Malaysian astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor in digital crochet form.Other notable pieces she’s done include one of Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman’s historic declaration of independence at KL’s Stadium Merdeka in 1957 and popular tourist attractions like the National Monument and Sultan Abdul Samad colonial building. In two years, Norlisa has crocheted 24 photo portraits of famous Malaysians such as badminton icon Datuk Lee Chong Wei, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Muhyiddin Yassin and Malaysian astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.

The hashtag #graphgan has about 387,000 views on TikTok. The hashtag #crochet currently has over 5.7 billion views and 1.5 billion views on TikTok and Google.

Sometimes, it is important to take the risk and try something new,” she shared.Ĭoincidentally, crochet has been gaining popularity, and was on the Spring/Summer 2021 runways of major fashion brands like Bottega Veneta, Fendi, and Dior. “I didn’t mind investing the money to learn digital crochet, even though my family was struggling to stay afloat. My husband and I weren’t sure if our business could survive. “Covid-19 brought about many challenges to me, and it was tough dealing with so many uncertainties. Norlisa uses a word chart method to crochet the pattern according to rows.Įven though Norlisa’s finances were tight at the start of the pandemic, she took the leap of faith with an open mind. Like colour knitting and cross-stitch, the idea is to crochet individual squares to represent each block of colour on the chart.

Graphghans are afghans (a decorative blanket or bedspread) laid in a digital graph. It started off as a hobby but now, I’m focused on turning it into an income-generating hobby,” says Norlisa, 40, who lives in Gombak.ĭuring the first MCO in 2020, the mother of two forked out RM3,500 and signed up for a one-month online digital crocheting or graphghan crafting course. “I first learned needlework like crochet, knitting and embroidery in 2006. In addition, our income was down by 80% as universities and schools were closed,” she says. “Due to the restrictions and various phases of the movement control order, my small printing business – owned by my husband and me – took a beating. The needlework enthusiast from Kuala Lumpur decided to use her crocheting skills to supplement the family’s income. When Norlisa Mohamad Nor’s photocopying business was affected during the pandemic, the businesswoman knew she’d have to find a way, fast, to make ends meet.

Hockey cross stitch graph