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!