In Stories In Stitches 4: Knitting and Spirit, guest designer and writer Susan Santos introduced us to mandalas in art, spirituality, and knitting with a fabulous essay and a knitted mandala blanket. I recently had a chat with her to find out more about her interest in mandalas as well as her background and projects in the knitting world. I hope you’ll enjoy “listening in” to our talk and that you’ll check out more of Susan’s work.
Throughout the interview, I’ve included photos of Susan’s fabulous My Jungian Mandala Blanket in the works, wrapping up with the finished blanket in all it’s yummy goodness at the end. Click on any of the images to zoom in. Enjoy!
DD: Hi Susan and welcome. It’s so great to have you here to share more about your work. Let’s start with the basics. How did you get interested in mandalas? Are they part of your personal spiritual practice?
SS: Years ago at the Denver Art Museum I saw a mandala on display. This one is unique in the fact that mandalas are usually destroyed after they’re completed. This intrigued me. Why would people go through such a painstaking process knowing that when they were finished they would obliterate all that work? I had to find out!
Being creative (or trying to) is definitely a part of my personal spiritual practice. Mandalas are such a creative endeavor-their colors, patterns, and symbols are so inspirational. I feel like I’m at my center when my hands are busy, whether I’m knitting, creating a new design, cooking, taking photos, writing, etc.
DD: What do you find most interesting about mandalas?
SS: It’s probably a tie between the colors and the motifs. I suppose the “correct” answer would be how they represent the universe, or something like that. But it’s the colors and patterns that grab my attention first.
DD: What first gave you the idea to create a mandala in knitting?
SS: Definitely circular shawls, especially yours.
DD: Don’t make me blush! But seriously, thank you! Have you ever designed circular blankets or shawls before? What was most challenging about the process?
SS: The mandala blanket was actually the first, but I’ve designed and played around with tams which are a bit like mini blankets for your head. Just add a brim.
DD: What kind of cast on do you prefer for circular project that start in the center?
SS: I’m partial to Emily Ocher’s circular cast on. I also like the Techknitter’s Disappearing Loop Cast On. Really, whatever gets the job done, with whatever tools I can get my hands on right away.
DD: What are your favorite kinds of needles? Did you start with dpns or magic loop in the center?
SS: Hmm. That’s a bit like asking which child is your favorite. I love the pointiness of the stiletto Signature needles, but the Addi Click Lace Interchangeable needles were perfect for my mandala blanket. You can link as many cords together as you need. Those are probably the needles I reach for first for most of my knitting because everything is right there in one nicely designed case. I use magic loop whenever I can. I was doing this before I even heard the term magic loop. I assumed it was something everyone did.
DD: What is the most inspirational lace stitch library to you?
SS: Hands down the lace sections in any of the Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries. While the early ones don’t have charts, I still love them because their straightforward presentation lets your mind come up with lots of different applications—you get to use your imagination. Plus, I love making charts. The Adobe software is pretty expensive and the more times I use it the less guilty I feel about spending so much money for it.
DD: Where can people learn more about you? Do you have any other patterns for sale?
SS: I have a blog (jellidonut.blogspot.com), although I’m not the best at keeping it up since I’m in the process of converting to a website. My favorite ways to stay connected are Facebook (The JelliDonut Shoppe), Twitter (@JelliDonut), Pinterest (JelliDonut Knitting Patterns), and Instagram (JELLIDONUTKNITTINGFOODIE). I have patterns for sale on Ravelry, Craftsy, and LoveKnitting, and I’ll be adding many more to those sites in the coming months. I also have a pattern on Knitty—Slouchy Saami Hat.
DD: Anything else?
SS: When it comes to knitting BE BRAVE! It’s only yarn and you can rip it out and start again. Where else in life can you make your mistakes disappear and pretend they never happened? Or just call them design elements and learn from them. There is no “right way” and “wrong way” to knit. If you can make “your way” produce something you’re happy with, that’s what counts.
DD: Thanks, Susan! It’s been great talking to you and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got coming out in the future.
Find Susan’s My Jungian Mandala Blanket pattern in Stories In Stitches 4! Susan says:
Carl Jung wanted us to knit mandalas.
Okay, maybe not specifically knit, but Jung believed that mandalas could reveal a lot about our inner selves and that we should sketch (or knit) them to learn what makes us tick. Spontaneity is important when creating a mandala, so don’t overthink the process. At least, that’s what Jung and I would advise.
Use colors and stitch motifs that you love, or follow the guidelines in my pattern.
