Traditionally this time of year has always been quieter than other months. With the kids off school and lots of people away on holidays we usually see a dip in sales and expect our workload to drop off a little. This year has been different, possibly due to the rise in download pattern sales, which means our income is no longer as seasonal as it used to be. I also wonder if the warm spell of weather here in the UK has led to crocheters battening down the hatches and staying inside to craft rather than head out into the heat. 
 
Whatever the reasons, it continues to be a busy time for us here at Janie Crow and I have a few things to tell you about this week, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news…

For her latest book review over on the Book of the Month blog Gemma looked at Interlocking Crochet by Ana-Maria Babanica. If you're a lover of geometric shapes and two-tone colourways then this book will definitely be up your street. ​

The book contains fifty different stitch patterns and five garment/accessory patterns, with lots of photos and step by step instructions. Gemma quite fancies having a go at the tote bag pattern.  ​

You can see more of Ana-Maria's work on her website or over on Instagram here and, if you like the look of her latest book and live in the UK, you can bag a 20% discount and free delivery by ordering from Search Press and quoting the code DD88 at checkout. ​

There are a couple of one day workshops coming up in August, taught by our very own Gemma, and taking place at Community Learning Partnership in South Oxhey (near Watford). I have it on good authority that there are a couple of places still remaining on both workshops so if you like the look of either of them get your booking in quickly and you will be sure of a warm welcome on the day. Scanning the QR codes on the images below will take you to the booking page. ​

For those of you who enjoy visiting yarn shows, there are a few coming up in August, beginning with the North East Wool Show at Newcastle Racecourse on the 8th-9th. You can find out lots of information about the show, as well as buy advance tickets, by visiting the show's own website here. 
 
The Southern Wool Show takes place later in the month on the 22nd & 23rd August at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. Click on the image below for more info.

To stay up to date with all the yarn shows happening around the country do keep an eye on the UK Hand Knitting website events page, which you can find here. ​

​Andy and I celebrated our anniversary this week by heading to an off grid cabin at Leys Farm on the edge of the Cotswolds. We were pretty much off grid for three days and had the best time watching wildlife, walking and cooking outside. You can find a reel I made of our trip over on the Janie Crow Lifestyle feed here.
 
This weekend I am very lucky to be heading away with some fabulous girlfriends for a weekend of knitting, crochet and chat. This will be my final trip away before the autumn as I am going to have a small op on Wednesday and have been told to rest for a while afterwards. I have been busy getting all my crochet projects lined up and ready by the settee to work on during my convalescence - I keep wondering if it's a bit wrong that I am actually quite looking forward to the enforced calm? 
 
I will be back in a fortnight with the August newsletter, so until then I send you yarny hugs and hope you all stay safe and well…

Welcome back to my monthly book review blog. This month I've been taking a look at Interlocking Crochet by Ana-Maria Babanica (ISBN 9781446316092, David and Charles May 2026) and for those of you who love bold geometric patterns and two tone colourways, this is the book for you! 

Interlocking crochet is very like mosaic crochet in appearance but the big difference is that it produces a fabric that is completely reversible. Each side can look slightly different in appearance as you can see in the photo below, but they are just as attractive as each other. 

The book contains 50 reversible stitch patterns and five garment/accessory patterns, again all fully reversible. The first stitch pattern, entitled Tic Tac Toe (and shown in the photo above), is accompanied by an 18 page step-by-step guide to help you complete it from start to finish. There are photos for every step and a really useful section following on how to avoid making common mistakes.

The book is written in US terms throughout but as there are only a handful of stitches used in interlocking crochet it would take no time at all to get up to speed if you are usually a UK terms crocheter. The pages are clearly laid out and not overcrowded and each stitch pattern includes some step by step images. There are no charts included and so you would need to be confident in reading written pattern instructions to get the best from this book. 

The five projects included in the book are for a sleeveless vest top, a strappy top, a shawl, a tote bag and cushion covers. I really like the tote bag (can anyone ever have too many tote bags? I don't think so) and the way different shades of purple have been used to create an ombre effect. 

The size inclusivity of the garment patterns is great, with a range of bust sizes from 31 inches through to 65 inches. It's always good to come across patterns where a wide range of sizes have been catered for. 

'Interlocking Crochet' is widely available online but if you are in the UK and fancy grabbing a copy for yourself you can get a 20% discount and free delivery by using the code DD88 at checkout on the Search Press website here. You can find out more about Ana-Maria and her designs over on her website www.crochethighway.com.

I haven't chosen next month's book yet but I'll be having a browse soon and will be back in August so until then, enjoy your crochet!

It has been another busy couple of weeks since I was last here in your inbox, with a fabulous workshop with Stitchtopia and some new design work in the mix. I know I say it all the time, but it amazes me how quickly the weeks pass and it is time once again for me to write an email to you all. I hope that whatever the last few weeks have had in store for you, that you have at least managed to squeeze in some knitting or crochet, despite the warm weather.
 
I have a few things to tell you about this week, including a recap of my recent Footsteps of William Morris workshop in London, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with all the Janie Crow news.

I love that groups of animals can be given affectionate, cute names, such as flamingoes who become a flamboyance when they’re together and rabbits who become a fluffle. I recently found out that a group of ladybirds is known as a loveliness which is just so, well, lovely!
Here at Janie Crow Emma and I decided we needed a word for a collection of crochet blankets and so now refer to them as a comfort. A comfort of blankets. So fitting don’t you think - as not only the blankets themselves, but the making of them brings us so much comfort and joy. Blankets are a true gift of love aren't they. They bring warmth and comfort to the recipient and let them know they are cared for and they keep us crocheters warm and cosy while we make them, gently easing a busy or troubled mind in the process of stitching and bringing joy and comfort at the same time. I just love them! 

The image above is from our recent shoot, photographed by Leanne Dixon and beautifully styled by Claire Montgomerie. Featured projects are Persian Tiles Sandalwood (at the bottom of the group), Magic Circles in the Skimming Stones colourway and Imogen (at the top) made using yarn from the fabulous Yarnsmiths range of yarn - this kit is still on a really good offer on the Wool Warehouse website, so do take a look. 

