Gemma here, just popping in very quickly to give you the link to June's temperature recording chart. You can find it here. 

We've had some crazy temperature variations this month, starting with a scorching 28 degrees centigrade at the beginning of the month, with a drop to 13 degrees a bit later on. 

Enjoy this month's squares and keep posting your pics with the hashtag #janiecrowtempblanket25 so we can share your progress.

​See you next month! 

As usual it has been a busy couple of weeks here at Janie Crow and I have a few things to tell you about in this Quick Catch Up email, including the details of an exciting new Stitchtopia textiles workshop tour that I will be tutoring in Turkey next year. I hope you have a few spare minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow! ​

I feel so lucky to have a great relationship with the team at Stitchtopia who work really hard to create the most amazing calendar of workshop trips and tours for craft enthusiasts. They are always open to my suggestions for places to visit and I am looking forward to sharing details of all the workshops I will be tutoring for them in 2026 very soon.
 
My ‘Ta-dah’ moment for today is that the itinerary for my trip to Turkey in October next year is now live and you can find it by following this link.
 
I am really excited about this trip already, even though it is over a year away, and I have been busy thinking about the knit and crochet projects I can design for participants to work on while we are away. 

I am a big fan of the work of Claire Montgomerie. She is a super talented stylist and crochet designer who has recently seen a huge amount of success with her series of Granny Square card decks.
 
These super little boxes of pattern cards are so handy for crocheters and each box includes instructions for fifty pretty grannies! Following the huge success of her first box of cards, Claire has now released the Granny Squares Flowers Card Deck and you can find it for sale on her website by following this link or by clicking on the image below. Keep an eye out for a review of the set coming soon on Gemma's Book of the Month blog. 

We continue to have healthy stock levels of kits and you can have a browse of all our stock by following this link.

​Over on Instagram this month news of the arrival of Zero to Granny, our video series for complete beginners, was received enthusiastically, and Emma was waxing lyrical about some some of the temperature blanket colour combinations appearing in nature. 
 
She was very excited to have discovered a nest of blue tits in her garden and was immediately able to see echoes of the colouring of those particular birds in the May square she was making. The colours of one of Gemma's May squares was reflected in the gorgeous apple blossom in Emma's garden, as you can see in the photo below. 

Do share your temperature blanket progress with us using the hashtag #janiecrowtempblanket25, so we can take a look at how your blankets are coming along and for the very well organised amongst you, you can download the June temperature chart here. ​

If you don't already follow our social media channels you can find links at the bottom of this email. Do come and join us! ​

​Instagram @ritamontezuma

The Isle of Wight Postal Museum has been yarn bombed by the Women's Institute in a bid to raise money for an Alzheimers charity! You can read about it here or click on the image of the amazing Noah's Ark topper below. ​

Gemma's review of the book ‘Crochet Makes from Scrap Cakes’ is now available to read over on the blog and whilst she hasn't quite been converted fully to the idea of making items with completely random colour changes, Gemma did test out one of the patterns to great success. ​

The pattern Gemma chose to try out was for a clutch purse and here is the end result. We think it's rather stylish! 
 
If you like the look of the book and fancy having a go at using up all those pesky little balls of leftover yarn, you can get it from the Search Press website with a discount of 20% and free postage in the UK, by using the code DD88 at checkout. Gemma's next review will be of the Granny Square Flowers Card Deck by Claire Montgomerie (as mentioned earlier in this newsletter). 

In last month's Quick Catch Up I reported that I had made good progress on my Bohemian Blooms project, with the rectangular Gordon and Fitzroy sections, together with four Harmony and four Virginia motifs, in place. I had also managed to add the two Bloomsbury strips that I had made already.  
 
My new target for the month was to make the two remaining Bloomsbury motifs, join the Omega motifs to the ends and then attach the resulting strips to the blanket. I managed to achieve this and actually make a start on the edging! 

There's something very satisfying about reaching the point of adding the edging/border to a blanket. It feels like a long undertaking is coming to an end, with mixed feelings of excitement about completion and slight fear of that familiarity not being there anymore!
​
So with great excitement, I look forward to sharing the finished blanket with you next month! Fingers crossed…

As vegetarians, Andy and I try to eat lots of beans and pulses as they are a great source of fibre and protein, so I was really excited when Sarah gifted me a fabulous book by Amelia Christie-Miller where every recipe includes a jar or two! We are really lucky to live close to a Turkish supermarket that sells lots of different beans in jars rather than cans, so this book is going to be super handy! 
 
When I visited Sarah a couple of weeks ago, her lovely husband Paul used the book to make a Bean Florentine and it was just so delicious! I am really looking forward to making it myself soon, but there are so many other mouth watering recipes in this book that I am going to have to make a list as I can't decide which one to do first! 
 
