CROCHET (The Best Activity): Physio Can Do 2/Multiple Tasks
People think being a physiotherapist means you are busy all day. From morning till night, patients, exercises, clinic, pain, relief. But the truth is, apart from my clinic hours, I used to be free all day in hostel.But who knows this physiotherapist is now on crochet...lemme share this journey with all of you.
My Daily Routines Before Crochet
My physiotherapy clinic in Faisalabad is from morning till early afternoon. Sometimes I have evening physiotherapy patients in Faisalabad, but most days after 3 PM in Faisalabad, I am free in my hostel room. Completely free in my hostel room in Faisalabad. I come to my hostel room in Faisalabad, change my hostel clothes, make my salad bowl in my hostel kitchen, and then I sit in my hostel room. I sit in my hostel room and I look at the hostel wall in Faisalabad. There is nothing to do in my hostel room in Faisalabad.
In the beginning in Faisalabad, I enjoyed this free hostel time in Faisalabad. I thought, wow, I have so much free hostel time for myself in my hostel room. I will rest in my hostel room. I will watch Korean/Chinese dramas in my hostel room. I will scroll Instagram reels in my hostel room. But after a few months in my hostel room, this free hostel time in my hostel room started to feel heavy. Soon, the free hostel time in my hostel room started to feel like hostel boredom. The hostel boredom in my hostel room felt like a weight.
I would lie on my hostel bed in my hostel room and scroll Instagram reels on my phone. One Instagram reel in hostel, second Instagram reel in hostel, third Instagram reel in hostel. One hour of Instagram reel scrolling in my hostel room would pass. I would not even remember what Instagram reel I watched in my hostel room. I would feel tired from Instagram reel scrolling in hostel, but I did nothing productive in my hostel room. Have you ever felt that hostel tiredness from Instagram scrolling? Tired without doing anything productive in hostel? That tired girl in hostel was me, the Faisalabad physiotherapist
Creative From Childhood
I love to do something creative. Since childhood, I have always loved painting, drawing, making things with my hands. When I was in school, my drawing book was my favorite book. I would draw dresses, flowers, eyes, small houses. My mother used to say, "You waste so much time in drawing." But I loved painting. And I would sit for 3 hours and just drawing in. Drawing book. I would paint with watercolors and my hands would be full of color. That was my happy time.
But after I became a doctor, after I started my clinic, I stopped all that. I thought painting is for kids. I am a professional now. I should read medical books, not draw flowers. So I packed my colors in a box and put them in my cupboard
Birth Of A Creative Crochet Idea
Then one evening, something happened. I was free as usual. Hmmm ..the time was 5 PM. I had a glass of cola in my hand and I was scrolling on Instagram. And I saw a video. A girl was making something with a small hook and yarn. Girl's hands were moving so fast, so beautifully. She made a small flower, then a small heart, then a small bag. The yarn was pink and white. The sound of the video was so calm. No talking, just soft music and the movement of her hands.
It was crochet.
I had heard about crochet before. My grandmother used to do crochet. She used to make table covers, doilies, those white lacy things we put under vases. I always thought crochet was very old-fashioned, for old women only. But this video was different. In that video the girl was my age. She was making modern things....! cute tops, small animals, keychains, bags, hair clips. Surely it was not old-fashioned at all. Indeed Crochet craft was so cool and trendy.
I watched one video, then another, then another. I spent 2 hours watching crochet videos. And for the first time in many months, I did not feel tired after scrolling. I felt excited. I felt a spark inside me. I thought, I want to try this.
Implementation Of The Idea
The next day, I went to the market in Faisalabad. I went to the shop where shopkeeper sell wool and yarn. I was so confused. There were so many colors in the shop. Pink, yellow, blue, green, off-white. I didn't know what to buy. I asked the shopkeeper, "I want to start crochet, what should I buy?" He laughed and said, "You need a hook and yarn." He gave me one crochet hook.... 3 mm, and 5 balls of yarn: one black, one white, one pink, one brown , one yellow and one green. And it cost me only 1000 rupees. So cheap.