We had the best time last week on the ‘In the Footsteps of William Morris’ workshop trip with Stitchtopia. The crochet holiday included two full days of workshops and two days packed full of visits to notable Arts & Crafts Movement houses and organisations.
 
We visited the William Morris Society which is situated in the basement of William's former home on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, where we were treated to a great presentation about the man himself, his plethora of work and those associated with the movement, including his daughter May, of whom I am a great fan! 
 
On the same day we visited Emery Walker's House, which is just a few minutes walk away and is like stepping back in time as you walk through the front door. It's the house where we shot the images for the Spirit of Flora crochet along project a few years ago. The image below shows my total delight at being shown May Morris's incredible lovers knot embroidered bedspread, which is jaw droppingly beautiful! 

On the same day that we visited the houses in Hammersmith we attended a brilliant trip around the V&A Museum where our incredibly knowledgeable guide Barry told us about the huge influence that Persian and Islamic arts had on members of the Arts & Crafts movement, particularly William Morris and ceramicist William De Morgan. A really fabulous day! ​

On the day that we took our second trip into London we visited the incredible Leighton House where we were once again lucky to be shown round by a very interesting guide, who really brought the world of Lord Leighton and his neighbouring artist set to life for us. 
 
We also visited Sambourne House, the home of Punch illustrator Linley Sambourne. Full of Arts and Crafts wallpapers, fabrics and artefacts, as well as the most ostentatious Victorian pieces, this house really is a feast for the eyes, with every surface packed full with ornaments, clocks and sculptures and the walls full to bursting with patterns, prints and art works.

The project I prepared for the workshop group was a cushion cover that used the Gillow motif from the Spirit of Flora Collection. ​

My retreat trip to Croatia next year is now fully booked, but there are still places on my West Yorkshire knitting workshop in June, where the week will have a relaxed, ‘retreat’ feeling this time. Alongside two full days of knitting workshops we will also visit the Knit and Crochet Guild and the Colne Valley Museum.
 
Just one place remains on the Knit For Peace retreat that I will be tutoring in Mysore, India next year. The break will run from 22nd January to 4th February at The Green Hotel, with comfortable accommodation on a full board basis. You can find more images taken on previous trips to Mysore with Knit For Peace on the Janie Crow Instagram feed here. If you would like to join me and other craft enthusiasts on this fabulous break, follow this link to Knit For Peace for more information and to book.

If you are a fan of Arts and Crafts houses, I urge you to check out the National Trust property Standen House in East Grinstead, especially as they are currently hosting an exhibition of contemporary artists work - each piece inspired by the work of the movement.
 
I am absolutely delighted that The Fruit Garden blanket was chosen to be part of the show and I am looking forward to visiting to see it in situ soon. You can find more info by clicking here.

​I found this recipe in a magazine at the hairdressers recently and liked the look of it so much that once my hair was done  I headed straight to the shops to get the ingredients for dinner.
 
The recipe, which you can find here, suggests cooking the Tenderstem and the halloumi cheese on a barbecue, but I cooked them in the oven on a baking tray lined with paper and it was still delicious. 
 
I have a quick tip for cooking halloumi - soak it in water for a little while before you cook it as this draws out some of the salt and makes it much softer, and thus less prone to squeakiness, when you cook it. 

As well as being busy with work we have been filling our spare time up pretty well too, and this weekend is no different as I am heading off to the seaside with a group of girlfriends and Andy is travelling up north to spend the weekend with some of his pals too. 
 
After being so busy for so long I have been trying to put a few projects ‘to bed’ over the last week so that I can take next week off. I am so ready for a break having not had time away from work since early March so I am hoping the weather will stay kind and I can enjoy the garden and plan a few days trips. I am hoping to get tickets for the Schiaparelli exhibition at the V&A and maybe I will get to see the new Frida Kahlo one too, so keep an eye on our social media channels, such as Instagram and Facebook for any pics I might take at those! 
 
I will be back in a couple of weeks time with a quick catch up email, until then I hope you are all safe and happy. Sending yarny hugs….

It's been a really busy couple of weeks again, with our crochet afternoon event last Saturday and then getting ready for the Footsteps of William Morris workshop with Stitchtopia next week. I feel like I have been working towards a deadline for weeks on end now, so I am looking forward to crocheting at a slightly slower pace as we head into July.
 
The summer months can be much quieter for us than the others, so it is a good time for me to get some new design work sorted. I am working on a new blanket design that I hope will be out before Christmas and the CAL project, which I have designed for Stylecraft, is pretty much completed too. I am really looking forward to showing you these two new projects later on in the year. 
 
We have a couple of things to tell you about this week, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news…

We had a fantastic time on Saturday at the fabulous Old Fold Manor Golf Club in Barnet. We welcomed a room full of gorgeous crocheters and their fans (both the Janie Crow team and their actual electric fans) as we all braved the heat to crochet summer flowers together.
 
We were delighted to see some familiar faces as well as lots of new ones and it was lovely to share projects at the show-and-tell session towards the end of the day. Andy brought along the pop-up shop and there was a glass of fizz and afternoon tea. All in, an absolute dream!
 

If you want to see more pics and some feedback quotes from the day you can find them on our Instagram feed here. We are hoping to book another afternoon event for next year and will give you the details once we have confirmed everything with the venue.

Stitchtopia have released two new residential workshop trips with me for next year. I will be repeating the knitting trip to West Yorkshire in June, where the week will have more of a relaxed, 'retreat' feeling this time, compared to the previous trips. Debbie Abrahams is going to be doing the same trip in October, so there are a couple of choices on dates to choose from if you fancy that one!
 
I will also be heading off to Croatia in October for, what looks to be, a fabulous crochet trip - perfect for those who like a bit of autumn sunshine too. Croatia has a great crochet heritage and the trip includes some lovely sounding workshops and visits. I am getting excited about this one already! There are now just three places left on this trip, so if you have been thinking about coming, you may need to secure your place sooner rather than later. You can head over to the Stitchtopia website for dates and more info by clicking on the links. 

