Peaceful Earth Mandala Cardigan

Hello my lovely blogging friends!

I know it’s been awhile since I last posted, but I’ve been quite busy. I finished my summer Mythology and Folklore class, finished writing Unraveled (which is now called Magical Thinking and is drastically different from the draft you guys read), and started a new blog and Instagram. I’ve been wanting to start book blogging for a year or so, and I finally did! I’m on Instagram as @the.bookish.orca, and my book blog is The Bookish Orca. I’m having a bunch of fun writing book reviews, so if you want to come visit, I’d love the company. ^_^ No pressure to follow, but I thought you guys might like to know where I’ve been lately. Surprising though it is, crochet is not my only passion…I’ve always been a big reader. 🙂

I saw this beautiful mandala cardigan from Morale Fiber and fell in love with it. It’s a FREE pattern, amazingly, and the designer did a gorgeous variation with cardigan sleeves. And since it’s made with Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball, there are very few ends to weave in…the color changes are in the yarn itself. I was lucky enough to find some Shawl in a Ball at Michaels; I didn’t think Michaels sold it in stores. I loved the colorway Peaceful Earth. And I’m so happy with how the finished cardigan turned out. It actually fits!

Please forgive the awkward poses throughout the post. I’m terrible at modeling. 😛 My mom was very kind to take these pictures for me…I couldn’t get a picture by myself!

This sweater is quite comfortable, and I’m really picky about how clothes fit. I love how the yarn looks, these colors are so pretty together…and it’s aptly named, I think! I thought it would bother me having two different-colored sleeves, but I actually like it. And the shell edging is so much fun to fiddle with.

The blogger has a face! 🙂 This cardigan is sort of off-the-shoulder, as you can see, so I added some ties to hold it on. I’m also thinking a shawl pin might work nicely.

Maisie approves. ^_^

I honestly have a new favorite brand of yarn. First, it’s just so PRETTY… look at those lovely skeins! <3 I actually felt kind of bad unwinding them, because they’re just so pretty as is. Each skein has a different order of colors, as you can see. It’s not exactly cheap at 9.99 a skein, I think, but each skein has a LOT of yarn (hence the name Shawl in a Ball). It’s just so much fun to crochet with! I love seeing what color comes next, and the texture is super cool…some parts are skinnier and some are fluffy, like handspun yarn. I think it’s 100% acrylic, but it feels almost wooly, yet not itchy. I Love This Yarn will always be my favorite, but this comes next. Well worth the money. Plus, a sweater for $30 is not bad at all. 🙂

I love the edging. I felt like people were giving me weird looks when I took this picture outside my classroom, during a break. 🙂 Also, I like having rainbow nail polish. I pick my nails so having a picture where they look decent is quite rare. Anyone else? 🙂

Have I mentioned how much I love making mandalas? 🙂

This was such a fun pattern to make, and I’m so happy that Morale Fiber provides it for free! I’d love to make more of these in different colorways.

What have you lovely people been up to recently? Thank you, as always, for reading…and for all the lovely comments you’ve been leaving! Your friendship is much appreciated! 🙂