If you want to get hold of the book, you can find it for sale on Waterstones here. If you want to follow a similar recipe, you can find one by The Bold Bean Co, by following this link.

It's my birthday today, so I am looking forward to a little celebration with my family this evening and we have a busy weekend planned as we venture into the first few days of June. Can you believe we are almost half way through the year already? I have only just got used to writing '25!
 
I have a relatively quiet couple of weeks ahead and I am hoping to be able to put the finishing touches to a couple of projects and maybe start something new. I keep having unexpected things crop up and take a lot of my time these days so it will be good to get some serious crochet under my belt in June! Fingers crossed!

The response to our Zero to Granny Square, Learn to Crochet course has been so positive since we launched it last week and we are incredibly pleased with how it has been received. If you missed any of the information about it, I have included it again in this email.
 
I have had a busy week away at a meet and greet event and workshop at the fabulous Black Sheep Wools in Warrington and have only arrived back home earlier this afternoon, so please forgive the late nature of this email.
 
I have a few things to tell you about this month, including a lovely big stock update, so I hope you have some spare time to catch up with all our news.

​As I said in the introduction, the response to the Zero to Granny course has been amazing and it has been fabulous to see positive comments from so many beginners. Gemma, Emma, Sarah and I have quite a long history of teaching between us, so we made a combined list of all the things beginners tend to ask for help with and tried to cover as many of them as possible in the videos. Emma spent a huge amount of time checking and revisiting them so that we could be sure everything was ship shape before we launched last week and I am so grateful to her for her amazing attention to detail and hard work on this project.
 
We have created a total of thirteen new 'Zero to Granny' YouTube videos, all of which are free to access and sit alongside our existing collection of almost two hundred technique videos on the platform. The videos are listed within a playlist in number order, with the first one (1), entitled The Basics, gently talking beginners through how to choose yarn and hooks, how to make a slipknot and tension yarn. Our second video (2) shows in-depth the process of making a chain, whilst also explaining how to recognise the front and back of each one and how to count them. Each subsequent video shows another technique so that crocheters can build their knowledge of basic stitches. By video number seven (7) we move to working through a Granny Square pattern, a true rite of passage for any new crocheter.
 
We have covered a huge amount of information within our videos and, whilst we acknowledge that they cannot replace the benefits of learning 'in real life', we hope that they are a comprehensive resource for those wanting to embark on their crochet journeys.
 
I gave my young cousin Lizzie a crochet hook a couple of weeks ago when she came to see us at Wonderwool as she was thinking of having a go at learning. I told her the Zero to Granny course was coming and so I was really proud to receive the text and image below last weekend - I am sure she won't mind me sharing it here!
 
If you fancy taking a look at our free course, you can find the dedicated web page here and you can find the YouTube video playlist here. We hope that you will love it!

All our YouTube videos are provided on the platform as free resources, so if you have watched any of them and have found them helpful, please be sure to click the ‘like’ icon and leave a nice review. We put a lot of time into our video tutorials and thankfully the majority of comments are good, but it can be hard when they are negative (or just downright rude!). We tend to get these kinds of comments on the videos where (we think) people are expecting not to have to pay for a written pattern and want to be shown the whole motif. 
 
We feel it is pointless to cover straightforward ‘plain’ rounds or stitch combinations in our videos, so it could be that people are frustrated that not all steps are shown. Emma and I often debate whether we should be removing comments where viewers discuss the rounds and explain them to each other, or whether we should switch off comments all together, but I am not sure this sits right with me. We would love to hear your thoughts on this….

We have partnered with the fantastic team at Wool Warehouse to create a yarn kit for my Marrakesh version of Persian Tiles using their gorgeous YARNSMITHS Merino DK Superwash yarn. You can find the kit here.
 
To celebrate the release of this fabulous kit, which contains all the yarn and the printed yarn substitution document, you can currently get 40% off the price and save yourself more than £60! 
 
As the colour palette in the YARNSMITHS Merino DK Superwash is so large (with 120 colours to choose from) this version of the blanket is pretty much identical to my original version, which was made using Stylecraft Yarns - you can find a link to the original kit lower down this email. 
 
The new kits, that use the Merino DK yarn, have been selling really fast, so head over to the Wool Warehouse website if you would like to nab one!

I had a really fabulous couple of days in the Craft Barn at Black Sheep Wools in Warrington. On Wednesday I was in store for a meet and greet event where I chatted to crafters about my projects and the joy of crochet, then on Thursday I tutored a crochet wreath workshop where participants made pretty crochet flowers from my Beaded Decorations pattern.
 
