Back in January, I was steadily plugging away on the crochet pattern for my tablet case (which would also make a really nice book sleeve, if you’re so inclined!) with a happy heart. This one just felt good to me – mainly because of the mandala at the center of the pattern.

Seriously, this one had me smiling like a lunatic while I worked. You know, the smile that people see in your eyes? That smile!

Then I realized why...

I always take a sandwich bag of embroidery thread scraps with me on beach trips. I end up parked in the sand, digging through the baggie looking for colors and lengths to make those macrame bracelets we traded with our besties in junior high. Last summer, I grabbed a teensy steel crochet hook for a beach trip to Tawas Point State Park (because I thought torturing myself might be a fun idea?). My youngest son and I ended up following my oldest son and his girlfriend (now fiancé!) into the park, and I sat in the sand that day just crocheting whatever came to me with my scraps.

My Tawas Mandala pattern is the result of that creative, sandy afternoon next to Lake Huron, picking out scraps in the colors of what I saw around me. It was a great beach day, and this mandala turned out to be a happy memory for me.

Even better since I get to put it into a few my designs - my Tawas Mandala crossbody bag, tablet cover book sleeve, and a granny square sweater!