Why are "Granny Hobbies" good for you?

"Granny hobbies" is a light-hearted term often used to describe traditional, home-based crafts and pastimes that are stereotypically associated with older generations—particularly grandmothers.

These include activities like: Knitting and crochet Embroidery and cross-stitch Sewing and quilting Baking and preserving Gardening Jigsaw puzzles and card games Birdwatching Scrapbooking or journaling

Why They’re Good for You
Despite the nickname, these hobbies offer real benefits to people of all ages:

🧠 Mental Health & Focus
Repetitive tasks (like stitching or knitting) can be meditative, helping to calm the mind and reduce anxiety.  Craft hobbies improve concentration and mindfulness, similar to meditation.

👐 Cognitive & Motor Skills Fine motor skills are maintained and improved through detailed work like embroidery or crochet. They can also boost memory and cognitive flexibility, especially when learning new patterns or techniques.

💬 Social Connection
Many of these hobbies have strong community cultures—craft groups, gardening clubs, or online forums—that provide social interaction and a sense of belonging.

🖼️ Creativity & Self-Expression
They allow for creative expression in a tangible form, which boosts self-esteem and gives a sense of accomplishment.

🧘 Stress Relief & Slower Living
They promote slower, intentional living, offering a break from screen time and the fast pace of modern life.

💪 Purpose & Routine
Engaging in a long-term project (like making a quilt or growing vegetables) gives a sense of purpose and progress.

In short, “granny hobbies” are anything but outdated—they’re good for your body, brain, and soul.

Whether you’re 25 or 75, crochet offers:

🧠 Mindfulness and mental clarity 👐 Improved coordination and dexterity 💬 A welcoming community 🎨 Creative self-expression 🧘 A proven stress-reliever

And no, you don’t have to be crafty or creative to start. My classes are beginner-friendly, hands-on, and fun—with tea, laughs, and plenty of “aha!” moments along the way.

Come along, bring a friend, and rediscover the joy of making something just because. It’s not about being perfect—it’s about finding peace in the process.

✨ For more info: Call into the shop, WhatsApp or text or pop long to the Rainbow Valley website.

📍 Limited spaces – reserve yours now!

The story of a Starry Night (part 5)

The Designer really wanted to release the pattern by the end of May.  This gave her something to aim for and to focus on when things did not go quite right! Trust me!  This happened on a regular basis. In fact, if things started going too smoothly, the Designer would start getting worried. However, the photos she had received from Rob made her smile every time she looked at them.

With just one more set of "How To" photos and video to make, the Designer sat down to carry on with them. The photos were taken, the video was made and the UK version of the pattern was finished! This made the Designer smile even more.

The next day was the release of the final part of her CAL so, she got up earlier than usual and released it early. The plan was to have nothing to do except work on "Starry Night" when she finished in the shop at lunchtime. Surprisingly enough, this all went to plan!

The pattern was translated to US terms and the listing was created on the Designers instant download pattern website, Rainbow Valley A second listing for the yarn packs was created on the Designers shop website, also Rainbow Valley The Designer notified a couple of groups she was in and went to bed!

The next morning the Designer woke up to discover lots of emails about pattern sales and yarn pack sales.

This made the Designer positively grin!

Tunisian Patchwork CAL - Week 20

The final part of the Tunisian Patchwork CAL is here.

This week is the Border. It uses a few new stitches but I have put my new found video editing skills to use and there is a video to help you along. The link is in the pattern.

Here is a very quick recap of the stitches used in the CAL. As the CAL has now finished, the complete pattern is available from CAL page on Rainbow Valley.

Sometimes I wonder . . . .

. . . just why I do these daft things!!!!

The last couple of weeks I have been on yet another steep learning curve-video editing!

I needed a video to help some of the people who were having problems making one of the blocks in the Tunisian Patchwork CAL.  After about 657 times of going wrong, cussing and starting all over again, I decided that I had to be brave and learn how to edit instead.

I asked on my lovely UKHKA Shop owners group for a free program suitable for absolute beginners and Capcut was recommended. My first couple of attempts were not wonderful but, finally, I started getting to grips with things and made this! It even has music!

There are lots of other videos over on my YouTube channel, most of which I didn't edit, if you fancy taking a look.

The story of a Starry Night (part 4)

The photoshoot was so much fun! While Rob was working his magic with the camera, the Designer was taking "behind the scenes" snaps with her phone. She then used her newly found skills so make a video with some of them!

She did get told off for not adding music to it but she was in the middle of a very steep learning curve! Rob also took some unexpected photos of her to use for new business cards!

The photos from the shoot arrived that weekend and the Designer promptly made the pattern cover. Now all she had to do was finish the pattern!

Tunisian Patchwork CAL - Week 19

How exciting is this?????

The penultimate part of the Tunisian Patchwork CAL, the last two blocks.

Block 30 is Stars This block uses a Star Stitch worked over 5 stitches. Using a single colour empasises the texture.

Block 31 is Sparkle Sparkle uses a Star Stitch worked over 3 stitches. Using different colours creates a firework effect.

It is not too late to join the Tunisian Patchwork CAL if you would like to. Full details are on the CAL page on Rainbow Valley.

Tunisian Patchwork CAL - Week 18

Block 28 is Knot St Knot stitch is a simple combination of Tss and Ttr but gives an interesting look.  The colour is changed at the end of the forward pass.

Block 29 is Staggered Clusters This block uses a new stitch - Ttr cluster.

It is not too late to join the Tunisian Patchwork CAL if you would like to. Full details are on the CAL page on Rainbow Valley.