When I look back at my portfolio of designs, the one that still makes me feel the proudest is The Fruit Garden blanket. I love the design, and have very fond memories of working on it, but what makes it so special is that it was released as a CAL just as we headed into lockdown in 2020, which meant that literally thousands of people used it as a way of getting them through a really difficult time. We know that for many, this was their very first crochet project and that alone astounds me, given the complexity of the piece. 
 
The original Fruit Garden blankets were both photographed at Standen House, which is an amazing Arts and Crafts property in East Grinstead, so when I saw that they were looking for artists and creators to submit work for a major exhibition this summer I decided that the Fruit Garden blanket, which was inspired by the embroidery designs of William Morris's daughter May, had to be the one I chose.
 
I am incredibly honoured to have had the Parchment and Caramel version of the blanket (shown above) accepted into the exhibition. I dropped it off at Standen on Monday so that it can be on display within the house, alongside the work of many talented makers, for the next three months.
 
You can find more information about the Inspired by Standen exhibition by following this link. You can follow them on Instagram too! 

I have enthused about my recent trip to France, where we visited Monet's Garden and Versailles, to so many people lately that I think I am in danger of sounding like a scratched record! For those of you who have asked, we are hoping that this Stitchtopia trip will run again next year, so keep an eye out for more information soon.
 
I want to share with you the project that one of my really talented crocheters created while we were away. Using my pouch design as a basis, Rose decided that she wanted to create a piece that really captured the idea of Monet's waterlilies and incredible ponds at Giverny. She used elements of my pattern and added in design features of her own to create the most wonderful unique version. Isn't it just fabulous! 

Gemma's latest review on her book of the month blog looks at ‘Cozy Crochet Motifs’ by Tuija Heikkinen, hot off the press and published by David & Charles on the 16th of June this year. ​

​The book contains 75 patterns for small motifs, suitable for use as embellishments on clothing or household items such as tea towels or cushion covers. This is a great book for stash-busting as the motifs only use tiny amounts of yarn. 
 
Take a read of Gemma's thoughts on the book over on the blog here and you can follow Tuija Heikennen on Instagram here.

Gemma's recommended recipe echoes the one we mentioned last time as it is a quick and easy puff pastry tart, this time topped with onions and artichokes. One of Gemma's fridge staples is a ready rolled puff pastry sheet so that on those evenings when inspiration deserts her she can put together a tart with whatever happens to be to hand. 
 
This is a Mary Berry recipe from the BBC website. It doesn't take too long to put together and cook and is super yummy!

Juliet and I had a lovely time at Hitchin Lavender a couple of weeks ago at the craft evening arranged by the lovely Helen of Woolly Chic. Despite the lavender not being quite in flower we had a fabulous time and enjoyed tea and chat with fellow knitters and crocheters. ​

I know we are only just into July but I have already swatched my autumn knit project as I saw a colourway I just couldn't resist on line. I am going to make the Autumn Alpine sweater by Boyland Knit Works as I am currently completely addicted to working colourwork in the round.
 
Next week I will be away at the William Morris workshop with a fabulous bunch of crocheters. We will be working on a project that uses my Spirit of Flora design as the base, so take a look at pics of the trip over on Instagram if you get a chance towards the end of the week.
 
We are heading off to the seaside to spend a couple of days with friends this weekend. If I am honest I am REALLY looking forward to a bit of time away from my crochet after prepping for the afternoon crochet event and the William Morris inspired workshop next week. I originally decided to do something radical and leave my hooks at home for the weekend, but have now decided that would be far too rash, so I am planning to leave them in the car, alongside a project, just in case!
​
I will be back in a fortnight with the July newsletter, so until then I send you yarny hugs…

This month I have been looking at a fun, light-hearted book called 'Cozy Crochet Motifs' by Tuija Heikkinen, hot off the press this month and published by David & Charles (ISBN: 978144317037). Tuija is a textile designer and an arts & crafts teacher from Finland, where she lives in the Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, near the Arctic Circle! 

There are 75 motif patterns in the book, grouped into 5 chapters: Living Room, In the Kitchen, Craft Room, Nature and Animals & Insects. They are all small and only use tiny amounts of yarn so absolutely perfect for using those small ball ends that we all have and can't bear to throw away! Tuija suggests that the motifs can be used as appliques coasters, bookmarks or as elements to be incorporated into collages. There is an 'Inspiration' section at the back of the book with some ideas for ways to use the motifs such as a tote bag, cushion cover and tea towel.

Each of the motif patterns comes with written instructions and charts and the book uses US crochet terms throughout. The pages are nicely laid out, not too crowded to look at, and the font is clear to read. Many of the motifs are finished with embroidery embellishments and there is a useful section at the back of the book with explanations of all the embroidery stitches used together with clear diagrams of how the stitches are sewn. There is a comprehensive crochet techniques section too, including a full list of chart symbols and their meanings. I particularly liked the section explaining the meaning when symbols are grouped together for example for puffs and bobbles, or fans and shells. 

My favourite chapter of the book is 'In the Kitchen' and I particularly like the idea of decorating plain tea towels with the some of the designs in it. We always have tea towels hanging from the oven door in our house and making them a bit more 'fancy' does appeal. The coffee pot is my favourite!

I like the author's explanation of how her ideas come about in that she uses hook and yarn like a journal and that the motifs are visual notes of her life, reflections of her mood, surroundings and interests. She calls her creations hook pictures, hook sketches or hook illustrations.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book, thinking perhaps I would find it a bit childish, but I actually really like it and for times when the thought of an in depth, long-term crochet project doesn't appeal, I can see myself picking this up, finding some ball ends and just enjoying creating a picture in yarn.

The book is widely available online and if you are in the UK you can take advantage of a 20% discount and free delivery by purchasing from the Search Press website here and quoting code DD88 at checkout. 

Until next month, happy reading and hooking! 

