All the yarn things…right to your inbox. Sign up here.

The Marigold Collection: 6 Crochet Mandala Patterns

by | Crochet

The Marigold Collection is a balance of beauty, uniqueness, and practicality, all centered around a single crochet mandala motif. It’s not enough for every project to be a bag, or even for every project to be a circle. All 6 projects are slightly different, not only in terms of size, but in materials, stitch variations, and uses!

Click Here to Pin it For Later!

Marigold collection 6 crochet patterns

Design Inspiration

In all my time crocheting, even with my amigurumi designs, I always found crochet mandala designs to a mystery. I love the texture and color of a mandala, but could never wrap my head around how the math worked, since there didn’t seem to be consistent increases on each round.

It was a personal goal to design a mandala, but beyond that, a practical iteration of a mandala. And then with a couple mugs of spicy hot chocolate and a few friends on a cozy fall weekend in Rhinebeck, NY, that single stand-alone mandala project became a full-blown mandala-based collection.

Once the theme was set, I went searching for color inspiration. I didn’t have to look far, since Marigolds themselves land squarely in my favorite color territory. A quick search brought up a Rifle Paper Co print aptly named Marigold Botanical that featured all my favorite hues. It became the starting point to choosing all the different yarns I would end up working with!

A Crochet Mandala Overview

The first in the collection is the Marigold Cross Body Bag, where the mandala slowly morphs into a square and becomes a bag perfectly sized for daily outings.

Starting with a round mandala, the obvious next choice would be a circle bag, but oversized, made with Wool and the Gang Ra-Ra Raffia. The Sunburst Circle Bag is your go-to for beach weekend getaways.

Next came the idea of a dream catcher, which became the Bloom Wall Hanging. This pattern is the fundamental Marigold motif. Work it with macrame rope for wall decor or even a rug. Use crochet thread and turn the same motif into jewelry!

My collection would be complete without a garment, so the Dappled Tee features the Marigold motif in an accent-colored pocket on the front of the shirt.

The Solitude Blanket is a traditional granny square blanket that uses extra chunky, thick and thin yarn from Knit Collage for the ultimate luxury.

Lastly, the Blossom Wall Hanging cuts the Marigold motif in half for a different kind of wall decor. This project has so much versatility – turn it one way for a rainbow wall hanging, hang it another way for a more traditional macrame look.

Supplies and Materials

For this collection, I really wanted to play with a variety of yarns and materials, especially featuring small business owners and friends I’ve met over the years. I didn’t restrict myself to a particular yarn as I often do for commissions, but instead let the design and yarn come together organically. The companies and yarns I list below are what I used for my samples. Please note that I received yarn support for these projects; as such, I am unable to provide suggestions for competing yarn substitutions. Purchases made through these links may provide me with a small commission.

Knit Collage

I met Amy Small of KnitCollage in person at Rhinebeck last year, and completely fell in love with her personality and her yarn. She and I both wanted to expand our audiences, and we came up with this collaboration to showcase her yarns in an eye-popping modern take on a traditional granny square blanket. I used 4 skeins of her Spun Cloud Yarn mixed with 1 skein of Wildflower Yarn. The Spun Cloud is “100% wool with 2 skinny strands of sparkly lurex plied around it in a subtle thick and thin texture”. The Wildflower Yarn is “hand made from strips of super soft, cotton voile fabric” in happy, colorful prints inspired by traditional Indian paisley. Head over to her site to read more about how each purchase supports the Indian women who spin Knit Collage yarns.

5 skeins of KnitCollage yarn - Spun Cloud and Wildflower

Kenyarn

Jake, the owner of Kenyarn, is a genius with color and hilariously down to earth. His ideas and color knowledge is mind-blowing, and his themed yarns are a constant threat to my wallet. I used two exclusive colorways from Kenyarn for the Dappled Tee, a gentle blush pink paired with a lightly speckled, gorgeous mustard. Both yarns are DK weight, 100% superwash merino. If you’re not following Jake on Instagram, go do it now, so you don’t miss out on yarn updates!

Kenyarn exclusive colorways for Marigold Collection

Paisley and Gold Sewing

If you know me, you know I LOVE bags. And Erika makes bags – beautiful, practical, leather and waxed canvas works of art. I had purchased a project bag from her, and then reached out to see if she could help me out with some custom bag straps. She sells the leather straps for the Marigold Cross-Body Bag in a few different colors so you can match the strap to your bag. The straps also come with Chicago screws, so they can be easily added to your bag without the bother of needle and thread. You can find Erika at her site.

Wool and the Gang

The obvious choice for a beachy circle bag is Ra-Ra Raffia from Wool and the Gang. I’ve used their raffia yarn before; it is sturdy and comes in deliciously modern colors. Any one of them would make a gorgeously Instagram-worthy beach bag. I used 3 skeins of Ra-Ra Raffia for the Sunburst Circle Bag.