I came hostel with my small shopping bag like I had bought gold.In the evening, I sat on my bed with my yarn and hook. I opened YouTube and searched "Crochet for absolute beginners". The first video was 20 minutes long ......! how to make a slip knot and chain stitch.
I thought crochet would be easy. How hard can crochet be? You just loop yarn around a hook.
But crochet was so hard.
Practice
My first slip knot was so tight I could not put the hook inside. My second was so loose that the knot fell apart. My chain stitches were all different sizes. One big, one small, one twisted. My hands were sweating. The yarn was slipping. My fingers were paining. After 30 minutes, I had made a chain that looked like a tangled worm. I was frustrated. I thought, I cannot do this. I am a doctor, I can fix people's spines, but I cannot make a simple chain?
I put yarns away and went to make dinner.
But at night, when I was lying on bed, I kept thinking about crochet. I kept seeing that pink yarn. I thought, no, I will try again tomorrow.
More Practice
The next day after clinic, I tried again. This time I watched the video in slow motion. I paused after every stitch. I made my slip knot again. And slowly, slowly, my hands started to understand. The hook started to feel less like a stranger and more like a pen.
I made 10 chains. Then 20 chains. The chains were still not perfect, but they were chains. I was so happy. I took a photo and sent the photo to my sister Faiza. She said....! What is this? I said, "My first crochet chain!" She said, "Looks like a noodle." We both laughed.
But that noodle was my achievement.
For the next 3 days, I only practiced chain stitch. Every evening from 5 PM to 7 PM became my crochet time. No phone, no scrolling, just me, my yarn and YouTube.
Finally The Learning Phase
Then I learned single crochet stitch. Surely the single crochet stitch is the basic stitch. I put the Crochet hook in the crochet chain, pulled crochet yarn, pulled crochet yard through two loops. And doing this sounds simple but this task needs rhythm. In the beginning, I would lose count. I would make a hole in crochet square. I would add an extra crochet stitch by mistake. My crochet square would become a triangle.
I made my first small crochet square. And this crochet square was supposed to be 10 crochet stitches wide and 10 rows tall.But this crochet square became 10 crochet stitches on one side and 13 on the other side. The crochet square was wonky. Indeed this crochet square was not perfect. But the sqaure was made by me. With my hands. I kept this crochet square on my table.
And you know what? When I looked at that wonky square, I felt more proud than when I got my physiotherapy degree. Because this crochet sqaure was just for me. Not for patients, not for family, not for marks. Just for me. In the excitement i tried making these squares in different colours.
Little Achievements
Now it has been 2 weeks since I started crochet. I am still a beginner. I have not made a bag or a top yet. I have made small things - a small coaster, a small heart that I used as a keychain, and a small granny square that I will join to make a bigger thing later.
But the biggest thing crochet has given me is not a crochet coaster. Crochet has given me my free hostel time back.
Earlier, free hostel time was a burden. Now free hostel time is my favorite time. After clinic, I don't feel empty. I feel excited to go home and crochet. My hands are busy. My mind is calm. When I crochet, I cannot think about patient reports, or bills, or what people said. I can only count - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Crochet is like meditation.
Impact Of Crochet
Crochet has also brought back my childhood love for colors. Now I think in colors. When I go to market, I look at yarn colors and I think, "The pink will look good with this white." I think about combinations. I think about what to make next. Crochet is like painting, but with yarn.
I also realized something - as a physiotherapist, I use my hands to heal others all day. I press muscles, I fix posture, I help people move. My hands are always working for others. But crochet is the first time I am using my hands to heal myself. My hands are making something that makes ME happy.
I told my mother about crocheting yesterday. She said...!, You are doing what your grandmother used to do. I smiled. I said, "Yes, but in my own style."
I don't know where this crochet journey will go. Maybe I will make a sweater one day. Maybe I will make gifts for my friends. Maybe I will start a small Instagram page for my crochet things. Maybe I will teach Faiza also.But for now, I am just happy that I found something creative again. Apart from clinic, I am not free and bored anymore. I am free and creative.