Wow it has been a super busy month so far! From my birthday at the very end of May it has been a non stop few weeks with a fabulous trip to the delights of Northern France with Stitchtopia, a visit to the fabulous new HQ at Emma Ball and a music festival all in the mix. This week has been more about work, as I endeavour to catch up with my to do list, but with the afternoon crochet event and another residential workshop on the horizon, there is never a dull moment here at Janie Crow! 
 
I have quite a bit to tell you about this week, so if you have a spare five minutes for a quick catch up, grab a cuppa, or a glass of something extravagantly fizzy, to enjoy while you catch up with all our news.

I love seeing my projects professionally shot in fabulous locations, and it had been a while since we held a proper shoot, so about a month ago I felt it was time for a revamp. I packed up the car and headed to a lovely location with my trusted photographer, Leanne Dixon and the fantastic stylist Claire Montgomerie to breathe new life into my blankets, throws and cushions. 
 
We had a great day, despite a thunder storm and termeramnetal light, and it is lovely to now see the results of the shoot and have a whole load of new pics to share on our website and on social media.
 
We have already shown some new images of Eastern Jewels, such as the image above, but you can also find a nice new flat lay shot on the updated webpage here. We have also updated the Sevilla page with quite a few new images, including details of the edging and the design inspiration.
 
Keep an eye on our website and social media channels, such as Instagram and Facebook, for more new images over the forthcoming weeks! 

We have a good selection of kits in stock at the moment, including those for the Majorelle pouch and cushion cover, which are both featured in the image above, alongside the Sevilla blanket.
 
The blanket project uses Stylecraft Life DK in seven shades of yarn, with a total of sixteen x 100g balls needed to make it. The project measures approximately 138cm wide by 148cm long and I chose the colour palette using our trip to Seville in Spain last summer as my inspiration. I love the fact that this project sits so well with my Persian Tiles original colour way, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year. In fact I have been referring to Sevilla as Persian Tiles' new baby sister, as I am so proud of this brand new addition to my crochet blanket family! As always it has been great to see clever crocheters using yarns from their stashes and recolouring the design - you can see some featured on our Instagram feed here.
 
The Majorelle pouch and cushion cover are included in one pattern and the kit contains enough yarn to make the cushion cover. If you wish to make the cover and the pouch you will need to add in more beads and probably a few extra balls of Ricorumi cotton, which you can find on the Wool Warehouse website here or via Black Sheep Wools here.

I have been writing a Seasonal Journal for Inside Crochet Magazine for the last six months or so. It has been a really nice experience, although at times it has not been easy to find a track to talk about. On the whole though, I have really enjoyed writing a monthly update focussing on what is going on in my life at the time, but also how we all view and react to the passing months. It's nice to take the time to write stuff down. Journal writing fell by the wayside for me along time ago, so it is good to have some thoughts written down ‘properly’ somewhere, rather than just as digital notes and emails etc.
 
I am a big fan of Inside Crochet Magazine, especially as it tends to push the boundaries in terms of technical skills and offers beginners and expert crocheters alike a great range of projects to choose from. Very kindly the magazine has given us permission to create a specific page on our website to show snippets of the journal for those who may not subscribe. This page does not show the whole column - you need to see the magazine for that - but it does give a bit of a round up of what I have talked about. Emma has done a really lovely job building this web page and she will be updating it monthly, so do take a look! 

Just two places remain on the Knit For Peace retreat that I will be tutoring in Mysore, India next year. The break will run from 22nd January to 4th February at The Green Hotel, with comfortable accommodation on a full board basis - the food is particularly delicious! 
 
During the trip I will lead seven morning workshops, including both a crochet and a knitting project for those who wish to participate. Afternoons and weekends will be free to explore the city and surrounding countryside - there is a lot to see and do! 
 
Knit for Peace retreats are both extremely friendly and very relaxed. Join in as much or as little as you wish. Come on your own and make new friends or bring a non-crafting partner or friend to share with you. Everyone is welcome. The retreat could be an excellent first introduction to India, or a joyous return to a lovely city.
 
You can find more images taken on previous trips to Mysore with Knit For Peace on the Janie Crow Instagram feed here. If you would like to join me and other craft enthusiasts on this fabulous break, follow this link to Knit For Peace for more information and to book.

Stitchtopia have just released two new residential workshop trips with me for next year. I will be repeating the knitting trip to West Yorkshire in June, where the week will have more of a relaxed, ‘retreat’ feeling this time, compared to the previous trips. Debbie Abrahams is going to be doing the same trip in October, so there are a couple of choices on dates to choose from if you fancy that one!
 
I will also be heading off to Croatia in October for, what looks to be, a fabulous crochet trip - perfect for those who like a bit of autumn sunshine too. Croatia has a great crochet heritage and the trip includes some lovely sounding workshops and visits. I am getting excited about this one already! 
 
Places are booking fast, especially for the Croatia trip, so head over to the Stitchtopia website for dates and more info by clicking on the links above. 

This time two weeks ago I was in France with a great group of knitters and crocheters on another Stitchtopia trip where visits included Monet's house and garden at Giverny and the incredible Palaces of Versailles.
 
Monet's house and garden were the absolute highlight for me as it has been on my bucket list for a very long time. The gardens were really beautiful and I felt particularly emotional about the water garden, seeing Monet's ponds and the results of his incredible eye as a garden designer.
 
The house was a real treat too and I was so pleased to hear from our guide how the Monet family were lovers of crochet and would sit in a particular spot in the garden to craft together. 

The palaces of Versailles were also pretty awesome, but in a far different way to Monet's home at Giverny. I was flabbergasted by the scale of the palaces and came away thinking that it was no wonder that the French started a revolution as a reaction to the incredible inequalities that were so very visible! 
 
Of course the world is still a very unfair place in terms of what some people have and others don't, so after a day within the palace walls and gardens I think we were all quite pleased to head back to our cosy hotel and a little less opulence! 
 
While in Paris we shared a lovely day with Julie Dubreux, who was just the best guide, showing us some great yarn shops and authentic places to eat. We had such a good day, finished off with cruise along the Seine to see the sights of Paris from the river.
 
