Payal is an accomplished and experienced crochet teacher with over 10 year experience in the art. She has worked in publishing and business development industry for many years where she was involved with a number of art and craft magazine titles. Her passion with craft led her to learn and research crochet as a way to escape the stressful world of business and company politics. She eventually gave up the corporate life to raise her young family and to devote more time on crochet and teaching. She now operates her own company which specializes in Mindful craft which she believes is a path to creative meditation. She teaches the art of Crocheting at Community Colleges and at Art Centres to small groups in an interactive and social environment. When she is not crocheting or teaching, Payal uses her blogs to promote healing and therapeutic value of crocheting. Her ambition is to inspire everyone to express their own creativity by using a hook and yarn.

Directly from the artist: I’m a 30 something self taught crocheter. Crochet is my first love. (Travel comes next) I taught myself to crochet about 13 years ago when I lost my mother. She was only 47 and I was very close to her. Losing her suddenly was a blow to my young emotional self. 

About 15 months later I was pregnant again but in high risk circumstances. In the 26th week my waters broke and I was taken to emergency! I ended up spending 12 weeks in hospital. The regular invasive ultrasounds, blood tests, heart rate monitors for the baby etc got too much for me. I began to get anxiety about losing the baby or have a baby that was compromised in some way. I missed my mum even more, sometimes I wished I could join her.

At that point I picked up a crochet hook and my husband bought me some yarn. It gave me something to do that kept me in the moment, made me live in the present rather than the past and I was engaging my hands and my mind. That’s when I realised the power of healing, mindful crochet. I have been crocheting, knitting, beading and painting for many years now. But crochet remains my favourite form of self help, self expression and has now become a healthy addiction. I believe my mum blessed me and would have loved my work.

 I thank god everyday that I have the time to crochet, a husband who doesn’t often say no to buying more yarn and two healthy boys who love me and my craft. I’m blessed to be able to rise above the murky waters of sadness and loss and move into the direction of craft. It’s helped me not just survive but thrive and become a happier person. I hope to share my story with you!

 Thank you for taking the time and reading my story. I hope you gain some inspiration on mindful crochet. Please make yourself known to me… I’d love to hear from you.