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I hope this email finds you well and that you are all keeping safe....
 
As tiny on-line businesses Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns are both able to continue to operate, so we have been in the studio this week putting yarn kits together and packing and dispatching online orders. We know that we are extremely lucky to be able to remain working and so, for now, we plan to carry on for as long as we can. As I said to you last week I will be appearing in your in box every Friday as usual over the forthcoming weeks and hope that you will enjoy a quick Janie Crow catch up.

I want to start by updating you about online orders and postage as we have had lots of people asking us about what we can send and where we can send it to.
 
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we have always used Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate worldwide postal services and we have not yet been affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
 

 
Yarn packs for the Fruit Garden CAL go on sale on-line on Monday. I know many of you are really looking forward to having a crochet along project to get stuck into come the end of April, but I also know that many of you are worried about getting yarn packs in time. We have been inundated with requests to release the patterns and the yarn packs early, especially from those of you outside of the UK, but for now the scheduled dates all remain in place. A huge amount of work has gone into the design stage, the pattern writing, the promotion and of course the preparation of the yarn packs, so making changes now is not an option. I still have the final read through of the patterns to do and all the video tutorials to film. Add to that the fact that some people might have their yarn parcels slightly delayed in the post and you can immediately see that there is definitely no chance of having the CAL sooner than originally planned, so please be patient!

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I know from posts on Instagram and on Facebook that many of you have been rooting through your stashes to see if you have yarn you can put to good use. Last week I made a crochet decorative Easter Egg pattern free on Ravelry and this week I have made my Emily shawlette pattern free too. Emily is the perfect pattern for using up single 100g skeins of 4ply yarn – you will need in the region of 400m of yarn to make the shawlette, which also features some Debbie Abrahams beads.

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Sadly my day workshop and event dates for April, May and June have now been cancelled. I have updated the workshop list on my web site so that events taking place in July and August are now visible. You can find the list here. The listed events are in relation to the forthcoming Fruit Garden CAL and for the majority of them they are likely to include a half day workshop for a group of around 12 people followed by a larger in store event where I will talk about the inspiration for the CAL and my other design work.
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I have tried hard to support small yarn shops and hope to see many of you at the CAL events later on in the year. I am hoping that I will be able to squeeze in some dates for the stores who have had their dates cancelled later on in the autumn and will add these to the web site just as soon as we have a clearer picture of how things are panning out.
 
Sadly smaller yarn stores in the UK, who do not operate on line stores, are now closed. It is a hugely worrying time for many and it is really sad to think of these small but vital businesses now struggling to survive. If you are lucky enough to have a local yarn store then please take a look to see if there is a way that you can support them. You can find your nearest yarn store on the UK Hand Knitting web site by following this link. If your local store has a web site then you may be able to support them by purchasing a gift voucher that you can use in the future or by booking onto an event later on in the year. Some stores are offering a delivery service too!
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As we have been at the studio all week Andy and I definitely have the Friday Feeling today! We have been seeing posts from our friends and family tidying up their back gardens and enjoying the sunshine all week and so have our fingers tightly crossed that we will be able to enjoy some time ‘out back’ over the next few days. I know that lots of you are also undertaking some decorating or intensive spring cleaning, so I hope that the weekend will still feel like a bit of a break for you all.
 
We have managed to catch up 'virtually' on-line with lots of people over the last week and at times like this we feel so blessed to have video and chat forums that we can catch up on, especially as we are not going to see our daughter, Summer, or our lovely colleague Sue, who is now at home, for the foreseeable future.
 
Charlie and Andy came up with a great plan to get dressed up for dinner on Saturday night. I am going to cook the family favourite of Macaroni Cheese and we are going to concoct a few cocktails, so I am really looking forward to that! We also have a stack of jigsaw puzzles to work our way through and I have a few books that I have been lining up over the last few weeks to read, including ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by the awesome Elizabeth Gilbert (follow her on Instagram if you don’t do so already!) which I have wanted to read for ages.
 
I hope you all have a great weekend - I urge all of you to stay home if you can (that means no trips to the beach or national parks!!) and I hope that wherever you are you are safe, well and happy. If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans you might have over the next week, please hit reply....