Spending a day with Julie surrounded by yarn made me want to come home and cast on a knit project. I find knitting really relaxing in the evening, especially garter stitch and I love colour work when knitted in the round. This week I have been busy searching out my needles and doing some tension pieces for a couple of projects I want to get started on for the autumn. I am not sure this weekend will be quite the right weather for knitting with wool, but hopefully the evenings will be cool enough for me to get going. 

Andy recently made this super yummy tomato tart using a recipe by Meera Sodha, which features in her fantastic recipe book called ‘EAST’. We are big fans of Meera's recipes and have tried quite a few from this book - not had a bad one yet! 
 
This tart has a pistachio and saffron base with onions and spices mixed in, all topped by super sweet baby tomatoes. A perfect dish for this time of year and it was just as good cold as it was warm. You can do so many variations of this recipe using a sheet of puff pastry and pretty much any toppings you fancy - add a salad or side veg and you have a super speedy dinner or scrumptious lunchtime treat! 

We are promised a fabulous couple of days weather wise so I am looking forward to a bit more time in the warmth of the sun in the garden. I love sitting in the shade of the early evening when the sun is warm, but not strong enough to burn. Our patio space has come on really nicely this year and so I have really enjoyed spending time outside - surrounded by my Vinted bargain cushions! ​

I am heading out to visit the lavender fields in Hitchin later on this afternoon to enjoy an event organised by the lovely Helen of Woolly Chic. I am really looking forward to it, especially as I will get to catch up with my good friend Juliet Bernard who I haven't seen in ages! I will try to get some good pics to pop on my Janie Crow Lifestyle feed later on. 
 
Tomorrow I am meeting a friend at King Cross for a spot of shopping and lunch. I love London in the summer, when the whole city spills onto the streets to enjoy the sunshine. The regenerated areas around Kings Cross are the perfect place to sit and people watch or stroll along the canal.

​Thank you to all those of you who got in touch in response to the reel and blog post about my health and fitness journey that I shared recently. I am so glad that some of you felt inspired by it.
 
I have a small op coming up in August (nothing scary), so I am trying to get as fit as possible in the lead up to it as I may be out of action for a few weeks afterwards. This is the perfect time of year for salads and yummy fresh veg, so I am enjoying some healthy food along the way too!
 
I hope that whatever you have planned for the next few days that you are healthy and happy. If you're in the UK, mind that sunshine and don't get burned. Remember - factor 50 at all times!!! 
 
Yarny hugs! 

Greetings from Paris where I am really enjoying a week long workshop trip hosted by Stitchtopia. I have a fabulous group of knitters and crocheters with me and we have had an amazing time so far, so I am not really looking forward to ‘real life’ when I return home next week!
 
Gemma, Emma and Andy have been busy holding the fort while I have been away. To be fair they usually hold the fort anyway, while I faff about with yarn, but it is always good to know that my beloved Janie Crow is in safe hands when I am not there! 
 
Before we get stuck into this Quick Catch Up email, which is mostly the work of Gemma, I want to say a huge thank you for all the amazing happy birthday greetings I received last week via email and our social media channels. Your support really does mean so much and it is extra special when you get in touch!
 
We have a couple of things to tell you about this week, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news…

We are now in Paris for the next three days, with a full day workshop today, a city tour (to include lots of yarny inspiration) with Julie Dubreux on Saturday and a trip to the palaces of Versailles on Sunday.
 
Of course there have been lots of treats along the way too! There is delicious looking food everywhere you look, so it's been hard to resist. One lunchtime I couldn't walk past this doughnut filled with crème pâtisserie without buying it! Yes, it was almost as big as my head. No, it wasn't eaten daintily and no, I didn't share it!

On both social media platforms we celebrated my birthday last weekend with a 20% discount on all download patterns, an offer which many of you managed to take advantage of. We look forward to seeing some of the results of your pattern purchases filtering through to our social media soon, so remember to keep tagging us when you share your makes. 
 
We love seeing your projects, particularly the beautiful colourways you come up with when you are brave enough to step away from the original colours in the patterns. It always amazes us how different the same design looks when alternative colours are used. 

We still have good stock levels of lots of kits. I know this is the time of year when you probably don't fancy the thought of making a cosy blanket, but just in case you like to get organised well in advance for your late summer and early autumn makes, you might want to take a look!
 
We have particularly good stocks of Sevilla again, Magic Circles, Summer Palace and Mystical Lanterns blankets, the latter being one that we struggle to keep good stocks of during the cooler months due to its popularity. If you like the idea of a lighter yarn for a project, so that you can crochet through the summer, then you might want to consider Crimson Dreams, which is made using quite a few shades of the lovely recycled yarn from Stylecraft called ReCreate.

Gemma's latest review on her book of the month blog looks at ‘150+ Crochet Borders’ by Bernadette Baldelli, published by Quarto in January of this year. ​

The book includes some really unusual border ideas and all the information needed to incorporate them into projects, such as the number of stitches they need to be worked over. 
 
Take a read of Gemma's thoughts on the book over on the blog here and if you fancy grabbing a copy yourself you can get a 20% discount and free delivery with the code DD88 if you order from the Search Press website.

We have featured the most amazing knitting project ‘The Longest Yarn’ here before but wanted to show you something that the project recently brought to the attention of Stylecraft Yarns, a sponser of the project. They got in touch to show off the incredible life-size World War 2 Jeep. Here's what they had to say:
 
"I wanted to share with you one of the most remarkable pieces now standing inside The Longest Yarn here in Normandy — our life-size WWII Jeep. The Jeep carcass itself was built by Ken Lewis, with Mike Forster alongside. Ken is well known for his work and expertise supplying historically accurate uniforms and vehicles for productions including Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, so authenticity was incredibly important from the outset.
 
Once the structure was complete, our volunteer team then began the enormous task of transforming it entirely through knitting and crochet using Stylecraft yarn as the medium. Every panel, wheel, seat and detail has been created stitch by stitch by our ladies using the wool you so generously supplied to us. What began as yarn has become a full-scale wartime vehicle which now stops visitors in their tracks inside our 12th-century Normandy church.
 
