Still Hooking: My Ongoing Journey with the Persian Tiles Crochet Blanket by Janie Crow

Gayle Bowers
Mar 30
2 min read

Still unfinished, still worth it. Not all crochet projects are travel-friendly. This one waits for quiet days.

Some projects are love at first stitch. Others… take a bit of growing into.

I am addicted to Crochet Kits

I bought the Persian Tiles kit by Janie Crow from Mary Maxim a few years ago, back when I was still fairly new to crochet. I remember opening the kit and thinking, Wow, this is stunning—and wow, these stitches are intense. It was one of those projects that made me want to level up—but at the time, it was clear I wasn’t quite ready.

Building my crochet skills

So I did what a lot of us do: I set it aside and turned to other projects. I needed to build up my skills (and let’s be honest, my confidence) with simpler patterns that let me practice technique without the pressure of constant counting.

About a year later, I came back to it with a little more experience and a lot more patience. And this time? It made more sense. I could finally read the pattern without feeling like my brain was short-circuiting. The motifs started to come together, and I began to appreciate the rhythm and structure of the design.

What I had to learn first

Before I could make real progress, I had to pick up a few skills the hard way—through other projects, lots of frogging, and plenty of “Why is this still so loose?” moments.

I had to learn how to make standing stitches that didn’t look like they were waving for help. How to change yarn colors tidily. How to make invisible joins. And how to weave in ends invisibly and securely—because when you’re changing colors every round, clumsy weaving just won’t cut it.

Then came the Magic Ring, which I used to think was straightforward. It is. And it’s not. Not if you want a tidy center that’s consistent from tile to tile.

And maybe the biggest lesson? Batching. It’s so much easier to make six pieces of Round 1, then six of Round 2, and so on—rather than trying to complete one full tile at a time. Every round has its quirks, and starting from scratch each time meant I was constantly having to relearn the rhythm.

Still—this isn’t a project I can pick up casually. It takes focus, quiet, and good lighting. Definitely not a travel WIP. And with all the traveling Captain K and I have been doing the past couple of years, it’s been a bit neglected. I don’t like forcing it into a rushed or distracted space; it deserves attention and intention.