If you are someone who is free all day, or you feel bored after work, please try to find one creative thing. It can be painting, drawing, crochet, knitting, clay work, anything. Don't think "I am too old for this" or "I don't have talent". Just start. Buy the cheapest material and start. Your first try will be ugly. Your second will also be ugly. But your 10th will be beautiful. And more than beautiful, it will be yours.
Now lemme share some of my items i made with crochet.
My First Crochet Creation This Tulip Headband
After learning crochet for many days in my hostel room, I made my first real crochetthing ....! this headband you see in the picture.
The headband is black, green and baby pink. Black base, green V-shaped leaves, and 13 pink puffy tulips in a line. Headband has two long black ties at the back.
And this tulip headband took me 4 days. The tulip stitch is difficult you have to pull yarn 5 times in one stitch to make a puff. My first tulips were floppy, then too tight. I opened it 3 times.But when the first perfect tulip came, I shouted! My sister Faiza came running.
When I finished, I wore it in front of mirror. The pink tulips sat on my head like a crown. Headband isnot perfect - one tulip is bigger, one leaf twisted, you can see a black thread hanging in photo - but it's mine. My first.
As a physio, my hands work for others all day. Also this was first time my hands made something for ME.I will keep this first headband forever. Faiza wants this tulip headband, but I will make another one for her.
Mini Hearts
These three mini hearts are my favourite mini project till now.In the picture you can see three hearts...! two black, one baby pink. I placed them on my periwinkle plant at night and took the photo with flash. There is a real purple flower in the center, and my three yarn hearts around it.
My experience with the black hearts: I made the black ones first. Black yarn is the most difficult to work with. In the evening light, I cannot see the stitches properly. I have to feel them with my fingers. I made the first black heart at night, and I had to open it twice because I lost count of the stitches.
The pattern is simple magic ring, 3 double crochets, 3 treble, chain 1, 1 treble, 3 double, chain 2, slip stitch. But making it neat is the real challenge.
When I finished the first black heart, I held the heart in my palm. Heart is so small, only 2 inches, but this heart feels so solid and soft. The texture is dense, puffy, like a small cushion. I pressed the heart and the heart bounced back. I love that feeling.
The black color is so bold. Black is not a shiny black, it is matte, deep black. When I placed it on the green leaf, black colpur looked so aesthetic. Like a small black heart growing on a plant.
I made the second black heart the next day. This time it was faster, 15 minutes only. And the heart came out exactly the same size as the first one. That was my win - making two same-sized hearts.
My experience with the pink heart:The pink one is my most loved. Baby pink is such a soft color. After working with black, working with light pink felt like relief for my eyes. I could see every stitch clearly.
The pink yarn is softer than the black one. Same brand, but the light color feels fluffier. When I made this heart, the stitches came out more visible, more defined. There is a small hole in the center of this heart, where the magic ring closed. At first I thought it is a mistake, but now I like this hole. Also It looks like the heart is breathing.
I made this pink heart in one sitting, while sitting near my plants. The moment I finished, I placed the heart on the plant stem, and the heart just sat there perfectly, like the heart belonged there.
I wanted to take a photo that looks natural, not on the floor like my other photos. So I took my three hearts to my balcony where my periwinkle plant is.
I placed one black heart on the left leaf. Trust me the heart was heavy enough to stay, light enough to not bend the leaf. Then I placed the pink one on a small branch in the middle. Then the second black one on the right side, on two big leaves.
And suddenly, the plant had three extra flowers - heart-shaped flowers. The real purple flower in the middle and my three yarn hearts around it. The combination of real green leaves, real purple flower, and yarn hearts looked so beautiful in flash light.
The green leaves have yellow tips, some natural. My hearts covered them slightly, but the contrast made both stand out more.I took 10-12 photos, but this one is my favourite because the purple flower is fully open in the center, and my three hearts form a triangle around it.
They are so small, but they give me so much happiness. I can keep them in my palm, all three together. They fit.
