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!We had a fabulous time at Wonderwool in Wales last weekend and it was so lovely to meet so many of you on the stand over the course of the show. As I spend so much of my time working like a hermit at the end of the garden it is always so good to be out in the big wild world and chat to you guys! We have quite a lot going on here at the moment, with a few new things on the horizon, so I hope you have a few minutes to spare to catch up with all things Janie Crow!   I have designed a crochet along project pretty much every year since 2011. Sometimes there have been longer gaps between releases, with not every CAL emerging from my hook exactly a year after the last one before, but never the less, I have released 12 CAL projects in 12 years.   When I think back to my first CAL design I can see that the way I work and the expectation of what crocheters want has changed dramatically over the years. Back then my patterns had a few step by step images and were accompanied by a blog post or two, but there was no pressure to make videos, include charted instructions, translate into more than one language, or to create technique documents to help along the way. The added extras that accompany my CAL designs these days all have a place and are essential to the enjoyment and accomplishment of the crocheters who choose to work through them. I wouldn’t change my process or wish there was less work involved as I enjoy all the aspects involved.   As regular followers of this newsletter will probably know, I have been working on a new CAL design since the end of February but, after weeks of trying to make my motifs into a cohesive project, I decided last week that it is time to step back from the project for a little while to rethink. I am not sure what it is that is blocking this design from coming off my hook. It could be the pressure of the timescale, or of the expectation after the success of recent CALs. It could be that Spirit of Flora is still too new (and beautiful) for me to walk away just yet, or it could be that the crochet samples I have completed want to become stand alone blanket or shawl projects rather than a CAL. Having ideas for smaller items, rather than a CAL has felt very liberating and I am excited by what might come off my hook as the weeks progress.   I am asked about the schedule for new design work all the time as so many of you speed through my designs, but I know that there are also many of you who work at a slower pace or want to revisit existing designs. For those of you who like to plan your projects - on the horizon we will be releasing information about the Fiori version of Fields of Gold (shown below) and have been working on a revamp of Mystical Lanterns. Both these projects should be out in the wild within the next month. My Gertrude and Muriel cushion covers are also likely to be released over the summer. As we head into the Autumn I hope there will be some new design work as well as a new colour way for Indigo Dreams that has been created by Lucia of Lucia's Fig Tree.  As we head into 2024 the permission to release the patterns for the Spirit of Flora blanket will start to return to me so we will make plans for how to release this. We have not made any decisions about this yet so please be patient! If you are looking for a project to get your hook into before next year I am really pleased to say that we finally have some kist in stock! After, what feels like a really long time, yarns are starting to come back into stock in amounts that mean we can make kits, so if you are looking for a project do head over to the store and take a look through what we have.  We made up kits for the Magic Circles Scarf (shown above) using the beautiful Eden Cottage Milburn DK to take to Wonderwool last weekend and we still have some of these left in stock. You can find them by following this link.   I was looking through my diary from 2020 and realised that it is 3 years to the day today since we released the first set of patterns for The Fruit Garden CAL, which was inspired by the incredible embroidery design of Arts and Crafts designer May Morris. Daughter to William and Jane Morris, May was a gifted artist and technician. She travelled the world giving inspirational talks and presentations and was passionate about creating recognition of the skill level needed to create intricate embroidery. She was an incredibly accomplished woman, especially given the era within which she lived and worked. After my visit to May’s home, Kelmscott Manor, where I saw many of her beautiful embroideries, I knew immediately that I wanted to create a design using her work and ended up focusing on The Melsetter Hangings, embroideries that were designed by May and stitched by her and her close friend Theodosia Middlemore somewhere between 1890 and 1900. The hangings feature birds, flowers, plants and central fruit trees on an embroidered trellis background.  Over the course of the 3 years since its release, I have been so honoured to see the way The Fruit Garden blanket project has been embraced around the world and I am incredibly proud of the fact that so many crocheters joined together, albeit virtually, to create their own heirloom pieces during unprecedented times. I feel this is an amazing testament to the skills and inclusivity of the crafting community and crocheters in particular. Blankets are by nature a love token. A blanket is a symbol of comfort and warmth and, if you also consider the fact that every stitch is lovingly made by hand, then you know that you are creating something extra special.  I have been looking back through our posts on Instagram from the last year and realised that it has been almost a year since we hit 50k followers, which means that our following has almost doubled in the space of year. How amazing is that! Having Emma on board to help me with Instagram and Youtube over the last 12 months has been fabulous and I am really grateful to her for getting me organised so that between us we can post beautiful content more often. I think we have created a really lovely space on our feed where we can share our passion for our craft and what goes on in the world around us as we happily hook! Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could get to 100k followers in time for the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. I know this is a tall order, but I am thinking that If we were to manage to get another 5k followers over the next 4 weeks we could celebrate with an extra special free download pattern that would be available to our Instagram followers over the Bank Holiday weekend. If you dont already follow our feed, or you do follow us and would like to get your friends involved, (or you simply want to get your hands on an exclusive free pattern), why not help us get to 100k by following us or inviting your instagram friends to follow us too.  Last Saturday was World Earth Day so I took the opportunity to use the suggested Earth Day Pantone pallet, called 'Be a Force of Nature', to create a version of my 'Flower for Alice' Granny Square. I designed the motif for Granny Square day in last year in honour of my Nanna Martin who was recycling yarn to create crocheted granny squares back in the 70’s and 80’s. Working within the craft industry it is impossible to ignore the pressure to create projects in a more sustainable way and to ensure that the legacy of my designs is not detrimental to the planet. The rise in download pattern sales means we are using less paper in our business than ever before and are thus not having to use printing inks and their associated chemicals and incur the carbon footprint of postage either, but creating larger items like blankets presents a real dilemma for me. This is partly because the cost of making them in natural fibres is often prohibitive and because they are not always logical in terms of washing and repetitive use. Of course there are other considerations too: provenance of the wool itself and the ethical and environmental impacts of its production. Ultimately, I have had to placate myself by accepting that the production of man-made fibres does pose a threat to our environment but this is balanced to some extent by with the fact that blankets are not fast fashion. I know how many of you gift the wonderful blankets you make and that the recipients invariably would not dream of discarding these treasured items and so they are passed on, treasured and become heirloom pieces. And yet, as a consumer, I try so hard to make the right choices but still often wonder whether we are as careful about the items we buy regularly (packets of crisps, nuts, pasta, milk cartons etc) as we are in regards to yarn. A difficult balancing act when we are as passionate about our creativity as we are! I would love to hear what you think...  Our lovely Gemma is a fabulous crochet tutor and over the last few months she has been working with a group of newbie crocheters to guide them though the Sunshine and Showers blanket. Gem sent me the image above this week to show me how the group got on. How amazing to see all those talented ladies with their blankets!  In the latest issue of Inside Crochet Magazine the Marlborough motif for Spirit of Flora ventured out into the world along with some exciting extras! William DeMorgan designed quite a lot of tiles that he called Marlborough, mostly featuring either blue or yellow flowers with a leafy background. For the Spirit of Flora project, I wanted to design a few flower motifs surrounded by a nice border. These motifs would work well sat on the outside edges of your project and would also look really effective as repeated blocks.   You can also find the pattern for the very gorgeous Dana bag in this month's magazine. Using 2 blocks from the Spirit of Flora design, the sky's the limit on this - you can make loads of combinations throughout the project if you fancy! Making this bag is also a lovely way to "go rogue" if you want to see some alternate colours to your chosen palette. You know how sometimes you make a block and love it and want to make it in every colour? Well here is your excuse!  We've also put together the free download for the plain blocks I have designed to accompany the project and you can find them on my website here. I designed these with my love of quilts in mind: a plainer block to calm down the "busy" blocks if you want to create a little space between them.  These gorgeous velvet cushions are the latest addition to the Janie Crow and Emma Ball collaboration. The cushion covers are double sided and there are four designs available, as you can see in the images below. They can be purchased as a complete cushion or the cover only.     Gemma's says her household is trying to focus on a gradual reduction of sugar consumption, but it's not an easy task when you have all inherited the family sweet tooth!  Being on the lookout for lower sugar versions of some favourite recipes, Gemma thinks this lower sugar carrot cake by Mary Berry looks like a good one to try. The recipe uses Agave syrup and Maple syrup rather than more highly refined sugars and the carrots will keep it lovely and moist so it's bound to be yummy! In the Crowfoot household it is Andy's Birthday this weekend so I will be making a cake too! I always ask what type of cake he would like, knowing full well that he will say chocolate, and this year is no different. I tend to make a really fudgy chocolate cake using this recipe and so will probably do the same one again. The recipe freaks me out a little bit, because the batter is particularly runny before it goes in the oven, but so far the cake has always turned out great!  Have you ever tried Tunisian crochet? A new book by knit and crochet designer Anna Nikipirowicz has just been published by Search Press. The Tunisian Crochet Stitch Dictionary details 150 stitches, with step-by-step photos, charts and swatches to guide you along the way.  