PS: The nomination stage of the Let’s Knit Awards for 2020 is now open and of course I would really love it if you could take a few minutes to take a look at the web page. By submitting your nominations you can be entered into the prize draw and win some fabulous yarny goodies, so do take a look!
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I hope this email finds you well and that you are all keeping safe....
 
It is a really strange time for us all, but here at Janie Crow we are trying to keep as upbeat as possible. One of the benefits of being a really small company is that we can pretty much self isolate and still keep the web sites running and of course I can still sit and work on new design projects, so, for the time being anyway, things are pretty much business as usual here.
 

As the majority of us head into isolation over the next few days I know that quite a lot of knitters and crocheters are planning to have a root through their yarn stashes and finish some of the projects that may have been started but put to one side. Working through stash yarns is a brilliant idea, not only in regards to the current situation, but also in regards to the on going desire to think more about the environmental impact of our craft. Gemma and I have been busy over the last few weeks making sure that the Janie Crow Ravelry store is as up to date as possible. Putting my patterns on the site in order for you guys to be able to download them is something we started to put into place towards the end of last year. Downloading patterns massively reduces the amount of paper we use and the carbon footprint of postage, so we hope it is something that many of you will consider doing.

This week we have added the pattern for Imogen to the Ravelry site. You can find it by following this link. If you would rather have a paper copy of the pattern, or would like to get the yarn kit, you can find both on Andy's Just Knots web site. The paper pattern will also be on my Janie Crow web site over the next week or so.
 

I have been working on a new version of my Royal Garden blanket design for a while now. Scheepjes asked me to have a version made in their Colour Crafter yarn, so my ace crocheter Sue Macdonald completed the blanket recently. Scheepjes will be releasing yarn packs for the design soon but have given me permission to publish the pattern via Ravelry. The pattern is written in UK terms and Dutch Language and you can choose to use Colour Crafter or the lovely Riverwashed and Stonewashed yarns. 
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If you are looking for a project to use up small scraps of yarn, then you might fancy having a go at making a decorative crochet egg in preparation for Easter. We have added the pattern for my eggs (shown below) to Raverly as a free download.
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Over the last week, as a lot of you have started to look at what projects you want to work on over the next few months, we have had a lots of people asking about the kits for the Fruit Garden CAL. As it stands at the moment, the timings for the release of kits online remains the same - kits will go on sale on the 30th of March and the first set of patterns will be free to download from the 28th April.
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A download called 'Getting Ready' will be published on the 14th April. This will have information about yarn used, tension and hooks required. Some info is already on my web site here. I am hoping to film some YouTube videos over the next few weeks to accompany the pattern releases.

We already have our first batch of yarn packs for the CAL ready here at the studio. If you want to drop by and pick one up you can do so. We have an entry phone system at the studio and can leave anything you purchase in the hallway and buzz you into the building. You can pay with a card over the phone if you want to. The studio telephone no is: 0208 4470040. Please note that we plan to be here week days from 10am to 4pm for as long as we can be - we are not open at the weekend.

We were really sad to have to postpone the CAL launch party that was due to take place here at the studio on Wednesday. We hope to be holding a party in August instead to celebrate the completion of the project. I am also still hoping that some of the workshop tour dates that I have planned for the summer will go ahead. I will be posting the planned workshop list on the web site next week so that you can contact any of the stores involved and sign up or go on waiting lists for any events that you like the look of.
 

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As the forthcoming days of quarantine start to roll along, it might get a little harder to keep track of what day of the week it is, but we think it is important to celebrate the Friday Feeling regardless, so I will still be popping into your in box on a Friday afternoon to celebrate the start of the weekend. I know quite a lot of people are trying to put a 'Christmas' style spin on things and are likening the current situation to those 'in limbo' days between Christmas and New Year. The big difference, obviously, is that we have no idea just how long this is going to go on for and I am sure that there are very few of us who could maintain the Festive Feeling for more than 2 weeks, especially in regards to our cash flow....

With this in mind we have implemented a 10% discount for any orders placed on Andy's Just Knots web site until Monday 23rd March. Simply enter LOCKIN as the voucher code at check out. This is the first of many offers we have planned over the next few weeks, so do keep your eye out for more.

Today is our son Charlie's 25th Birthday. The three of us will be celebrating with a fish and chip supper and a cosy night in front of the TV - not quite the riotous trip to Amsterdam that poor Charlie and his friends had in mind for the next few days, but at least we know they are all safe! 

