Ever crocheted something with one thing in mind, and it became something else? That is what happened to me just now, as this crocheted mandala basket in need of stiffening instead became a fantastic crocheted mandala stool cover! Now I don't have to get out a pot and experiment with sugar as a stiffener for crocheted items. Better anyway to try it with something much smaller anyway for the first time, and now my bare stool has a festive cover that is perfect for summer.
And dear readers, the story gets even better because when I started this crocheted mandala during out trip to the US (still can't believe we were gone for a whole month and I only crocheted this, guess the lake view was too enchanting!) I had even another project in mind! When the mandala/doily started to curl as I hadn't increased enough, the idea of a basket to hang on the wall came about, but apparently even that wasn't meant to be!
I hope to share some photos with you of my new stool cover soon, and no I do not have a pattern for this as I made it up as I went along, and you really don't need my pattern in any case as there are certainly many mandala patterns out there that you can use as inspiration for coming up with your own design, go for it!
ps; I used a 3.5mm hook and 4 ply mercerized cotton yarn that is 50g/125m, which produces a somewhat delicate result without having to go really tiny.