Gemma says she will be snapping up a copy as she's been turning her attention to this area of crochet recently! You can find out more about Anna's work here or by clicking on the image above.  NEW! We launched our first catalogue in 2020 and have updated it this year to include our up to date range of crochet and knit projects. Click on the image above to be taken to the download catalogue. Print copies are coming soon!  I have had a deadline for a chapter of my new book this week so I have been spending a lot of time at my desk, often working into the evenings too, so I am really looking forward to a few days off over the weekend. As it is Andy's birthday on Sunday we are heading into town this afternoon to see the Infinity Mirror Rooms at the Tate, followed by some food and cheeky drink in Borough Market. Saturday and Sunday we will be sticking close to home doing family things and hoping that we might get to venture into the garden. It has been so cold and wet here this spring that we have hardly made it out there so far this year, which is incredibly frustrating as it looks so good and the grass is in desperate need of a cut! It is nice to think that we have an extra day off this weekend due to the bank holiday on Monday. I am hoping to find time to do some crochet as I have some ideas for beaded edgings that I want to try out, so Monday might just be the perfect day for that! I hope you have fun whatever your plans! Janie x   The last couple of weeks have been a little quieter here at Janie Crow so it has been lovely to relax back into some time at home, especially as we have just had the long Easter weekend which provided a little extra time off than normal. The garden is bursting into life around me as we head full throttle into spring and it has been so fabulous to be able to spend some time pottering around outside at last, although this week the weather is giving us sporadic April showers, so I am not getting too complacent about the improving weather just yet! I have a few things to tell you about this week so I hope you can spare a some of your precious time to catch up with all things Janie Crow.    It is hard to believe that today marks the 3 year anniversary of the day we released the Getting Ready information for The Fruit Garden Crochet Along project which I released in collaboration with Stylecraft Yarns just a few weeks into lockdown. When I was designing this project there was no way of predicting what was ahead of us, but it soon became abundantly clear that many crocheters were finding much needed solace by working through this crochet along.  The design was inspired by a visit to Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire where I saw the incredible embroideries of William Morris’s daughter May, and could immediately see how I could use her work as the basis for a crochet design.  This project means a huge amount to me and I am incredibly proud of it. Not only in terms of its design, but also in regards to how working through it created a valuable lifeline for so many crocheters during unprecedented times.  We are really looking forward to exhibiting at Wonderwool Wales next weekend (22nd & 23rd April) and hope to see some of you there. Andy has been busy getting some kits put together for us to sell at the show including the Mystical Lanterns scarf kit, the Fruit Garden blanket kit in Parchment and Caramel and a new version of the Magic Circles wrap, which has 'Dusk' included in place of the discontinued shade Autumn Fields from the Eden Cottage range of Milburn DK.   We will also have kits for the Sandalwood version of Persian Tiles and lots of items from our Emma Ball and Janie Crow collaborative range.  I have been working on a new CAL design for the last few weeks, but have recently ditched my original ideas and started again! I am in the process of rethinking my colour palette and have made a new Pinterest board. It can be really frustrating when ideas don't work out, but I am feeling more confident about my new ideas and hopefully I can incorporate bits of the sampling I have already done into the new design. With the clock ticking and the deadline looming I need to get my skates on with this design now, so I have my fingers crossed that I won't have another blip! I have recently worked alongside my fabulous Graphic Designer, Steph, to create a new Janie Crow catalogue which is available to download here. Having a browse through the catalogue is a great way to see the Janie Crow collection in one place and it includes some background information about the designs. Steph has made it all look so lovely and I am incredibly pleased with it. We have sent the file off to print, so we should have some physical copies within the next couple of weeks.  We have continued to see increased sales of my Persian Tiles patterns ever since Justin Bieber wore a version to the Oscars after party a few weeks ago. I am still reeling a little bit and can't quite believe that the blanket took centre stage at such a prestigious event!  If any of you did happen to miss the Justin Bieber crochet blanket story, take a look at my Instagram feed for more info and images.  Emma has been working on the video for the final part of the Sunshine and Showers project and should have that uploaded to our Youtube channel some time next week. I can't believe that a year has almost passed since we relaunched this crochet along project and I am so grateful to Emma for doing such a great job on the videos. STOP PRESS! Due to unforeseen circumstances there are now 2 places in a shared room on my week long crochet workshop in France in June. You can find more information here.  I was so incredibly excited when the first boxes of Emma Ball and Janie Crow velvet cushions arrived last week that I immediately unpacked them and popped one of each design on our bed! I love them so much!   