I hope, as usual, that the forthcoming weekend will provide me with some time for a few yarny adventures on the settee. The house is in need of a thorough clean, but once that is done the only other place to go is the garden, so I am incredibly grateful to be an avid crocheter whose idea of heaven is a few hours of mindful crafting! I am also considering a few DIY projects to keep me occupied and after all the spring is the perfect time to have a good old sort out!

I urge all of you to stay home if you can and I hope that wherever you are you are safe, well and happy. If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans you might have over the next week, please hit reply....

 
I sent this message yesterday evening, however I forgot to change the title of the email so I am sending again just in case you missed it.....

I hope this email finds you well and that you are all keeping safe.

I am dropping into your in box to let you know that we have decided to scale down the Fruit Garden CAL event at the studio.

This is not a decision we have taken lightly as we were really looking forward to seeing you at Janie Crow HQ, but we think it prudent that we try to operate in line with current advice and restrict the number of people gathering in one place. 

If you had made plans to come to the event and still want to pop in and pick up a yarn kit then we would be pleased to see you. We will still be at the studio between 2pm and 7pm as planned. 

We are planning to reschedule the party for later on in the year and will let you know as soon as we have another date in the diary.

Sending you all much yarny love
 

Wow! what a whirlwind of a week!
 
After the reveal of the new Fruit Garden CAL design last Friday we have been inundated with emails and messages - Thank you to all those of you who have taken the time to get in touch. It really has been amazing to see so much positivity in regards to the design.
 
We have had a lot of new people join the newsletter list this week, so the first thing I want to do is welcome all those of you who have not had an email from me before. For future reference, my emails usually arrive in your in-box on a Friday and not on a Sunday, so do look out for them!

There are two reasons why this newsletter has arrived with you on a Sunday - the first is that I want to give you the heads up that the shades for the new CAL project will be revealed via my web site tomorrow and the second is quite simply because I ran out of time to email you on Friday!!! Last week was a blur of final pattern checking and sorting ourselves out in readiness for the CAL and so the newsletter fell by the way side.....but here I am brightening up your Sunday instead!!! 

This month's newsletter focuses on the new CAL, but I have also included a few of the usual things like Instagram Favourite of the month, so I hope you have 5 minutes to spare in my company while I bring you up to speed with all things Janie Crow...
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Over the past week or so, we have had loads of queries about the new crochet along project and I have been busy on the social media platforms trying to answer your questions. To help you plan ahead I thought it would be a good idea to add an itinerary and further information to this week’s email.

The Fruit Garden CAL has been designed in 2 colour-ways

The ‘yellow’ one above has been made using Life DK & Batik. The image makes it look a little more yellow than it is in reality. the main shade is called Parchment and the second border shade is called Caramel.
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The  version shown above has been made using the new Naturals Bamboo + Cotton. The main shades are chalky blues and greys.

The completed blanket measures approximately 128cm square made in the Life DK/Batik and 108cm square in the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton.

The list of yarn shades and quantities will be released on Monday 16th March. They will be revealed on my web site and on Stylecraft’s social media platforms. From this date yarn kits will be on sale in ‘bricks and mortar’ stores.
 
We will have kits ready at the studio from the day of our launch party on Wednesday 18th March. The studio will also be open between 10am and 4pm on the dates below should you want to drop in and pick up a yarn pack – we do recommend that you give us a call first to check that we have what you want:
 
Thursday 19th & Friday 20th March
Monday 23rd through to Friday 27th March.
 
Studio no: 0208 447 0040
 
Please note that yarn kits will not be sent out in the post between the 16th & 30th March, even if you ask really really nicely!

If you would like to come to the launch party on Wednesday click on the link here or on the image below to be taken to more information. It is very much business as usual here at Janie Crow, despite what is going on in the world, so we hope you will come along. If, for any reason, the situation changes over the next few days and weeks we will ping you an email.
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Yarn packs go on sale on-line from the 30th March. We will have them on the Janie Crow site. Our kits will include all the yarn needed to complete the project, the advanced information leaflet and a sew in Janie Crow fabric label. The packs will not include the project patterns - these will only be available to download from the Stylecraft web site.
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The first set of patterns will be free to download on Tuesday 28th April. The patterns will then be published every two weeks through to early August. They are all free and have been written in UK & US terms and in the Dutch Language.
 
