Traditionally this time of year has always been quieter than other months. With the kids off school and lots of people away on holidays we usually see a dip in sales and expect our workload to drop off a little. This year has been different, possibly due to the rise in download pattern sales, which means our income is no longer as seasonal as it used to be. I also wonder if the warm spell of weather here in the UK has led to crocheters battening down the hatches and staying inside to craft rather than head out into the heat. 
 
Whatever the reasons, it continues to be a busy time for us here at Janie Crow and I have a few things to tell you about this week, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news…

For her latest book review over on the Book of the Month blog Gemma looked at Interlocking Crochet by Ana-Maria Babanica. If you're a lover of geometric shapes and two-tone colourways then this book will definitely be up your street. ​

The book contains fifty different stitch patterns and five garment/accessory patterns, with lots of photos and step by step instructions. Gemma quite fancies having a go at the tote bag pattern.  ​

You can see more of Ana-Maria's work on her website or over on Instagram here and, if you like the look of her latest book and live in the UK, you can bag a 20% discount and free delivery by ordering from Search Press and quoting the code DD88 at checkout. ​

There are a couple of one day workshops coming up in August, taught by our very own Gemma, and taking place at Community Learning Partnership in South Oxhey (near Watford). I have it on good authority that there are a couple of places still remaining on both workshops so if you like the look of either of them get your booking in quickly and you will be sure of a warm welcome on the day. Scanning the QR codes on the images below will take you to the booking page. ​

For those of you who enjoy visiting yarn shows, there are a few coming up in August, beginning with the North East Wool Show at Newcastle Racecourse on the 8th-9th. You can find out lots of information about the show, as well as buy advance tickets, by visiting the show's own website here. 
 
The Southern Wool Show takes place later in the month on the 22nd & 23rd August at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. Click on the image below for more info.

To stay up to date with all the yarn shows happening around the country do keep an eye on the UK Hand Knitting website events page, which you can find here. ​

​Andy and I celebrated our anniversary this week by heading to an off grid cabin at Leys Farm on the edge of the Cotswolds. We were pretty much off grid for three days and had the best time watching wildlife, walking and cooking outside. You can find a reel I made of our trip over on the Janie Crow Lifestyle feed here.
 
This weekend I am very lucky to be heading away with some fabulous girlfriends for a weekend of knitting, crochet and chat. This will be my final trip away before the autumn as I am going to have a small op on Wednesday and have been told to rest for a while afterwards. I have been busy getting all my crochet projects lined up and ready by the settee to work on during my convalescence - I keep wondering if it's a bit wrong that I am actually quite looking forward to the enforced calm? 
 
I will be back in a fortnight with the August newsletter, so until then I send you yarny hugs and hope you all stay safe and well…

Welcome back to my monthly book review blog. This month I've been taking a look at Interlocking Crochet by Ana-Maria Babanica (ISBN 9781446316092, David and Charles May 2026) and for those of you who love bold geometric patterns and two tone colourways, this is the book for you! 

Interlocking crochet is very like mosaic crochet in appearance but the big difference is that it produces a fabric that is completely reversible. Each side can look slightly different in appearance as you can see in the photo below, but they are just as attractive as each other. 

The book contains 50 reversible stitch patterns and five garment/accessory patterns, again all fully reversible. The first stitch pattern, entitled Tic Tac Toe (and shown in the photo above), is accompanied by an 18 page step-by-step guide to help you complete it from start to finish. There are photos for every step and a really useful section following on how to avoid making common mistakes.

The book is written in US terms throughout but as there are only a handful of stitches used in interlocking crochet it would take no time at all to get up to speed if you are usually a UK terms crocheter. The pages are clearly laid out and not overcrowded and each stitch pattern includes some step by step images. There are no charts included and so you would need to be confident in reading written pattern instructions to get the best from this book. 

The five projects included in the book are for a sleeveless vest top, a strappy top, a shawl, a tote bag and cushion covers. I really like the tote bag (can anyone ever have too many tote bags? I don't think so) and the way different shades of purple have been used to create an ombre effect. 

The size inclusivity of the garment patterns is great, with a range of bust sizes from 31 inches through to 65 inches. It's always good to come across patterns where a wide range of sizes have been catered for. 

'Interlocking Crochet' is widely available online but if you are in the UK and fancy grabbing a copy for yourself you can get a 20% discount and free delivery by using the code DD88 at checkout on the Search Press website here. You can find out more about Ana-Maria and her designs over on her website www.crochethighway.com.

I haven't chosen next month's book yet but I'll be having a browse soon and will be back in August so until then, enjoy your crochet!

It has been another busy couple of weeks since I was last here in your inbox, with a fabulous workshop with Stitchtopia and some new design work in the mix. I know I say it all the time, but it amazes me how quickly the weeks pass and it is time once again for me to write an email to you all. I hope that whatever the last few weeks have had in store for you, that you have at least managed to squeeze in some knitting or crochet, despite the warm weather.
 
I have a few things to tell you about this week, including a recap of my recent Footsteps of William Morris workshop in London, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with all the Janie Crow news.

I love that groups of animals can be given affectionate, cute names, such as flamingoes who become a flamboyance when they’re together and rabbits who become a fluffle. I recently found out that a group of ladybirds is known as a loveliness which is just so, well, lovely!
Here at Janie Crow Emma and I decided we needed a word for a collection of crochet blankets and so now refer to them as a comfort. A comfort of blankets. So fitting don’t you think - as not only the blankets themselves, but the making of them brings us so much comfort and joy. Blankets are a true gift of love aren't they. They bring warmth and comfort to the recipient and let them know they are cared for and they keep us crocheters warm and cosy while we make them, gently easing a busy or troubled mind in the process of stitching and bringing joy and comfort at the same time. I just love them! 

