Christmas. It’s a small 10cm mandala, and with the ring it’s perfect to hang in a Christmas tree. In this post you find the free pattern, information about the yarn and also a video tutorial to show you how to make my Christmas Mandala design.

Resources

Materials

Small amounts of sport weight cotton yarn. The sample shown uses the following colors of Scheepjes Catona, approximately 15g per color.

Color A – Bridal White (105)
Color B – Scarlet (192)
Color C – Apple Green (389)

Additionally, you also need

Scheepjes Catona is available from Wool Warehouse (UK), Jimmy Beans Wool (USA), The Knitting Network (UK), Love Crafts (USA / UK), Caro’s Atelier (NL / EU), and many other Scheepjes stockists.

Size & Gauge

The final mandala is 10cm diameter after assembly in the ring. Before assembly, the mandala is 9cm in diameter.

Video tutorial

There is a video tutorial available that shows you how to make the mandala. You can find the tutorial on my YouTube channel or the direct links right handed and left handed versions.

Abreviations

This pattern uses US crochet terminology

ch Chain
ch-sp(s) Chain space(s)
sc Single crochet
hdc Half double crochet
dc Double crochet

sc2tog Work two single crochet stitches together

popcorn 5dc in st, remove hook, insert hook in 1st dc made, replace loop on hook, draw loop through 1st st, ch1

V-st (dc, ch2, dc) in indicated stitch

fpsc Front post single crochet: work the single crochet around the post of the st inserting hook from front to back to front again

sl st Slip stitch
st(s) Stitch(es)

invisible join Cut yarn, pull yarn through last stitch made, thread yarn on needle, insert needle under both loops of first st after initial chain sts, pull yarn through, insert needle into top of the last stitch made, pull yarn through

surface crochet Holding working yarn behind piece and hook in front of piece insert hook through piece, yarn round hook, draw yarn though piece and loop on hook (as a sl st)

Pattern – Christmas Mandala

Round 1 With Color A, ch4, join with a sl st in first chain to form a ring. Working into the ring, ch2 (does not count as a st), 12dc in the ring, join to first dc with sl st.
[12 dc]

Round 2 Continue with the same color, ch2 (counts as first hdc), ch2, (hdc in next st, ch2) around, join to beginning ch2 with sl st. Fasten off.
[12 ch2-sp, 12 hdc]

Round 3 With Color B, work surface sl st over the double crochets of Round 1. Close with invisible join.

Round 4 With Color C, work surface sl st over the double crochets of Round 1, placing the sts next to those from Round 3. Close with invisible join.

Round 5 Join Color B with a standing popcorn in any ch2-sp, ch3, *popcorn in next ch2-sp, ch3; repeat from * to end. Join to first st with sl st.
Fasten off.
[12 ch3-sp, 12 popcorn]

Round 6 Join Color A with a standing fpsc around any popcorn, V-st in next hdc from Round 2, fpsc in next popcorn, V-st in next hdc from Round 2; repeat from * to end. Join to first st with sl st. Fasten off.
[12 fpsc, 12 V-st]

Round 7 Join Color C with a standing popcorn in any ch2-sp and the ch2-sp from Round 5 simultaneously, ch4, *popcorn in next ch2-sp and ch2-sp from Round 5 simultaneously, ch4; repeat from * to end. Join to first st with sl st. Fasten off.
[12 ch4-sp, 12 popcorn]

Round 8 Join Color A with a standing fpsc around any popcorn, 2sc in next ch4-sp, dc in fpsc from Round 6, 2sc in same ch4-sp, *fpsc around next popcorn, 2sc in next ch4-sp, dc in fpsc from Round 6, 2sc in same ch4-sp; repeat from * to end. Join to first st with sl st.
[48 sc, 12 fpsc, 12 dc]

Work away all yarn tails. The mandala is now approximately 9cm in diameter and will cup. Stretch the mandala to flatten it out a bit before attaching it to the ring.

To finish the mandala and attach it to the ring, continue with the same color, ch1 (does not count as a stitch), *sc2tog in the current stitch, the next stitch AND the ring, repeat from * to end. Close with an invisible join.
[72 sc2tog]

Attach a ribbon though one of the stitches from the last round of the mandala. Use the ribbon to hang the mandala in a Christmas tree.

#itsallinanutshell

If you are making something with one of my patterns or one of my videos, I would love to see your work. Use the hashtag #itsallinanutshell on Instagram to help me find it, share your work in my It’s all in a Nutshell Crochet Nuts group on Facebook or tag me in one of your posts.

Have a very happy Christmas. With love,
Esther

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Christmas Mandala – free crochet pattern with video tutorial