I was really blown away by the beauty of Hilary's amazing version of Spirit of Flora which she brought along to show me. She has used Felted Tweed from Rowan to make it and I think her colour palette is just so gorgeous, don't you! Black Sheep Wools are a Rowan flagship store, so if you fancy taking a look at their yarn range, you can do so by following this link.

​We had some friends over for a few drinks in the garden last weekend and my friend Julia brought along some super yummy jammy slices that she had made. Ingredients included oats, almonds, chocolate chips and jam and they really were delicious, so I asked her for the recipe so that I, in turn, can share it with you:
 
Ingredients
225g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
100g Caster Sugar
85g Light Brown Soft Sugar
225g Butter
150g Rolled Oats
225g Raspberry or Strawberry Jam (Julia used Raspberry)
100g Plain Chocolate Chips (Julia used White Chocolate)
25g Flaked Almonds
 
Method
Preheat oven to 190/375/Gas mark 5. Line a 30 x 20cm (12 x 8in) rectangular baking tin. Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl, add the sugars and mix well. Add the butter and rub in with fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats.
 
To make the base, press three quarters of the mixture into the tin. Bake for 10 minutes. Spread the jam over the cooked base, then sprinkle over the chocolate chips. Place the remaining crumble mixture and almonds in a bowl and stir. Sprinkle on top of the jam and press down gently. Bake for a further 20/25 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin and cut into slices to serve.

We have been pup sitting the gorgeous Stoick this afternoon and have him with us for a few days now, so there is not a lot of point in planning too many things other than puppy playing! It is our daughter Summer’s birthday tomorrow and she shares the date with my Dad, so it’s a special weekend in our family. Happy Birthday you two! ​

If you have been reading my emails for the last couple of months you may remember that Andy and I took on an eight week diet and exercise ‘shred’ programme mid way through March. Our challenge is now over and so we are navigating a slight increase in calories and a decrease in exercise. It has been a really worthwhile experience and I am definitely coming out of it feeling much better.
 
This time last year I got to the point where I knew something had to change. I had constant strains and injuries, bad knees, and aching shoulders, which I put down to my hunched position of crocheting. I was working hard and not making room in my life for much else, other than at the weekends, which were often full of food and a celebratory drink or three, which ended up making me feel even more rubbish on a Monday and yet, week after week, I perpetuated the whole routine again.
 
Last May I had a conversation with Emma which gave me the kick start to sort my life out and you can read more about how things have changed since then over on the Janie Crow Lifestyle instagram page here.
 
So, that is it from me for another couple of weeks. I have a busy diary through to the end of May and Gemma and I will be back in your inbox with a Quick Catch Up email on the 30th May. I hope life treats you well in the mean time and that you get some time to do some serious crafting! 

The first Granny Square I ever made was nothing like the name suggests in that it wasn’t square! It was messy, incredibly wavy and had five, possibly six corners! Despite all its flaws, however, I instantly found a sense of calm and mindfulness in the repetitive nature of making the groups of stitches and chain spaces to create the motif and I still find a lot of joy in making them.
 
Like many traditional crochet patterns, the origin of the design is a little unclear. According to Wikipedia, the earliest known example of a traditional granny square was designed by Mrs Phelps and the pattern was published in the April 1885 edition of The Prairie Farmer newspaper in the USA. This gloriously simple pattern seems to have stayed a firm favourite amongst beginner crocheters and experts ever since and making one is considered a rite of passage for any serious crafter.
 
My Great Grandmother learnt how to make a Granny Square in the 1970s when crochet was enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity. She was an incredibly proficient crocheter and had been brought up in the Victorian era when many ladies made fine, lace style crochet pieces. The humble Granny Square provided her with the chance to really play with colours and she would source yarn at charity shops and unravel old sweaters, wash the yarn and reuse it, to make her crochet projects. In her lifetime she must have made hundreds of blankets, from cot to double bed size, and many members of my family still have one of her heirloom creations.

At JANIE CROW we are passionate about the craft of crochet and are so pleased that it is increasingly recognised as a stage for creativity. Via our crochet designs, our free YouTube content and our social media platforms, we endeavour to show a wide audience the versatility and integrity of the craft, hopefully also managing within that framework to encourage a new breed of crocheters to preserve our beloved craft for future generations.
 
Since lockdown in 2020 we have seen a wave of new crocheters, many of whom do not have access to relatives, friends or the services of staff in local yarn stores to guide them through the learning process and instead refer to channels such as YouTube and TikTok for help. With these beginner crocheters in mind, we have created our ‘Zero to Granny’, Learn to Crochet Course that we are incredibly proud to present to you. Our course is a free resource for crochet beginners, those seeking to expand their knowledge and those who simply want confirmation that they are doing things in the right way.

