Hello everyone 

No I haven’t been away, I’ve just been trying to justify the time, money and energy I spend crocheting. With a travelling husband, two young adults (kids who think they are qualified to be my own parent), a dog and a home, I struggle to find my crochet time. I have been exercising a lot recently (5 km walk everyday this week) which also eats away at my time. And when I can’t crochet I get angry, frustrated, short and very anti-social. Why?? Because it’s not just crochet, it’s therapy. It keeps me in a happy place. Here is something interesting I dug up: 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2016/01/25/the-health-benefits-of-knitting/?referer=

I know it talks about knitting, just replace that with crocheting! Enjoy reading 

Love and happiness wherever you are. 

Payal 

So you know I’m such a crochet addict but more than that, I’m a yarn addict. I have waaaay too much yarn, not enough space (will be sleeping on the floor in my kitchen as that has a bit of space) and a dirty little habit of buying yarn online (all the time) my pet time to buy is after dinner- kid free- internet browsing time just after pay day 😛😄😃👍🏼

So I bought some beautiful NORO yarn online. It’s called Noro Janome. Here is what I made… Again using granny squares…. Oh my god I had so much fun! I just don’t know how it’s going to look on me…. But hey there’s nothing wrong in a gypsy look is there? My family might refuse to walk with me, but at least I’ll be looking good! Enjoy looking… Tell me if you’ve made anything recently with granny squares… Or crochet squares. (I’m not sure why any square is called a granny square in crochet. Does anyone know?) 

Until next time 

Payal 😘

Hello everyone 

Last night I thought my last crochet class for this month. It was so rewarding and exciting to see everyone complete the granny square and feel confident with the yarn and hook. God bless the lovely ladies for giving me the opportunity to share my love of crochet, and for putting up with my mistakes. 

Mistakes brings me to a positive story. Here is a photo of a jumper that I made last year. Believe it or not, this jumper was going to be a lap blanket at one stage! 

I made this using Morris and sons quartet yarn http://morrisandsons.com.au/c1_341_2198/37860/

I used 12 balls of Amethyst, it’s 70% wool and 30% soybean silk. So… Admittedly I never envisaged this jumper to turn out quite the way it did. What went wrong I hear you ask? It was all about the gauge! Really you say… Could anyone possibly get it so very wrong! Yes I know…. I know. 

The lesson I learnt: never start a project like a jumper without some idea of gauge, stitch density, amount of yards finally needed Etc. Another really valuable lesson- salvage your project. There is usually a way to work it out. Don’t throw out your yarn or throw away your project. It can be used in some way. This sweater started off with a nice even square, however halfway through my blanket size I realised I’d need a lot more yarn that I had already purchased. That was when I decided to make a second square, join the two together and see what I got. It looked like a sleeveless tunic… But it was too wide. Hence the sleeves came about. To finish it off I used a Hank of Manos del Uruguay silk blend in Bebe. This made up the cowl neck and the tighter hem at the end of the jumper. I have worn it a few times now with much pride. First mistakes that are salvaged in time always turn into projects to be proud of! Enjoy the inspiration. P x

I wanted to share a little story. Whilst at a quaint little yarn store I picked up two hanks of gorgeous cashmere yarn. It was on sale, but at $68 each it was still a bit pricey… The little catch was the colour: Bright lemongrass green and a jade green. Anyway, I brought it home, then started hunting for ideas on what to do with it. I hit upon doing granny squares, just to blend the two shades of green together. After some experimenting and mixing it up, I hit upon this idea and ended up with this scarf. I also used some silver yarn to edge it and add some glamour to the project. 

It was such a quick project to work it. It’s also soft and warm to wear…. I am not scared of the very bright almost neon colours anymore… Yeah! 

Hope it inspires all the other readers like me who look at colours and wonder about the possibilities. 

P x

I bought some lovely sock/lace yarn almost a year ago. It takes time to work with sock yarn. It’s thin and soft so the end result is always fabulous… Here is what I’m making…

Hi lovely readers 

You know you may think me so weird… But I’ve just figured out how to update and write up my own story on the about me page. Considering I’m new to blogging world, I feel like I achieved something. Let me know if you can’t read it… It’s a story of why I taught myself to crochet and how it’s helped me live, be a better person, mum, wife, daughter and gives me this incredible sense of achievement and accomplishment. Thank you God for the gift of crochet. 😇

P x

Here a beautiful top I made in 100% cotton. I’ve worn it a few times now and each time I’ve had lots of compliments. It makes me smile because it’s so beautifully soft and comfortable…. ☺️😉😄😀😊😃 

Notice the sea green edging… Makes for an interesting contrast….

    

 Hope this inspires you to trying a simple crochet top. This took no shaping so it’s very easy….

 

Hi lovely people 

You know how I’ve been experimenting with granny squares lately… Here is something I’ve created with serious love 

  
This is my granny square hearts love blanket. It’s not a big blanket, but will serve as a cuddly lap blanket to keep you warm in the coming winter months in Sydney. It’s great to watch TV in too! 

P xx

I’m on a holiday in Fingal bay this weekend. The most amazing thing about a holiday… It gets me relaxed, happy and very creative. My hands that work so hard at home, want now to create. So here’s what I’ve made today: 

 

  

  

 
I’m teaching my first crochet course in two weeks. This is the first project I’m going to teach my students as an easy introduction to granny squares. This is a simple project that only needs 8 granny squares to complete. With winter coming soon, I’m looking forward to using these mittens! 😀 The best part, I can type this blog while wearing them… Love practical, simple stuff!