The cushions come in 4 designs and we have already sold out of the Mystical Lanterns one, but don't worry - we will be getting more! Don't forget that we now have lots of items from the collaborative range in stock, including stitch markers, note pads and small note-lets as well as the tin items, project pouches and purses and tote bags!  Due to cancellations there are still places left on the Arena Travel 'Knitting Traditions of Peru' trip with me as tutor in early September.  Peru has the longest continuous history of textile production in the world, going back almost 10,000 years. Invented long before pottery and just as humans started agriculture, Peruvian fibre manipulation began with simple spun fibres but by 500 AD this rudimentary craft had developed into complex techniques.  On our travels we’ll explore the processes involved in the production of textiles, including the most characteristic garment, the *chullo*, a knitted hat with an earflap and a calendar waistband that depicts the annual cycles of ritual and agricultural life, and we'll meet local artisans whose traditions have been passed down through the centuries.  I am really excited by the prospect of this incredible trip to Peru, a country that has a rich history of intricate knitting traditions. When we think of Peru we imagine bright colours of lush vegetation, foliage and flowers and the incredible surface pattern of costumes, jewellery and artwork, as well as the breathtaking scenery and archaeological sites. I am sure this will be a truly inspirational trip and I am really looking forward to all that we will see and experience on this journey of a lifetime. You can find more information by following this link.  There are also places left on my Stitch Yourself Happy - Crochet & Yoga workshop in July. Numerous studies have shown that crafting is just as beneficial for your personal wellbeing and mental health as Pilates, yoga and mindfulness are for both physical and mental health. Over the course of this weekend I will be tutoring beaded crochet workshops and, if you come along, you will get to do some lovely relaxing yoga too! Beaded crochet is a beautifully effective technique that is much simpler than you imagine. There is no need to learn any new stitches, the beads are just added into your crochet at certain stages of the stitch to create a really lovely effect. Participants will need to know how to work crochet basic crochet stitches and how to read a crochet pattern.  A few weeks ago we introduced our lovely Gemma over on Instagram and you can find the post by following this link.  If you have ever wondered what the members of my fabulous team do for Janie Crow, or simply want to put a face to a name, then do head over to our Instagram feed to take a look!  On Sarah's advice I recently bought a copy of 'One Pot, Pan, Planet' by Anna Jones. It is a really lovely looking book with lots of recipes and interesting information about seasonal food and how to cook in a more economical and smart way to the advantage to both the planet and your pocket.  We have tried quite a few recipes from the book, but the one we have now adopted as a firm favourite is the Sag Aloo Shepherds Pie, which is easy to make and is truly delicious. You can find the recipe here.  I make the bean casserole part of the pie in my slow cooker then pop it in the oven to crisp up the mashed cauliflower, spinach and potato topping later on.   As I settle back into the daily routine of working in the studio after what feels like weeks of events and deadlines, I have found myself looking forward to more moments of calm and TLC in my life and am once again trying to create some good habits like going to the gym and getting out of the house for a walk. Reading is one of the first things to go out of the window when my life is work heavy as I tend to find I can't concentrate and end up flicking mindlessly through my phone instead, so I have started a couple of new books this week too. One is Why Women Grow, by Alice Vincent (another recommendation from Sarah) and the other is a fascinating book about the ageing process called Ageless by Andrew Steele. I have the two books on the go at the same time as the Andrew Steele one is quite information heavy and includes quite a lot of long words that I have to look up so I am dipping into both of them depending on my mood and how tired I am! I have discovered a really great interiors feed to follow on Instagram called The Jungalow. The feed has so many lovely interior shots and is awash with fabulous colour combinations so it is fair to say that I am more than a bit hooked!   The Jungalow feed is created by Justina Blakeney who has a personal feed that you can find here. This is also the kind of account you can loose a couple of hours rooting around in!  At this time of year I always find myself making plans for the house and garden. We are hoping to finally complete the lean-to in the back garden this year by sorting out the paving and I also hope to give our little conservatory a bit of a revamp after it suffered some water damage during the winter. I must admit that when it comes to jobs within the house I tend to enjoy the planning stage more than the doing and am drawn to completing jobs in the garden rather than indoors first. No doubt the jobs in the conservatory will be weather dependant! We are hoping to take a trip to the Garden Centre at some point this weekend, but other than that I think it is set to be a couple of days of pottering around. I have been working on a new book over the last couple of weeks, so if the weather is a bit miserable and we have yet more rain, I might tuck myself away in the studio for a couple of hours of writing. I hope that wherever you are, and whatever you have planned that you will have a great weekend and that you stay safe. Janie x  |
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AuthorWelcome to my blog. Here you will find my email newsletter archive alongside any other general musings or information about events or new pattern releases that I wish to share with you! Archives
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