Sometimes I use the pink one as a bookmark. Sometimes I keep the black one on my table as decor. Sometimes I clip one on my bag.
For me, these mini hearts are not just crochet items. They are proof that I can make something perfect in 15 minutes. Before, I thought crochet means big blankets, big sweaters that take months. But these mini hearts taught me that small things also have value.
When I feel low, I make a heart. It takes 15 minutes, and after 15 minutes I have a heart in my hand. Instant happiness.In this picture, they are just three small hearts on a plant. But for me, they are my 45 minutes of focus, my counting, my mistakes, my fixing, and my final smile when they turned out perfect.
I am going to make 20 more in different colors - red, white, yellow - and make a garland for my room.
Airpods Pouch
The little pink pouch you see hanging on my plant ...! Surely this is my AirPods cover. I made it myself, with my own hands, in one evening.
After I made the tulip headband and the mini hearts, I was thinking what to make next that is actually useful. I see girls on Instagram with cute silicone AirPods covers - strawberry, bear, flower. I wanted one too, but the market ones are expensive, 800 to 1500 rupees, and everyone has the same.
I thought, why not make one with crochet?
I took my baby pink yarn, the same light pink I used for my hearts. And I started.I didn't watch a tutorial for this one. For the first time, I made something without YouTube. I just took my actual AirPods case and measured it with my hook.
I started with a small chain, 12 chains. Then I worked single crochet around it to make a base, like an oval. Then I continued going around and around, no increase, straight up. Like building walls for a small house.
After every 2-3 rows, I would put my AirPods case inside and check. Is this too tight? Too loose? My first try was too tight - I had made only 10 chains and my AirPods wouldn't fit. I opened the chains.
Second try with 12 chains was perfect. The case went in snugly.
I kept going, round after round. Single crochet, single crochet, single crochet. My hands already know this stitch now. 15 rows later, the height was exactly the same as my AirPods case, with a little extra on top.
I finished with a slip stitch border so the top looks clean and a bit stretchy, so that stitch holds the case inside.The whole pouch took me 45 minutes to 1 hour. I was sitting in my room, plant beside me, evening chai finished, and I was just crocheting in silence. 1,2,3,4... counting stitches.
When the pink pouch was ready, pouch looked very plain. Just a plain pink square. I thought this pouch needs something.I had a little black yarn left from my headband project. I took a needle and threaded the black yarn. I made 5 small vertical stitches near the opening, on one side. Just small lines, 2 stitches long each.
Now the pouch looks so cute. Some people say this definitely looks like watermelon seeds. My sister Faiza said the pouch looks like a little ghost's eyes. For me, this pouch looks like small buttons, like a little pink shirt for my AirPods.Those 5 black lines made a simple pouch look designer.
The milk cotton yarn is so soft. The single crochet makes this yarn thick, double-layered feeling, but still soft. When I hold this yarn, it feels warm, like a small sweater.
If you look closely at the photo, you can see the texture - tiny V shapes stacked. Indeed the shape is not holey like granny squares. But pouch is tight, protective. That is what I wanted, because my AirPods fall a lot in my bag.
The light pink color in flash light looks a little whiter, but in real colour is baby pink. Very calm color. And this colour doesn't get dirty easily because this colour is light but not white.
Again I took this photo at night on my plant, same plant where I took my heart photo. That plant is my model now.
I hung the pouch on a thin branch. The green leaves around the pouch make the pink pop so much. The pouch looks like a small pink fruit hanging. And pouch was a little heavy for the branch, but the pouch stayed.I took the photo with flash, so the yarn texture is very clear, you can see each stitch.
Now my AirPods live inside this cover. I put the white case inside the pink cover, and then put the pouch in my bag.Before, my white AirPods case would disappear in my black handbag. I would search for 2 minutes. Now I just look for pink, and I find my airpods in 2 seconds.
Moreover the pouch also protects from scratches. My AirPods case had small scratches from keys in my bag. Now with this yarn cover, no more scratches.And if pouch gets dirty, I can wash this crochet pouch. I already washed it once - just dip in water with a little shampoo, dry in air, and the pouch is new again.
