Introducing the Tibet Tiles…

Today it is time to introduce a new design, as it is in the final test phases soon this pattern will be published. And I am very proud on this one as it was a hard and heavy way to get it this far. So we’re gonna start at the beginning as it needs a good introduction.

Last year I was working on several new designs at the same time. I worked like a mad man at that time trying to keep up all balls into the air, but it was of course meant to fail. That is what i know now and I’m sure for all of you who did read my latest posts i’m sure you feel the same. So a good lesson to learn, however at that time i didn’t realize it yet and was blind to all warnings i did get at that time. But one of my first larger crochet patterns i published last year was the Medina Mosaic Tiles. As it was so well received by everyone, I came up with an idea to create once in a while a tile pattern some more. And what a fun thing it would be if we could visit different places on our world with this. Each place on this earth holds its own belief, looks, colors, traditions etc. So there would be enough inspiration to work this out. And i had a real clear sight of what the next destination would be. So the Tibet Tiles were born.

I made a moodboard full of photos of the Tibet region. As I was always fascinated by the belief and traditions of Tibet i really felt connected to this theme and so it was easy to start off. Out of the moodboard it became very clear some primal colors were very important if Tibet was the subject, as red, yellow, green, blue and white all had a purpose in the Tibetan belief. And that’s why all Tibetan prayer flags hold these colors. So i immediately made the choice that these colors would be the colors in this blanket. But the design itself was more complex to make as I didn’t want another Medina tile. So i made a double sized large tile and a small one for the Tibet Tiles. They will be combined throughout the entire blanket and so it gave the whole thing a total different look.

And the tile designs had to have a meaning in my opinion so it took a while but the finished versions are perfect in my head. The large tile holds the rooftop of a Stoepa, the main center blocks are traditional Tibetan symbols and if you look closer you can notice each square is divided in four equal parts. As Tibetan belief really holds the belief of four elements I thought it was a good suggestion. You will also see it in the finished blanket later when it will be published.

For the small tile I used a photo of some woodwork out of Tibet which holds a real geometric pattern of steel. I loved it in first sight and so i tried to recreate the thing and it turned out great. And once you combine these small tiles the effect is amazing.

So far, the designing part. It was done and the blanket only had to be made. I already had some business talks over this design last year but I already noticed my mind got distracted with too many things at that moment. As there were a lot of suggestions to add things, leave things out, different yarntypes and a purpose it really made me confused as i had a real clear vision on this pattern and a picture in my head how it had to look. And i wanted to stick to my own feelings but also wanted to pleasure another and so i really got frustrated and in the end i did throw the whole pattern in a box, and closed off everything. I wanted to take some time off to calm down but we all know how that turned out a few weeks later. So maybe this design was the start of my downfall at that moment.

This can be a negative feeling towards the pattern, but now some months later I really don’t feel that anymore. And i can tell you why it has changed. I struggled so hard to get my crochet life back over the past weeks that i had to try to do something that wouldn’t cost me too much. As this pattern was already written it seems it was meant to be picked up again. And it has really helped me. As it is crocheting a lot of the same tiles it became almost a meditative way of crafting, not thinking too much but just doing something. With all the bright and shiny colors in my hands i felt the energy floating back in my veins the past weeks. And how great is that process if you lay it over the Tibetan belief of meditation. I feel all ends connecting and so i feel this pattern is more special to me then any other.

But before I write a whole book here, it is time to the real background stories of the many, different tiles that will be in the Tibet Tiles. So here is a listing of them :

This the Lhasa tile.

The color Red has many ways of use in Tibet. Red is related to life force and preservation. The Buddha Amitabha is depicted with a red body in Tibetan art. The part of the body associated with this color is the tongue. Fire is the natural element complementary to the color red. In Buddhism, meditating on the color red transforms the delusion of attachment into the wisdom of discernment. Of course Red is also a color which you find back in prayer flags, and is of course the main color of the Potala palace in Lhasa.

This is the Namtso tile.

Blue is associated with purity and healing. Akshobhya is the Buddha of this color. Ears are the body part that is represented by the color blue. Air is the element that accompanies this color. It is believed, when meditating on this color, anger can be transformed into wisdom. Blue is also one of the four main colors for prayer flags. But Blue can also be linked to water, that’s why this Tile is named Namtso, after the Namtso lake in the Tibet region with i’ts crystal blue water.

This is the Stoepa tile.

The color Green is a common color in Tibetan belief. Green is the color of balance and harmony. Amoghasiddhi is the Buddha of the color green. The head is the body part that is associated with this color. Green represents nature. Meditate on this color to transform jealousy into the wisdom of accomplishment. Green is also a color used for sure in Tibetan prayer flags. The tile is named after the holy builded tower-shaped buildings that are to find in Tibet near temples.

This is the Potala tile.

The Color Yellow has a lot of background in the Tibetan belief. Yellow symbolizes rootedness and renunciation. Buddha Ratnasambhava is associated with yellow. The nose is represented by this color. Earth is the element that accompanies the color yellow. Yellow transforms pride into wisdom of sameness when visualized in meditation.This is why Yellow is one of the colors which are also displayed in the Tibetan prayer flags. This tile is named after the Potala palace which you can find in Lhasa. The main color of the palace is Red, however in the sunlight the rooftops of the palace shine brightly and they will look like gold.

This is the Himalaya tile. White is the color of learning and knowledge in Buddhism. It is represented by the Buddha Vairocana. The eyes are associated with white. White is in the elemental group water. If meditated upon, white can cut the delusion of ignorance and turn it into the wisdom of reality. But this tile also holds the grey of the stones and rocks of the Himalaya. Tibet is lying on top of the Himalaya and has been called many times the rooftop of the world.

This is the Everest tile.

This tile holds the brown colors in them which represents the mountain on the other side. Tibet is more known for the Himalaya area, however it is captured between two mountains as on the other side there is Mount Everest. But the Brown can also be found in many woodwork of the Great Buddha’s, sand mandala plates, wooden edges around temples and it can be even the color of the Yak.

And of course we have some mini Potala’s, mini Lhasa’s, mini Stoepa’s and mini Namtso’s.

These tiles are all the tiles that will hold a marvelous combination of colours. The tiles together will form all four elements with a central centre which holds the rooftop of our world. The elements will be surrounded by the Himalaya and the Everest and it will show off why Tibet was such an inspiration to this pattern.

Soon I will announce the official publishing of this pattern once my testers are done. I hope you all like what i have done here and what has been a bumpy but wise road full of learning.