Craft Lovers ♥ Crochet Mandala Rug by Susimiu

Cotton fabric yarns or XXL tape yarns are ideal for decorative projects like poufs, cushions, table mats, baskets and of course, rugs! Essential decorative pieces that emanate personality, warmth, harmony, peace… like this beautiful crocheted Mandala Rug by Susimiu made with Katia Washi. Behind Susimiu we discover Laura, a Craft Lover who specializes in XXL crochet and whose creations would fill any home with magic. Get to know the story about her love of crochet and her fascination with XXL tape yarns. Follow her tutorial to create this marvellous Mandala crochet Rug with Katia Washi. Let her enthusiasm for this technique and this material rub off on you!

Susimiu

“My name is Laura, I’m 26 years old, I live in Cordoba (Spain) and I’m the creator of www.susimiu.es. I studied Business Administration and Management, but I’ve always enjoyed developing my creativity through handicrafts. Throughout my life my home has been full of blankets of all shapes, sizes and colours made by my grandmother. They always fascinated me, so, one day I decided to learn crochet. Although I admit that it seemed impossible at the time!

Little by little, thanks to online tutorials, doing and undoing hundreds of times… I learnt all the stitches, tips and tricks. A few months later, I had completed my first blanket. I was so proud! I wanted to share all the patterns necessary to make it with the rest of the world. And this was how my first blog Sweet and Knit was born, where, in addition to crochet, I posted desserts and recipes for beginners.

Rugs

Then I discovered cotton fabric yarns, a new material that inspired me, in a shop in my city. It was love at first sight. Although in the beginning it wasn’t easy to adapt to the size of the crochet hook and the thickness of the material. I went from using a size D3 (U.S.)/(3 mm) crochet hook to a size O16 (U.S.)/(12 mm), or even a size P19 (U.S.)/(15 mm)! That’s how I started to make rugs in all sizes, colours and forms…

To date it’s my material par excellence and my speciality. On my web Susimiu I share all my designs for beginners and the step by step instructions. My creations can also be purchased in my online shop. I thoroughly enjoy it when I see a room decorated with a rug which I’ve crocheted. I invite you to discover the creative process – totally manual – that lies behind each rug: starting with the initial project in my mind up to when it becomes reality.”

Mandala Rug in Washi

Materials: 2 balls Katia Washi in cream (100), 2 balls Washi in turquoise (116), 1 ball Washi in beige (102), 1 ball Washi in blue denim (117), 2 balls Washi in light beige (106), pom poms and size L11 (U.S.) /(8mm) crochet hook.

Measurements: 1 metre in diameter.

Abbreviations

• CS: Chain stitch
• SC: Single crochet
• SS: Slip stitch
• DC: Double crochet
• FDC: Front double crochet
• 5DCTOGETHER: 5 Double crochet worked together. Hazelnut stitch.

How is Front Double Crochet (FDC) worked?

We wrap the yarn over the hook (as when working a normal Double Crochet), and we pass the hook behind the double crochet on the row below. We draw out the hook, and then continue working the stitch as we would a normal Double Crochet.

Hazelnut Stitch

1. To start with we make 1 Double Crochet without closing the stitch. This means we don’t complete the last step of the stitch.
2. We continue by making 5 more Double Crochet in the same hollow, but without closing them.
3. Here we can see what the 5 Double Crochet look like without closing them.
4. To finish, we will close the 5 Double Crochet which we have worked previously, but not closed, in one stitch.

Backwards Crochet 

This is a decorative or finishing stitch. It is worked in the same way as single crochet but from left to right. Insert the crochet hook from top to bottom in the base stitch, wrap yarn over hook, pass through the 1^st ring on the hook, wrap yarn over hook and pass through the 2 rings that remain on the hook.

Mandala Rug Pattern

Central Ring: Using cream, 3CS, close with a SS to make the central ring.

R1: Using cream, 2CS (count as first DC) 15DC inside the Central Ring. Close with a SS. (16 stitches)

R2 : Using cream, 2CS (count as first DC), (5DC TOGETHER –Hazelnut stitch- in following stitch, 1CS to secure, 1DC in following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (24 stitches)

R3: Using light beige, 2CS, (1DC in following stitch, 2DC together in following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with a SS. (36 stitches)

R4: Using light beige, 2CS (count as first DC), (5DC TOGETHER –Hazelnut stitch- in following stitch, 1CS to secure, 1DC in following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (54 stitches)

R5: Using dark beige, 2CS (count as first DC), 1DC in following stitch, 1FDC in following stitch. (2DC in following 2 stitches, 1FDC in following stitch)* repeat to end of row. Close with a SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (54 stitches)

* In this row all the FDC coincide with the DC that is in each group of 5DC together (hazelnut stitch) on the row below.