Surely this was my first useful project. Headband was wearable, hearts were decorative, but this is daily-use.
Making pouch taught me that I don't need a tutorial for everything now. I can measure, I can make my own pattern. I am no longer a complete beginner.
Aalso pouch Crochet taught me that small projects give the biggest happiness. One hour, 30 rupees of yarn, and I have something I use 10 times a day.Every time I take my AirPods out to listen to music while crocheting, I see my pink cover and I smile. I made this.
I am planning to make one more in black color with pink dots, opposite of this one. And maybe one for Faiza in white.If you have AirPods, try making a cover. Pouch crochet is the easiest project after a heart. Just a small pouch, straight single crochets, and you will have a cover that no one else has in the whole world.
Crochet Sunflower
And this is my crochet sunflower.In the picture you see the flower lying on the grey marble floor in my room. Brown center, bright yellow petals all around, and a long green stem with two small green leaves and a loop at the end. For sure my flower looks simple but for me it was a big step. Due to flash the brown center part is looking light orange coloured.
I had made small things before hearts, granny square, AirPods cover, tulip headband. All were small and flat. But I wanted to make a flower that looks like a real flower, something that never dies.
I chose sunflower because sunflower is my favorite. Sunflower is bright, happy, sunflower always looks at the sun. I thought if I make a sunflower, my room will feel sunny even at night.
I started with brown yarn for the center. Magic ring, 6 single crochets, then increase in each round. I made 4 rounds. The brown circle came out small, about 1.5 inches, tight and dense. The spiral in the center is clearly visible you can see how the yarn goes round and round. Flower looks like a real sunflower's center, where the seeds are.
Then the yellow part .....! This was the most fun. I changed yarn to bright yellow. For petals I used puff stitch. Puff stitch is when you pull yarn 3-4 times through same stitch and then pull through all together, and makes a puffy bump. I made 12 puffs all around the brown circle.
Each puff is a petal. When I made the first puff, I thought wow, puff looks like popcorn. But after 12 puffs, together they looked exactly like a sunflower. Fluffy, full, yellow.
That yellow is so bright. Yellow is not light yellow, it is sunflower yellow. Against the grey floor, it pops so much. In the photo with flash, the yellow looks even brighter, almost glowing.
Then I made the stem. Dark green yarn. I made a long chain about 30 chains, then slip stitched back to make it thick like a cord. At the bottom I made a loop - so through this loop sunflower can be hung on a bag or wall.
In the middle of the stem, I made two leaves. Small, simple leaf pattern: chain 8, single crochet, half double, double, half double, single. Two leaves on opposite sides.
The green is forest green, very deep. The leaves are small but detailed, you can see the shape - pointed at end, wider in middle. They are a little stiff because I used tight stitches, so they hold their shape.
When I attached the stem to the flower head, my sunflower was complete. Total size: flower head 3 inches, stem 6 inches. Perfect for a bookmark or bag charm.
This was my first flower that looks 3D, not flat like tulip headband. Before this, I thought flowers are very difficult. But the pattern was actually easy - just center circle, puff petals, chain stem.
I made sunflower in one evening, after clinic, from 5 to 7 PM. My free time.When I finished, I put sunflower on the floor to take a photo. The grey tiles made the yellow and green stand out. I felt so proud. It looked exactly like the sunflower video I saw on Instagram.
Now this sunflower hangs on my wall, with that loop at the end. Sometimes I use sunflower as a bookmark - the flower head outside the book, stem inside.My sunflower never wilts. Real sunflowers die in 3 days. My sunflower will stay forever.
Every time I see my sunflower, it reminds me that I can make sunshine with yarn.For me, this sunflower is not just yarn. It is my proof that I am growing. Two weeks ago I couldn't even make a chain. Now I made a sunflower.
Next I want to make 5 more sunflowers and make a bouquet for my mother.
Crochet Scrunchie
This is my crochet scrunchie.