I will be doing some films to accompany each of the motifs that feature in the design. These will be free to view via my web site and Youtube.
 
A free ‘Getting Ready’ document will be released to download on 14th April. This document will feature notes on yarn use, basic stitches and tension.
 
I hope this covers some of your questions. For more information on kit prices and to see the list of yarns used in the project, don't forget to take a look at the web site tomorrow.

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​If you are looking for a really striking crochet mandala project, then you need look no further as the super talented Dedri Uys of Look at What I Made has come up with this ultra cool scaled up mandala design that she has called Celestial.
 

I am so in love with this project and would like to make one to go in the garden in the summer. The design is just so pretty!

The project is featured in the new Scheepjes Yarn 9 bookazine of patterns and it uses one ball of Whirl. With Dedri's support Andy has put together a kit page on the Just Knots web site. The kits include the pattern book and yarn needed to make the project and you can choose from one of the many shades of gorgeous Scheepjes Whirl.
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​My friend Christina is an angel in disguise - she does a huge amount of amazing work for charities and recently told me about a project she was involved with in Cambodia. The project is called Be Free Cambodia - an organisation that campaigns against human exploitation:

'With between 2 and 4 million people trafficked across borders each year, 300,000 child soldiers working around the world and approx 3287 men, women and children being taken and sold every day, it is hard not to stand up and take note of those who are not free, those who don't have a voice and those whose hope has been lost'.
 

'Be Free Cambodia provides a 12 month training programme with a holistic approach for women rescued from human exploitation'.

You can find a link to the Be Free Cambodia Instagram profile here or by clicking on the image above.

Christina very kindly gave me permission to share her images of the crochet flowers that she taught some of the girls on the programme to make during her recent trip to support the project in Cambodia:
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You can find the free pattern that Christina used as the basis for her beaded flower design here.

For more information about the work of the 'Be Free' organisation follow this link to their web site.

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I have been teaching at the Woolly Away event in Hertfordshire today. I prepared a small crochet mandala kit based on my Bohemian Blooms design for each of the participants. I will be tutoring the same workshop again at the new Rowan Flagship store 'Osprey Home' in St Albans in June if you fancy coming along!
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I hope this email finds you well and that you are looking forward to the weekend. 
 
Today is a REALLY exciting day for me as I can finally show you the images of my Fruit Garden Blanket. The design is based on the amazing embroideries of May Morris, a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement.

The images were taken at Standen House, a National Trust property in Sussex, which was built in the Arts and Crafts Style and houses an incredible amount of amazing work, including examples of May's embroidery skills. I felt really lucky to be able to join the shoot and be surrounded by so many inspiring pieces.
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I have been revealing parts of this design all week on my social media platforms and have spent this morning filming a short video that will be released soon with the aim of encouraging you all to take part in this project.

The patterns for the Fruit Garden CAL will be published in 8 fortnightly parts. They will be free to download and the first part will be released on the 28th April. The yarn shades and amounts needed for the project will be revealed soon and yarn packs will go on sale via bricks and mortar shops from the 16th March and on line on from the 30th.

The light yellow version uses Stylecraft Life DK and Batik - both of which are wool and acrylic yarns and the blue/grey version uses the new 'Naturals' Bamboo & Cotton yarn.

We are hoping that you will be able to pop into the studio on Wednesday 18th March to see the projects 'in the flesh' and pick up a yarn pack if you wish, so as promised, here is a link to the official invitation.
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Next Friday I will be sharing my monthly bumper newsletter, which will feature more CAL related information and give you the heads up about workshops and events that will take place over the next few months. My first workshop of the year (other than the Knit For Peace trip to Mysore) takes place at the Woolly Away next weekend and I will be at Beautiful Knitters, here in London Town, on Saturday the 4th of April tutoring a crochet beading workshop.

It has been a busy week, so I am looking forward to the weekend as usual. We are heading out to celebrate my Mum's birthday on Sunday and have tickets to see The Lion King at the theatre on Saturday (a fabulous Christmas gift), so a lot to look forward to.

I am also hoping (as usual) that there will be plenty of opportunity for me to plonk myself on the settee with my crochet! I would love to hear what you all have planned....