It really is a wonderful example of traditional craft being used to preserve and tell history in a completely different way."

What an incredible undertaking and apparently now most of the interior is almost complete with every detail being within a millimetre measurement to a real 1944 Ford GPW Jeep! If you'd like to find out more about 'The Longest Yarn' including it's future destinations click on any of the images above. ​

Here at Janie Crow we often talk about how crochet and knitting has helped us through tricky times and we know that this is also the case for many of our followers who have shared some of their experiences with us through our social media platforms. 
 
As such we were interested to come across this article on BBC Future which discusses how knitting and crochet may be useful tools in the treatment of addictive behaviours and mental health disorders such as OCD and the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia.  
 
It's clear from the article that studies have been quite restricted in their scope and take-up, but the overall sense is that knitting or crochet are far more likely to have some kind of beneficial effect than cause any harm and that surely is good reason for anyone to give it a go! 

We had some extremely hot weather here in the UK last week and I don't know about you, but eating (well certainly cooking) sometimes feels like just too much in the heat, so simple, snacky meals, such as hummus and veggie sticks can feel much more appropriate. If you haven't tried making hummus before, it's really easy and well worth a go. Here's a recipe for a quick, basic one from the BBC Food website.
 
Hummus makes a great base for other things too. We ate the version shown in the pic below on holiday in Spain last year and it was really delicious topped with grilled broccoli, feta cheese, tahini and sesame seeds. Add a few crackers and a salad and that's dinner sorted!

I will be travelling home on Monday after a packed weekend here in France, with next week set to be busy too. I am really looking forward to visiting Emma Ball's new premises on Thursday and catching up with my friend and fellow designer, Debbie Abrahams the same day, as she is also based in Nottingham. Andy and I are heading to a music festival on Friday. I have the written pattern for a workshop project and quite a lot of admin to squeeze in to Tuesday and Wednesday, so I am going to have to hit the ground running when I jump off the train!
 
I want to leave you by saying again how touched I was by the number of you who wished me a happy birthday last week! It was really lovely to get so many messages and I was amazed by the number of you who contacted us to say that you are my birthday twin too! I have tried to get back to all of you, either by ‘hearting’ your message on our social media platforms, or by emailing you, but it's not always easy to respond to everything, so apologies if I have missed any!
 
We will be back in a couple of weeks with the June newsletter. Until then I hope you stay healthy and happy! 

Welcome back to my Book of the Month blog, where I take a look at a (usually) crochet related book that has recently been published and share my thoughts. This month I'm looking at a book that focusses specifically on crochet borders: '150+ Crochet Borders - Edgings & Decorative Finishes for Every Project' by Bernadette Baldelli. (Quarto January 2026 ISBN 9780760399767).

I liked the idea of this book as I don't always like to follow a pattern's recommendation for a border. Sometimes I like to go a bit simpler, sometimes I like the idea of something a bit more decorative and whilst I have other books that include a handful of border suggestions this book introduces an impressive array of unusual designs. Some of the borders incorporate motifs that could, with a little bit of thought, be made separately from the border, such as parrot and a mini Eiffel Tower.

The book is nicely laid out with clear text, charts and photos for each of the borders featured. It's not a book for beginner crocheters and the 'Crochet Basics' double page at the beginning of the book briefly covers information that readers will need to know for completing the borders, such as how to manage colour changes in the patterns. 

The patterns themselves are all inspired by different cities around the globe, hence the names and yes, you guessed it, the border incorporating the Eiffel Tower motif is named Paris! Each pattern has a difficulty rating from 1 star to 3 stars. This isn't clarified in the book but presumably 1 star is easy, 2 stars intermediate and 3 stars the most difficult! The book uses US terms throughout and there isn't a conversion chart for those who use UK terms, which is a shame. 

I like the idea of using some of these borders as embellishments, for example along the short edges of a hand-towel, and think that would turn something quite ordinary into a lovely item for gifting on a birthday or other special occasion.

The book is widely available online but if you are in the UK you can receive a 20% discount and free delivery (on any purchases, not just this book) at the Search Press website here, with the code DD88.

Next month I'll be taking a look at a book, very recently published, on interlocking crochet so I'll be back in June to tell you all about that one. Until then I wish you lots of crafting time!

Warning! This post is not about crochet, knitting, yarn or beads. In fact, it has nothing to do with my life as a crochet designer. It does, however, have everything to do with my life in general and, as I have now been asked by quite a few people to share the details of my fifty something year old health and fitness journey, here goes! 

​May 2024 was a very special month for me. My parents celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary (with a letter from the King!) on the 9th and my Dad turned 90 on the 17th. On May 21st, after a conversation with Emma about the menopause and specifically the weight gain associated with it, I decided to change my life!

​I have always been relatively fit – in my opinion anyway! As a kid I was a member of the badminton squad at school and used to love charging about on my bike – like most kids who were teenagers in the 80s! I have belonged to a gym for many years (nothing fancy, just Pure Gym which is still around £20 a month) and used to swim and run regularly when my kids were younger. I think my diet was pretty good too. As a vegetarian with an aversion to processed food, I ate (and still eat) a lot of good stuff and take a few supplements to make up for the shortfalls of not eating meat or fish. The main problem, until 21st May 2024, was simply that I ate too much of certain things, and possibly not enough of others and had a bit of a crisps, dips and wine after work habit too….
 
I was always a slim child with a big appetite. Luckily for me, and probably due in part to my nervous disposition, I was able to eat heartily without much thought for many years, never really having to be careful about what I ate until I was in my late 20s when I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid (a kind post pregnancy gift from my body!). I had my thyroid (mostly) removed in my mid 30s leading to an underactive thyroid, slower metabolism and lifelong medication. Add into this a hysterectomy at 40 and the joy of an early menopause and bingo! The weight slowly went up, the aches and pains started and everything else that goes with being a woman in midlife started to set in. Aren't we lucky!

​For many years I told myself lots of untruths. That I was fit (enough), that I wasn’t that big (size 16 is average), that my thyroid condition meant I couldn’t lose weight, that the menopause was hindering any effort to get fit and feel good, that my knees and back ached so much that I couldn’t possibly consider more exercise. The list is probably longer, but you get the gist!
 
On May 21st 2024, Emma and I were chatting, and she told me about a weight loss app she had been using called Noom. When I think about that conversation now, I don’t think that losing weight and getting fit was particularly on my radar, but listening to Emma say how helpful she was finding the app, not just from a weight loss perspective, but also in terms of lifestyle choices and mental wellbeing, I decided it was worth a try.

​I am not on any kind of an affiliate scheme with Noom, and I am sure that there are other very similar apps, especially as it is pretty much all about calorie counting, balancing what you eat with exercise, making sure that you are eating the ‘right’ amounts in terms of nutrients and hitting the right percentages of food types – basically, carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
 
I yoyo dieted for years, and had relative success with Slimming World and Weight Watchers, but nothing stuck long term and within a few months I would be back where I started from. The game changer for me with Noom was weighing in everyday and being ‘allowed’ to have free days, where I could pretty much eat what I wanted. Having a suggested calorie intake that was flexible and made allowances in terms of extra calories to balance exercise made the whole idea of a ‘diet’ much easier to deal with and the daily coaching sessions on my phone helped me really keep up the momentum.

​I was looking back through pics from that first year on Noom and I can see that my face and body started to change about two months in, by which time I was down by about 7 kilos, but for a few months everything stopped moving by anything significant. I was happy with the loss of weight and possibly would have stopped there, like I have done before, but I had started to see posts and news articles about the importance of strength training in menopause. As the thought of serious training at the gym terrified me, it took me a few months to build up enough courage to have a session with a Personal Trainer, and it is the date of my first session with Cara (the 11th October 2024) that has become another important anniversary for me.
 
I get quite emotional about Cara these days as I credit her for literally changing the shape of the rest of my life. she has given me the confidence to lift free weights (in a very male dominated environment) and look at ways that I can improve my diet to reach the best results for my body. 

I realise that having a PT is a total privilege and that I am lucky to be able to meet up with her once a week. To balance the cost of this I have made changes to other areas of my life - we definitely spend less money on take aways, eating out and our food shopping, but it is still a financial consideration that I have decided to build into my life. 

I catch up with Cara on a Friday morning and two other mornings I strength train on my own, using sessions that Cara has given me as a guide. Twice a week I do cardio sessions and am really happy to be back to treadmill running, which has really improved my fitness and achey back! 

I am not an evening person and I knew from the get go that if I was going to start a fitness habit that it had to be a morning thing. It means I have to work later into the evening, after dinner and it means that TV shows, movies and evening crochet time on the settee is not always on the cards these days, but training first thing is the only way I know I will slot it into my life more or less daily. I don't train at the weekend.

​I am still careful about food and always make sure I hit my macros, getting plenty of protein and fruit and veg, but with the training `and exercise that I now do the weight has stabilised, even with the naughtyish weekends and Saturday cocktail habit!
I am no longer a member of Noom, but I do use it for logging my weight from time to time and I also use a free calorie counting app called My Fitness Pal when I feel the need to check up on what I am eating.

​There have, of course, been set backs along the way, but I have tried really hard not to let little weight gains or work/holiday interruptions stop me returning to training, which I now do every week day. Losing more weight is not on my radar, but gaining muscle and toning my body is definitely on my forever list! Someone asked me a while ago what event I was training for and my answer was 'old age'!

About a year into my sessions with Cara I asked her when it was going to get easier - her reply was 'never'. It never gets easier if you push yourself to achieve more and more. It's true of everything in life isn't it! If things were easy, we would all be able to do them all of the time! My journey has been REALLY hard at times, but I am so proud of where I am and feel so much better than I ever thought was possible as I start to navigate my late 50s. My fitness goal is to achieve a set of chin ups, this means I am working on my back, chest and core strength. I will share a video of where I am at the moment on my Janie Crow Lifestyle account if you want to take a look.

If you made it this far, thank you for allowing me to indulge myself in this blog post - it feels important to me that I write it down. If you feel inspired to make changes to your own life and want to ask me anything else about my journey please feel free to email me [email protected]. If you have read this far in the hope that I might actually mention yarn or crochet then my reward to you is a 20% discount code for download patterns via Etsy and Ravelry for this weekend. Enter JANIE57 at checkout. The code is valid until midnight (BST) on Sunday 31st May.

​Thanks for reading!

May is a month full of birthdays and festivities in our family, with my Dad and our daughter sharing their birth date on the same day and my parents' wedding anniversary on our niece's birthday. Our nephew will have his birthday next week, on the same day as one of our cousins and I have my birthday next weekend, which means I just scrape into being a May birthday too! 
 
I love May, not just because of the family celebrations, but also because it is a time when the promise of summer is at its peak. The garden is getting ready to burst into colour and the air smells different, with the morning chill not so harsh as of late, so it might finally be the time to dig out the summer clothes and sandals! 
 
It has been a busy few weeks here at Janie Crow, so busy in fact that I am a week late with the May newsletter, but as a bank holiday looms and we get an extra day off to enjoy, I am sure such things are very unimportant! I have a few things to tell you about this week, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news before you head into your weekend plans….

Last week I bundled loads of my crochet projects in the car and headed off to south London for a shoot. It has been a while since my projects were given the love and attention of a stylist and professional photographer, so it was great to see them come to life in a fabulous location, full of quirky pieces and vintage finds. I am looking forward to showing you the new pics very soon, especially as we created lots of group shots showing how well many of the projects sit together in a lovely interior setting. We even managed to squeeze in enough time for some blanket stack shots and some profile pics too! 
 
You can see a couple of speedy videos, shot by the fabulous stylist and crochet designer Claire Montgomerie on the day of the shoot, over on my Instagram feed by following this link.

We have a good selection of kits in stock at the moment, including those for the Majorelle pouch and cushion cover, which are both featured below, and for the blanket version of the same design, which is called Sevilla and is shown above.
 
The blanket project uses Stylecraft Life DK in seven shades of yarn, with a total of sixteen x 100g balls needed to make it. The project measures approximately 138cm wide by 148cm long and I chose the colour palette using our trip to Seville in Spain last summer as my inspiration. I love the fact that this project sits so well with my Persian Tiles original colour way, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year. In fact I have been referring to Sevilla as Persian Tiles's new baby sister, as I am so proud of this brand new addition to my crochet blanket family! As always it has been great to see clever crocheters using yarns from their stashes and recolouring the design - you can see some featured on our Instagram feed here.
 
The Majorelle pouch and cushion cover are included in one pattern and the kit contains enough yarn to make the cushion cover. If you wish to make the cover and the pouch you will need to add in more beads and probably a few extra balls of Ricorumi cotton, which you can find on the Wool Warehouse website here or via Black Sheep Wools here.

Just two places remain on the Knit For Peace retreat that I will be tutoring in Mysore, India next year. The break will run from 22nd January to 4th February at The Green Hotel, with comfortable accommodation on a full board basis - the food is particularly delicious! 
 
During the trip I will lead seven morning workshops, including both a crochet and a knitting project for those who wish to participate. Afternoons and weekends will be free to explore the city and surrounding countryside - there is a lot to see and do! 
 
Knit for Peace retreats are both extremely friendly and very relaxed. Join in as much or as little as you wish. Come on your own and make new friends or bring a non-crafting partner or friend to share with you. Everyone is welcome. The retreat could be an excellent first introduction to India, or a joyous return to a lovely city.
 
You can find more images taken on previous trips to Mysore with Knit For Peace on the Janie Crow Instagram feed here. If you would like to join me and other craft enthusiasts on this fabulous break, follow this link to Knit For Peace for more information and to book.

Within my monthly journal for the most recent edition of Inside Crochet Magazine (Issue 189) I talk about the joy I get from my garden, especially at this time of year, when it is looking so full of promise! The magazine features some great garden inspired projects too, so do be sure to check it out if you haven't done so already. 
 
I have been patiently waiting for my peonies to burst into bloom in the front garden. The bushes are loaded with buds, but so far, despite me checking up on them daily, they are still tightly shut! I am hoping that this weekend's warmer weather will force at least a couple of them to open and I guess I shouldn't be in such as hurry as I am always disappointed when the flowers finish. At least they are currently providing a sweet treat for the ants who love their sticky nectar and patrol the buds to ward off other pests like greenfly.
 
I love arranging the peonies in shallow bowls once they are picked and last year we used a crochet basket that Andy made from a kit by Tamsin at The Left Hookey, as the perfect cover for the ceramic dish. You can find kits for the Appledore basket, along with other fabulous items, many of them perfect for crochet beginners, over on Tamsin's website here.
 
Our climbing rose is also looking fabulous with a profusion of buds and flowers. I was told recently that commercial roses are bred so that they don't smell as this makes them flower longer. The roses in the garden smell divine and remind me so much of my childhood when my grandparents had a garden full of them. There are so many that I can pick them pretty much daily and pop them in a vase with some cut lavender - a heavenly combination which provides a blissful perfume festival! 

There is nothing quite like the taste of fruit and vegetables that have been grown in the sunshine rather than under artificial light in greenhouses, or picked before they are ripe and flown across the globe, so I love it when we start to get tomatoes that are soft and sweet rather than sour and crunchy! I believe that one of the finest accompaniments a fresh tomato can have is feta cheese, oh and a splash of olive oil of course, so this week my recipe recommendation is to use all three!
 
As we head into the warmer months we tend to have salads as the accompaniment to most of our meals and so we have plenty of fresh herbs growing in the garden - flat leaf parsley and corriander are particularly good in leafy salads and fresh oregano, thyme and mint work so well with feta and tomatoes too.
 
I grew our mint from the left overs from a bunch I bought from the local supermarket. Mint will grow roots in water really quickly, even if it is looking a little sad and wilty beforehand, so it is super easy to get a large plant in next to no time - just be sure to keep it in a pot rather than planting it straight into the garden or you could be inundated! 
 
We discovered a lovely salad made with watermelon and feta a few years ago. I am pretty sure I have shared this recipe before - but it is particularly yummy! 

I have already given you quite a few reasons why I love May so much, but another one is that we get a double dose of Bank Holiday weekends - and with a fab forecast on the horizon too, I am particularly looking forward to the next few days. 
 
I have been living in jeans and layers for months on end and my feet haven't seen daylight for a very long time so it will be good to dig out some lighter clothes and replace my woollies in the the wardrobe for a few months. In reality we only really get about four months where summer clothes are more appropriate here in the UK, so let's hope that the summer will live up to all expectations this year.

We are currently dog sitting for our daughter and her husband who are away on their holidays for a few weeks. It has been lovely having the pup around for the last week and he has already got us wrapped around his cute little paws! I imagine that a few longer walks will be on the cards over the next few days, as well as some games in the garden.
 
I have been working on the projects for the forthcoming Stitchtopia trip to France over the last couple of weeks, as well as the one for the Footsteps of William Morris one in early July. I am hoping to get the project for the trip to Turkey sorted relatively soon too, especially as we are already planning more trips for 2027.

This week marks the two year anniversary of my health and fitness journey, which started after a conversation with Emma about calorie counting apps and has led me to some life changing habits. I told myself lots of mistruths for a long time and kidded myself that I was healthy enough, so to now be in a position where I am lighter and fitter and see a body in the mirror that makes me proud is an incredible feeling and makes all the hard work so worthwhile! ​

As the sun is shining and its beautifully warm here in North London today, Andy and I are going to head out for a Friday afternoon drink in the local pub garden later on and then have no real plans for the rest of the weekend, other than to potter about in the garden and cook some good food. We still have Margaritas (cocktails, not pizza) on a Saturday evening, which is a habit that dates back to lockdown, so it will be great to sip the first of the season watching the sun set over the house! 
 
I hope that whatever you have planned, that you are heading into a nice weekend and a great bank holiday too if you are in the UK!