The ideal picnic rug or a warm cover to wrap yourself into this winter. Our popular tartan rug is a classic that’s perfect for all seasons. Materials. Patons Tasman 8ply (100g) or any 8ply yarn; 4 balls red, 4 balls bottle green; 1 ball yellow; 1 ball white. One 3.50mm (No 9) crochet hook and […]

Add the finishing touch to curtains and cushions with our easy-to-make tassels. They have been designed so everyone can make them, even at the first attempt. Gold Tassels (Makes 2) Materials 2 plastic curtain rod ends Gold spray paint 30cm narrow gold cord Sharp scissors or craft knife 60cm x 16cm fringing Clear tape Tacky […]

One of Australia’s most famous – and best loved – entertainers, Olivia Newton John has signed up with Pan Macmillan. The major publishing coup follows months of negotiations with the star of Grease whose string of hit songs include Let’s Get Physical and If Not For You. Her memoirs, titled It’s A Charmed Life, will […]

When The Snowgums Dance by Anne Rennie (Simon & Schuster $17.95) “To be kissed beneath the snowgums is to receive love at its most pure and its most devlish, and only immeasurable sacrifice can bring peace to the lovers,” is the legend that haunts this pacy love story. Set mostly on the crystalline slopes here […]

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull (Random House $22.92) is the Book Of The Month in The Australian Women’s Weekly, April issue. It is a vivid, funny, sometimes teary account of the adventures of an Australian who falls in love with a Frenchman and goes to live in Paris. Q What made you write this book? […]

AWW’s author of the month is JOANNA TROLLOPE who wrote GIRL FROM THE SOUTH, which features in the Reading Room in The Australian Women’s Weekly this month. Q. In this novel, women in their thirties are bright, successful and independent while in search of a romantic ideal of love? I think this is how young […]

Put a little tradition back into Easter with a clutch of engraved eggs, which have long been part of European Easter celebrations. Although motifs differ from country to country, the essential technique of scratching onto a dyed egg is the same throughout Europe. It is not a difficult process, and a collection can be built […]

Launch into the footy season this year with this simple scarf pattern. You can knit a warm footy scarf in your favourite team’s colours in no time! Materials Cleckheaton Country 8ply (50g balls): Main Colour (MC – purple): 3 balls First Contrast (C1 – green): 2 balls Second Contrast (C2 – red): 2 balls OR […]

Get plenty of sleep or your happiness rating will suffer. Most people need a good six to eight hours sleep a night to feel in the best of moods. Have a regular bedtime and keep the bedroom for sleep and lovemaking only (so – no reminders of work!). Avoid alcohol and chocolate late at night […]

Chinese herbalists say that the spices ginger and cardamom are ‘restoratives’, which means they enliven your metabolism by creating heat and energy. Try my recipe for this ‘metabolic tonic’ to stimulate the circulation – it’s particularly recommended for that dreaded ‘I’ve-gotta-cold-coming-on’ feeling. Metabolic Tonic: 5 cinnamon sticks, broken in half 2 one-centimetre (1/2 inch) slices […]