In today’s busy world, there is a big push for us to be more mindful in our daily lives. Many of us crochet to relax and unwind from the stresses of the daily grind but what is the difference between regular crochet and mindful making or mindful crocheting? Generally mindful making or crocheting means to be present in the moment while you’re making or crocheting. I like to think of it as productive meditation.
Our friends at DMC have released a set of Mindful Making Kits to help makers “find their calm” and and explore the arts in a relaxing and mindful way. DMC reached out and sent me one of their Crochet Mindful Making Kits called the Mandala Coasters Crochet Kit to check out so I wanted to share my experience with you today.
This kit was provided to me free of charge but all opinions are my own.
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So the Mandala Coasters Crochet Kit that’s part of the Mindful Making line contains everything a crocheter needs to make a set of beautiful crochet coaseters. There is a set of instructions in the kit that outlines the pattern, in multiple languages as well as step-by-step instructions for how to do each of the techniques utilized in the crochet coaster pattern. The Mandala Crochet Coasters kit says that it is accessible for beginners. The kit includes:
- a 3.5mm crochet hook
- Sewing Needles
- Instructions
- 4 balls of DMC Happy Cotton and,
- a pack of 10 stitch markers
Free Crochet Coaster and Mug Rug Patterns available on my site:
- Happy Crab Mug Rug
- The Ghoster Coaster – Free Crochet Coaster Pattern
- It’s Coffee Time Crochet Mug Rug
- Monstera Leaf Crochet Mug Rug
Check out my DMC Mindful Making Kit Review video below:
My kit contained 10 locking stitch markers which is overkill for a kit like this but I was thrilled to get them. I’m always losing mine and these will definitely be useful even when I’m done using the kit. The crochet hook is a basic metal hook and if you’re already an experienced crocheter, you’ve likely already got your own hooks that you’d prefer to use over the one in the kit. The hook is great if you’re gifting the kit to someone new to crochet that may not have a full hook set or if you’re unsure of what they have. Mine will become a backup hook and I’ll likely add a bigger handle to it with some polymer clay eventually.
The pattern instructions for the Mandala Coasters are written in the UK terminology but basic stitches are used and if you have any experience with UK terminology(or can google US/UK terminology coversions), it’s a very simple pattern. The pattern has simple row repeats that don’t require a lot of thought and are very rhythmic to perform. It took me about 25 minutes to complete a single crochet coaster. The kit says that there are enough materials to make 4 crochet coasters and that the kit should take about 12 hours to complete. I don’t think I’ll get 12 hours of crochet time from the kit but I’ll definitely get a couple of hours from it and that’s perfectly fine with me.
The DMC Happy Cotton Special Amigurumi Yarn included in the kit was soft and pleasant to work with and of a good quality with great stitch definition. I loved the soothing blue colours included and was really happy with my finished crochet coasters. They are so pretty and they were really enjoyable to make.
There are other fibre-related Mindful Making Kits from DMC that look really interesting and based on my experience with this kit, I’d totally be willing to give a shot. They have needlepunch, macrame, embroidery, cross stitch and knitting kits. I have been wanting to give needle punching a try so I may pick one up to give it a shot. They’re a relatively low-cost way to try a craft to see if you’ll enjoy it.
If you’re interested in checking out the DMC Mindful Making Kits, you can find them all HERE.
While you’re here, check out some free crochet patterns and crochet product reviews:
Hi! Thanks for posting this! I found your site when googling and trying to find video tutorials to make these DMC coasters. I’m new to crochet and got the kit because it said it was suitable for beginnings but I’m afraid I really don’t understand the instructions… I feel like they are written for individuals with previous experience. For example, I’ve managed to get to get to step 4 by looking at videos how tos but I’m now at a complete loss. The first line is ‘slip stitch into each of next 2 chains’; what does this mean? It isnt clear which chains they are referring to. Is this an issue of writing and sequencing confusion or something else? Very grateful for any suggestions for how to understand the instructions or video tutorials. Thank you!
Hi Bonnie,
I’m not really permitted to provide pattern support for things like this as it isn’t my pattern however, I can explain the following to you.
In step 3, you’ll place one slip stitch into the first and 2nd CH of the CH 3’s from Step 2, skipping the first CH 3 and TR st from Step 2.
Motifs like this can be trickier to do, especially if you’re not experienced with them. I personally find it helpful to take a look at the stitch diagram on page 8 (don’t worry if you’re not familiar with how to read them, there is a little legend that shows what each symbol means) and if you compare the diagram to the written instructions, it may help you with trying to figure out where these stitches would go. I have reached out to my contact at DMC to see if they have any sort of pattern support or video tutorials and if there is anything available, I will let you know.