We have created a total of thirteen new ‘Zero to Granny’ YouTube videos, all of which are free to access and sit alongside our existing collection of almost two hundred technique videos on the platform. The videos are listed within a playlist in number order, with the first one (1), entitled The Basics, gently talking beginners through how to choose yarn and hooks, how to make a slipknot and tension yarn. Our second video (2) shows in-depth the process of making a chain, whilst also explaining how to recognise the front and back of each one and how to count them. Each subsequent video shows another technique so that crocheters can build their knowledge of basic stitches. By video number seven (7) we move to working through a Granny Square pattern, a true rite of passage for any new crocheter. 
 
We have covered a huge amount of information within our videos and, whilst we acknowledge that they cannot replace the benefits of learning ‘in real life’, we hope that they are a comprehensive resource for those wanting to embark on their crochet journeys.
 
You can find the dedicated web page here and you can find the YouTube video playlist here. We hope that you will love it!

Our Learn to Crochet Course grew rapidly from the simple idea of creating a YouTube video to show how to make a humble Granny Square and I am incredibly grateful to Emma for putting a huge amount of time and effort into filming the videos. 
 
If you want to point newbie crocheters towards our free course or fancy dipping into it yourself, we would be really grateful. If you are a crochet tutor and want to use the resources to aid beginners, please feel free to do so, but please respect the copyright of the Granny Square pattern and email us to ask permission to print them off as class handouts.

Last month was a busy one and I'm really not sure where the time has gone but I've made it here to tell you about the book I chose for April's review. Needing to make space for an inherited stash, I cast my eye over some of the odds and ends in my own stash and I found a bag of very small oddments of a lovely King Cole yarn called Finesse, left over from a workshop I taught towards the end of last year. It's a soft blend of cotton and silk and too nice to waste and with this in mind, this book presented itself: 'Crochet Makes from Scrap Cakes' by Naomi Vincent (David and Charles Publishing 2024 ISBN-13: 9781446313626).

I have to confess that there are very few space dyed yarns that appeal to me. I like more regularity and uniformity of colour and so the concept of a scrap yarn cake was a bit out of my comfort zone. However, I like to challenge myself and so I thought this was the ideal opportunity to give it a go, especially as I was starting with a yarn I really liked, in a good range of pastel colours.

There are several pages giving ideas for how to come up with a colour scheme, for example using a photo or tools like the colour wheel. However as I was already starting with pre-selected colours, I just made sure that I felt they would all look ok together i.e. there were no two colours that would clash horrendously if they ended up next to each other! 

After the colour guidance the author goes on to explain how to use arm spans to measure the yarn, how to make magic knots to join the yarn and how to use a yarn winder to make the yarn cakes once all the scraps are joined. In a 'life's too short' moment, I ignored any suggestion of measuring my scraps and just went ahead and joined them all, winding them into a ball as I went, by hand. I do have to say it was incredibly satisfying going from a ball of oddments to one single ball! I can imagine it could become a little bit addictive as a process. My final ball weighed around 50g and so I decided to have a go at the clutch purse pattern in the book. 

I loved the concept of this pattern. Imagine a series of ever increasing arches and that is essentially how the design works. The bottom of the 'arches' are then folded over to make the pouch and then the top forms the decorative flap. The patterns are written in US terms throughout and although I was ultimately able to follow the pattern, it wasn't the clearest. Descriptions of abbreviations such as 'cl' = 'cluster stitch' and 'ps' = 'puff stitch' didn't include any further information on how many stitches were in the cluster or how many loops needed to be pulled up for the puff stitch for example. There was also clearly an edging worked along the bottom the the rows, as can be seen in the photo on the right above, but this didn't appear anywhere in the pattern. Despite this, an end product was produced. Tah dah! 

I was very pleased with how it turned out and actually quite liked the random appearance of the colours! I will probably stitch in a fabric lining at some point, to make it a little stiffer and more practical but on the whole, success I would say. 

I like the concept of this book and how it approaches the yarn cake making in a technical and almost precise way, despite the nature of yarn scraps being almost the opposite to that. There is a wide range of projects in the book, from garments and accessories to household items such as cushion covers and baskets. I think it might be a challenge for a beginner to follow the patterns but the clear and close-up photos do help with working out what is being said in the written pattern. 

If you like the look of the book and fancy getting yourself a copy, you can get it from the Search Press website here at 20% off and  with free postage in the UK, by using the code DD88 at checkout. 

A little bit later on this month I will be reviewing the 'Granny Square Flowers Card Deck' by Claire Montgomerie. This is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Claire's hugely successful Granny Square Card Deck and I can't wait for it to arrive! 

Until then, enjoy your crochet!