R6: Using turquoise, 2CS, (1DC in each of the following 3DC on the row below, 2DC together in the following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (67 stitches)

R7: Using blue denim, 2CS, (skip two stitches from the row below, 1DC in the following stitch, 2CS, 1DC in the same stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (92 stitches)

R8: Using cream, tie the following colour in the first hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row, 1SC inside this hollow, (4DC in the following hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row; 2CS, 4DC inside the same hollow, 1SC in the following hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row)* repeat to end of row, close with 1 SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (121 stitches)

R9: Using blue denim, tie the following colour in the first hollow of the 2CS on the previous row (8CS, 1SC in the following hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. (99 -121 stitches depending if crochet 8CS or 10CS).

* If the rug tends to “shrink in”, work 9 or 10 CS instead of 8 CS on this row.

* This row is not featured in the photos. It is underneath row 10.

R10: Using blue denim, 2CS in the first hollow of the 8CS on the previous row (counts as first DC), 4DC in the same hollow, then we will work 1DC in the same hollow, but it should reach the hollow of the 2CS on row 7, 5DC in the same hollow as the chain stitches, (5DC in the following hollow of the 8CS on the row below; then we will work 1DC in the same hollow, but it should reach the hollow of the 2CS on row 7, 5DC in the same hollow as the chain stitches)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (121 stitches)

Details of rows 8, 9 and 10:

The rug up to row 11:

R11: Using turquoise, 2CS (count as first DC), 4DC in the following 4 stitches, 1FDC in following stitch. (10DC in the following 10 stitches, 1FDC in the following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (121 stitches)

* In this row all the FDC coincide with the DC on the row below made inside the hollow of the 2CS on row 7.

R12: Using cream, 2CS (count as first DC), 1DC in the following stitch. (5DC TOGETHER –Hazelnut stitch- in the following stitch, 2DC in the following 2 stitches)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (121 stitches)

Detail of row 12:

R13: Using light beige, work 1SS up to following stitch, 2CS (count as first DC), 1FDC linked in row 11 in the following stitch, 2CS, 1FDC in the same stitch (1DC in the following stitch, 1FDC linked in row 11 in the following stitch, 2CS, 1FDC in the same stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (203 stitches)

Detail of row 13:

R14: Using beige, 2CS (count as first DC), 1DC in each DC and FDC on the previous row (do NOT crochet any stitch in the hollows of the 2CS), close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (121 stitches)

R15: Using blue denim, 2CS, (skip two stitches on the previous row, 1DC in the following stitch, 2CS, 1DC in the same stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (160 stitches)

R16: Using turquoise, tie the following colour in the first hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row, 1SC inside this hollow, (4DC in the following hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row; 2CS, 4DC inside the same hollow, 1SC in the following hollow of the two chain stitches on the previous row)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (220 stitches)

The rug up to row 16:

R17: Using blue denim, tie the following colour in the first hollow of the 2CS on the previous row (8CS, 1SC in the following hollow of the two CS on the previous row)* repeat to end of row, close with 1 SS. (180-220 stitches depending if crochet 8CS or 10CS).

* This row is not featured in the photos. It is underneath row 18.

R18: Using blue denim, 2CS in the first hollow of the 8CS on the previous row (counts as first DC), 4DC in the same hollow.

Then we will work 1DC in the same hollow, but it should reach the hollow of the 2CS on row 16 (see photo), 5DC in the same hollow as the chain stitches, (5DC in the following hollow of the 8CS on the row below; then we will work 1DC in the same hollow, but it should reach the hollow of the 2CS on row 16, 5DC in the same hollow as the chain stitches)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off.  (220 stitches)

R19: Using light beige, work 1 SS up to following stitch, 2 CS (count as first DC), (1 DC in the first 10 DC on the previous row, 1FDC in the following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1 SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (220 stitches)

R20: Using turquoise, 2CS, (skip two stitches from the row below, 1DC in the following stitch, 2CS, 1DC in the same stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (292 stitches)

R21: Using cream, tie the following colour in the first hollow of the 2CS on the previous row, (5DC TOGETHER –Hazelnut stitch- in the hollow of the 2CS, 1DC in the following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off.  (146 stitches)

R22: Using turquoise, 2CS in a DC on the previous row, (skip one Hazelnut stitch from the previous row, 1DC in the following stitch, 2CS, 1DC in the same stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (292 stitches)

R23: Using beige, tie the following colour in the first hollow of the 2CS on the previous row, (2DC in the first hollow of the 2CS on the row below, 1DC in the following stitch)* repeat to end of row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (219 stitches)

R24: Using light beige, 2CS (count as first DC), 1DC in each stitch on the previous row, make an increase (2DC in the same stitch) for every 20 DC on the previous row, close with 1SS. Cut yarn and fasten off. (230 stitches)

R25: Using blue denim, 1CS (counts as first stitch of the row), finish off the rug with 1 Backwards Crochet in each stitch on the previous row, close. Cut yarn and fasten off. (230 stitches)

Details of final rows:

Detail of row 25:

Pom poms in various rows: