Welcome to our second Book of the Month. I hope you all had a peaceful, healthy festive season and the new year has started well for you. I don't tend to make New Year's Resolutions as, I don't know about you, but I find the minute I feel like I'm putting pressure on myself to do or achieve something, it takes away some of the pleasure. Having said that one of things I would really like to do more of this year is be outside in nature and I really like the idea of combining that with craft. Hence this month's book choice is 'Connecting with Nature' by Tilly Rose, a brand new publication from Search Press (ISBN 978-1-80092-191-7). 

There is an interesting introduction from the author in which she talks about her memories of her family's tiny garden at their home in Peterborough and how she watched the seasons change in the local park, noticing scorched lawns at the height of summer, the conkers falling from the mighty horse chestnut trees and tiny crocuses appearing through the snow in the winter. That last one strikes a chord with me as I'm not a huge gardener and for many years didn't appreciate the joy of bulbs but I planted some snowdrops a few years ago and seeing their small green shoots appearing without fail year after year feels strangely comforting now. 

The next section of the book, Creative approaches, looks at the idea of foraging, including the 'rules of kindness' which should be considered when taking keepsakes from nature; not being greedy, not trampling wildflowers or vegetation to reach something and if you're walking on an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) not to take anything at all. There is also advice on how to store your collected treasures to prevent mould or mildew and how to press and dry flowers and herbs. 

You can see in the images above examples of the kind of things the author suggests you might find in different habitats.

The following chapter explores how to experiment with eco-dyeing (a form of natural dyeing where colours extracted from plants and vegetables are transferred on to paper or cloth by steaming or boiling) and how to create your own watercolour paints. I really like the idea of having a try at the eco-dyeing and there's a lovely example of some cotton lace being dyed with red cabbage, showing how the colour changed depending on how long the lace was left in the the dye pan. In our house we make blackberry vinegar every year and use muslin cloths to strain the blackberries after steeping in cider vinegar. The colour of the muslin cloths at the end of the process is a great example of a really intense dye, straight from nature. 

The book then looks at making botanical journals and chapbooks (a historical term for small pamphlets sold by pedlars, that contained poems, ballads, short stories etc. ), methods of weaving, slow stitching and textile collage making. These aren't in-depth explanations but provide enough information, without overwhelming, to encourage the reader to give these techniques a try.  

The next, and largest, section of the book is a selection of projects that call on the techniques that have been introduced in the preceding chapters and include making a memory stick (or even a calendar of sticks!), a nature mandala and a mini flower press. One particular project, involving leaf printing on to fabric, to make an artist's brush wrap, would also double perfectly as a crochet hook holder so that one is definitely on my list to try! 

I really liked this book. It encourages you to notice things when you're out and about in nature and, in a time when we are all being encouraged to practice mindfulness in our lives, this is exactly the sort of thing we can all do without any real effort at all. Noticing tiny flowers in grass verges, sparkling spider webs covered in morning dew, these things can be right outside our own front doors. 

The technique sections are not overwhelming in the amount of information given and there isn't the sense that you need to rush out to buy all sorts of equipment (which can sometimes be the case when starting a new hobby or interest). The author suggests ways of using small scraps of fabric, glass jars or bottles that you may have at home and encourages you to use what you have rather than go out and buy. The projects themselves feel achievable and give the sense that you can take your time over them, that they will become a kind of memory recording of time spent outdoors. 

'Connecting with Nature' is widely available online but if you are in the UK you can purchase this book, and others, through Search Press with a 20% discount and free delivery, by using the discount code DD88.

I'll be back next month with another review but in the meantime stay warm and I hope you get lots of time to craft! 

Over the festive period we watched the movie 'Red One' on the TV. It was good fun to watch a very Christmassy film before the big day, when our excitement was high and the thought of Santa hurtling through the skies with his reindeer was thrilling! The movie was all about a boy who didn't believe in the magic of Father Christmas and I was struck by two sayings quoted in the film, so much so that I have written them down on post-it-notes and have stuck them on the pin board in my office:

1: Every day, every decision is an opportunity.

2: We choose everyday who we want to be.
 
I did a search online and found a YouTube video on the Jim Rohn channel called 'learn to act as if each new day is an opportunity'. You can find it here.  It is quite a long video (20 minutes or so) but I think it is a very positive watch/listen if you want to head into the New Year feeling like you are in control of your ship!

Happy New Year! ​

​Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025 and the very first day of the Janie Crow Temperature Blanket project. Lots of you have said you will be joining in with us so we thought we'd pop a quick reminder of what you'll need to begin your own, unique blanket.

Next, you'll need to start recording the daily temperatures for where you are in the world. It doesn't matter particularly how you do this but doing it the same way every day is the main thing. We are using the weather app on our phones to check what the maximum temperature will be for the day. You can log these temperatures any way you prefer but we will be creating a temperature recording chart for each month if you'd like to use it: you can find January's ​here. 

Once you have your yarn organised and your first temperature recorded you are ready to start crocheting! You'll need your 4mm hook (unless the yarn you are using isn't DK, in which case you'll need to use the most appropriate size for your yarn choice) and the patterns, of course!  

We used the free plain motif patterns that were released as part of the Spirit of Flora crochet along and you can find them over on the main Spirit of Flora page on the website here. You'll need to scroll about halfway down the page and you'll find the links for the written patterns under the photos of the third set of Spirit of Flora motifs. The patterns are in UK terms only but there are charts available too, with the key in both UK and US terms. 

​For the weekly blocks we used the pattern for the completely plain square and made the Foundation Round and Round 1 on Day 1 and then worked a single further round on each of the following 6 days.

​The (monthly) floral blocks were made using Saffron for the centre and the petals were made using the yarn shades that represented the lowest and highest temperatures for the month. The rest of the square was made in the colour representing the average monthly temperature. See the image below for guidance:

You might choose to record a week's temperatures and then make your block in one go, or you may decide to work a round every day. It is all about completing the project in a way that works for you! Remember to work out the highest and lowest and average temperatures at the end of the month as you will need these for your floral squares. You'll also need to label your squares as you make them, so you can keep them in the order in which they are made. Small pieces of paper attached to the squares with a safety pin would do the job just fine! 

Later in the year we'll share more on our suggested layout and possible joining methods but in the meantime we hope you'll enjoy making a start on your blanket. Do share your progress on social media using the hashtag #janiecrowtempblanket25 and if you have any questions just ask, we'll be more than happy to help! 

Now all that remains is for you to get started! 
​
Bye for now! 
​
Emma & Gemma xx