Lion Brand Yarn

What can I say about Lion Brand Yarn? They have supported my creative work for years, given me opportunities to grow, and enabled me to meet some of my best friends in the yarn community. I used Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton for the original Marigold Cross-Body, and Cotton Bamboo for the rainbow variation of the Blossom Wall Hanging.

Other Supplies

Beyond the yarns listed above, I sourced additional supplies from Amazon, and Home Depot. From Amazon, I purchased macrame rope for the Bloom Wall Hanging, as well as an extra-large metal floral hoop for hanging. I’ve recently been given a chance to try the macrame rope from Bobbiny, which can be a good alternative if you don’t want to purchase from Amazon.

The dowel rods for the Blossom Wall Hanging come from my local Home Depot. They come in 48″ lengths, and can be cut down to size. You can also give your wall hangings a more rustic look by using sanded down branches from your yard.

You’ll also need a good set of crochet hooks in different sizes to meet the specific gauge listed in the patterns. Other tools to always have on hand include sharp scissors, tapestry needles, measuring tape and/or ruler, and stitch markers.

Keep scrolling below to see exact yardage and supplies requirements for each project.

The Marigold Collection

Marigold cross body bag with leather straps

Marigold Cross Body Bag Supplies

  • 3 balls of Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton (3.5oz/100g, 186yds/170m)
    OR 450-550yds/412-500m of other mercerized cotton yarn, DK or light worsted weight
  • F-3.75 mm crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors
  • Leather carry strap from Paisley and Gold Sewing
  • 3in/7.5cm toggle button

Shop the Marigold Cross Body Bag pattern – Launches 8/7!

Sunburst circle beach bag from raffia yarn

Sunburst Circle Bag Supplies

  • 3 skeins of Wool and The Gang Ra-Ra Raffia (100g/3.5oz, 273yds/250m)
    OR 650-700 yds of worsted weight yarn
    Shown in sample: 
  • I – 5.5mm crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors

Shop the Sunburst Circle Bag pattern – Launches 8/7!

Bloom Mandala using macrame rope in metal hoop on wall

Bloom Mandala Supplies

  • 300-350yds / 275-320m of 3mm cotton macrame rope or equivalent material
  • 9.00mm crochet hook
  • 5 yds of thin cotton string or equivalent
  • 32in / 81cm heavy duty metal floral hoop
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors

Shop the Bloom Mandala pattern – Launches 8/7!

Dappled tee striped crochet top with pocket

Dappled Tee Supplies

  • Kenyarn DK 4-ply Superwash Merino (100g/3.5oz, 231yds/211m): 566 yds in BLUSH + 412 yds in YAPYAP
    OR
    436 (510, 566, 640, 720, 800, 884, 970, 1060)yds / 2 (3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5) skeins of base color (MC) + 320 (370, 412, 466, 524, 582, 644, 706, 772) yds/2 (2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4) skeins of accent color (C1)
  • K – 6.5 mm crochet hook for Body
  • G – 4.00 mm crochet hook for Cuffs
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors

Shop the Dappled Tee pattern – Launches 8/7!

Solitude Blanket crochet granny square blanket on bed

Solitude Blanket Supplies

  • 4 skeins of KnitCollage Spun Cloud (200g, 100yds) + 1 skein of KnitCollage Wildflower (70g, 60yds)
    Shown in sample: Spun Cloud in Honeysuckle, Love Cloud, French Vanilla, and Creme Brulee. Wildflower in Petal
  • Q/15mm crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors
  • Optional: CloverUSA tassel maker

Shop the Solitude Blanket pattern – Launches 8/7!

Blossom wall hangings crochet macrame

Blossom Wall Hanging Supplies

  • RAINBOW: Cotton Bamboo, DK weight
  • G/4.00mm crochet hook
  • ¼” dowel, approximately 6” long
  • BOWL: Baking twine, worsted weight
  • I/5.5mm crochet hook
  • ¾” dowel, approximately 14” long
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors

Shop the Blossom Wall Hanging pattern – Launches 8/7!

Marigold collection 6 crochet patterns

Which Marigold Collection piece will you make first?

2 Comments

  1. temple run 2

    Beautiful star stitch and I’m thinking of making a afghan for my daughter

  2. Anne Frame

    Thanks so much for this beautiful pattern! I’ve made several of the Blossom Wall Hangings as gifts. Everyone (myself included) loves them! I’d like to try it as a rainbow next and I’m wondering if you have a recommended breakdown of color changes by row.

Shop New

[products class=”et-zoom-in” limit=”2″ columns=”1″]