In the picture you see the scrunchie hanging on the green branches of my periwinkle plant, same plant where I take all my night photos. Light pink with black border, round, fluffy. Below there is a real pink flower blooming. With flash light, the pink looks even softer.
I wanted to make something I can actually wear daily. I already had hair ties from market, but those hair ties are thin, they break my hair, and those hair ties look boring. I saw crochet scrunchies on Pinterest ,big, fluffy, handmade - and I thought I can make that.
I took my leftover yarn ....! Light pink milk cotton and a little black.First I took a normal black elastic hair tie from my drawer. The cheap one. That is the base. Then I started crocheting around it.
The main body is light pink. I attached pink yarn to the elastic, then made single crochet all around, covering the whole elastic. Then second round I did double crochet, but 2 double crochets in each stitch - so it becomes ruffled, frilly. That's how scrunchie gets that wavy, full look.
I did about 3 rounds in pink. The pink yarn is very soft, a little velvety, not shiny. When you touch pink yarn, this actually feels like a small cloud. Pink yarn is slightly thick, so the thick yarn makes the scrunchie look big and fluffy, not flat.
For the last round I changed to black yarn. I did a small picot or shell border - single crochet, chain 3, single crochet - all around the edge. That creates that black zig-zag border you see in the photo. That black border was my idea.
Pink and black is my favorite combo now. After my mini hearts two black one pink - I love this combo. Pink is soft, girly, cute. Black makes this bold, makes the pink pop. Without black border, this would be just a plain light pink scrunchie. With black, scrunchie looks designer, like from a boutique.
In the photo, the black edge looks like lace, like small crowns all around.This scrunchie is so soft on hair. Market elastic pulls hair, this one doesn't. Because yarn is soft, the scrunchie holds my ponytail without making a headache.
This scrunchie is also big. Market scrunchies are small now, they use less fabric. Mine is full, fluffy, about 4-5 inches wide when flat, but scrunches small to hold hair. When I wear this scrunchie on my wrist, scrunchie looks like a bracelet. Cute.
I made this scrunchie in 40 minutes. Evening time, sitting on floor, plant in front of me.I hung this scrunchie on my periwinkle plant for photo, same as always. I put ny scrunchie on a thin stem, so it hangs like a donut. Below the scrunchie, there is a real pink periwinkle flower, almost same shade as my yarn but darker. It looks like the scrunchie and flower are friends.
The night flash makes the pink look light, almost white-pink, and the black border very deep black. The green leaves behind make both colors stand out.
This scrunchie was my first wearable that I use every day. Not like AirPods cover which is for my AirPods, or hearts which are decor. This is for me.
When I wear it to clinic, my colleague said "Where did you buy this? Your scrunchie so cute." I said "I made this scrunchie." That feeling saying "I made this scrunchie" ..! is the best. That feeling taught me how to crochet around an elastic, how to increase stitches to make ruffles. Now I know the trick: if you want ruffles, put 2 stitches in one.
I am going to make more. One all black, one white with pink border opposite of this, one green. I want 5-6 scrunchies to match my different kurtas.
For me this scrunchie is not just a hair tie. Making more scrunchies is my small business idea also. If people like this idea, I can sell them. It uses very little yarn, 20-30 grams only, takes less than an hour, and looks expensive.Every time I tie my hair with this scrunchie, I remember I made this scrunchie with my own hands.
Till now i have made only these items. But the excitement for crochet is increasing day by day. I am energetic to learn more of Crochet. Soon i will be a master in crochet.
Final Thoughts
So this is my new chapter. From a physio who was free all day after busy clinical routine, to a physio who is a crocheter in the evenings. I am still learning. I am still making noodles and wonky squares. But I am loving it. And for sure, my practice making my skills improve day by day. Now my speed is double fold as compared to before. Now i can do crochet while talking. Hahaha i call it a progress. Soon i will share mor of my crochet items with all of you with more precision, neatness and perfect of course.
And tonight after writing this, I am going to drink cola and crochet again.
If you want to learning crochet step by step her is the link