Chowa is a Japanese word that refers to seeking balance in life. Maybe the most common thing we search for as human beings in a world that is getting busier and evolving as we speak. I am always searching for a balance in my personal life. I often notice that different things or thoughts can control me as a person way too much – and these things are, most of the time, negative thoughts like comments or opinions made by others. Most of the time, I restore myself by crocheting and returning to my little world of stitches and yarn. This pattern is born out of a time when my little world was needed, and to find my balance once more, in those moments I let the stitches decide the way…resulting in this piece of art.

General information about the pattern:

This pattern is made with a gradient type of yarn. For this version, I took a Scheepjes Woolly Whirl, which comes in 215-225 grams cakes with a length of 1000 meters of yarn. For my example, I used the Whirl 477 Bubble Gum Centre.

It doesn’t matter which type of yarn you take; you will need approx. 950-1000 meters of yarn. It also depends on whether you crochet the project into a ring – as you will use approximately 50 meters of yarn for attachment into a ring.

Crochet hook needed: I recommend a 3.0mm hook for the Whirl version.

Size: The diameter of the Whirl version will be 80 cm/ 32 inches.

A ring is optional; if you like to use one, take the above diameter for a ring. However, it is better to crochet the project first and then decide on the size of a ring.

-There is no chart or video available for this pattern. Due to different techniques, it is impossible to chart this out. Instead, many progress photos have been added to guide you.

-The pattern is designed to have good tension on all parts. The outcome, with or without a ring, should be flat and will not bobble in any way.

-Although most of this pattern uses regular stitches, and there is a photo tutorial on some harder parts to guide you, I would say an experienced level of crochet is needed to make this. A beginner will definitely struggle due to the use of many different stitches and input on some of the Rounds.

After purchase, you can download a PDF file as only-text or step-by-step photo tutorial in English (US) or Dutch.