The image above is from our recent shoot, photographed by Leanne Dixon and beautifully styled by Claire Montgomerie. Featured projects are Persian Tiles Sandalwood (at the bottom of the group), Magic Circles in the Skimming Stones colourway and Imogen (at the top) made using yarn from the fabulous Yarnsmiths range of yarn - this kit is still on a really good offer on the Wool Warehouse website, so do take a look. 

We had the best time last week on the ‘In the Footsteps of William Morris’ workshop trip with Stitchtopia. The crochet holiday included two full days of workshops and two days packed full of visits to notable Arts & Crafts Movement houses and organisations.
 
We visited the William Morris Society which is situated in the basement of William's former home on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, where we were treated to a great presentation about the man himself, his plethora of work and those associated with the movement, including his daughter May, of whom I am a great fan! 
 
On the same day we visited Emery Walker's House, which is just a few minutes walk away and is like stepping back in time as you walk through the front door. It's the house where we shot the images for the Spirit of Flora crochet along project a few years ago. The image below shows my total delight at being shown May Morris's incredible lovers knot embroidered bedspread, which is jaw droppingly beautiful! 

On the same day that we visited the houses in Hammersmith we attended a brilliant trip around the V&A Museum where our incredibly knowledgeable guide Barry told us about the huge influence that Persian and Islamic arts had on members of the Arts & Crafts movement, particularly William Morris and ceramicist William De Morgan. A really fabulous day! ​

On the day that we took our second trip into London we visited the incredible Leighton House where we were once again lucky to be shown round by a very interesting guide, who really brought the world of Lord Leighton and his neighbouring artist set to life for us. 
 
We also visited Sambourne House, the home of Punch illustrator Linley Sambourne. Full of Arts and Crafts wallpapers, fabrics and artefacts, as well as the most ostentatious Victorian pieces, this house really is a feast for the eyes, with every surface packed full with ornaments, clocks and sculptures and the walls full to bursting with patterns, prints and art works.

The project I prepared for the workshop group was a cushion cover that used the Gillow motif from the Spirit of Flora Collection. ​

My retreat trip to Croatia next year is now fully booked, but there are still places on my West Yorkshire knitting workshop in June, where the week will have a relaxed, ‘retreat’ feeling this time. Alongside two full days of knitting workshops we will also visit the Knit and Crochet Guild and the Colne Valley Museum.
 
Just one place remains 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. 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.

If you are a fan of Arts and Crafts houses, I urge you to check out the National Trust property Standen House in East Grinstead, especially as they are currently hosting an exhibition of contemporary artists work - each piece inspired by the work of the movement.
 
I am absolutely delighted that The Fruit Garden blanket was chosen to be part of the show and I am looking forward to visiting to see it in situ soon. You can find more info by clicking here.

​I found this recipe in a magazine at the hairdressers recently and liked the look of it so much that once my hair was done  I headed straight to the shops to get the ingredients for dinner.
 
The recipe, which you can find here, suggests cooking the Tenderstem and the halloumi cheese on a barbecue, but I cooked them in the oven on a baking tray lined with paper and it was still delicious. 
 
I have a quick tip for cooking halloumi - soak it in water for a little while before you cook it as this draws out some of the salt and makes it much softer, and thus less prone to squeakiness, when you cook it. 

As well as being busy with work we have been filling our spare time up pretty well too, and this weekend is no different as I am heading off to the seaside with a group of girlfriends and Andy is travelling up north to spend the weekend with some of his pals too. 
 
After being so busy for so long I have been trying to put a few projects ‘to bed’ over the last week so that I can take next week off. I am so ready for a break having not had time away from work since early March so I am hoping the weather will stay kind and I can enjoy the garden and plan a few days trips. I am hoping to get tickets for the Schiaparelli exhibition at the V&A and maybe I will get to see the new Frida Kahlo one too, so keep an eye on our social media channels, such as Instagram and Facebook for any pics I might take at those! 
 
I will be back in a couple of weeks time with a quick catch up email, until then I hope you are all safe and happy. Sending yarny hugs….

It's been a really busy couple of weeks again, with our crochet afternoon event last Saturday and then getting ready for the Footsteps of William Morris workshop with Stitchtopia next week. I feel like I have been working towards a deadline for weeks on end now, so I am looking forward to crocheting at a slightly slower pace as we head into July.
 
The summer months can be much quieter for us than the others, so it is a good time for me to get some new design work sorted. I am working on a new blanket design that I hope will be out before Christmas and the CAL project, which I have designed for Stylecraft, is pretty much completed too. I am really looking forward to showing you these two new projects later on in the year. 
 
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 had a fantastic time on Saturday at the fabulous Old Fold Manor Golf Club in Barnet. We welcomed a room full of gorgeous crocheters and their fans (both the Janie Crow team and their actual electric fans) as we all braved the heat to crochet summer flowers together.
 
We were delighted to see some familiar faces as well as lots of new ones and it was lovely to share projects at the show-and-tell session towards the end of the day. Andy brought along the pop-up shop and there was a glass of fizz and afternoon tea. All in, an absolute dream!
 

If you want to see more pics and some feedback quotes from the day you can find them on our Instagram feed here. We are hoping to book another afternoon event for next year and will give you the details once we have confirmed everything with the venue.

Stitchtopia have 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! There are now just three places left on this trip, so if you have been thinking about coming, you may need to secure your place sooner rather than later. You can head over to the Stitchtopia website for dates and more info by clicking on the links. 

When I look back at my portfolio of designs, the one that still makes me feel the proudest is The Fruit Garden blanket. I love the design, and have very fond memories of working on it, but what makes it so special is that it was released as a CAL just as we headed into lockdown in 2020, which meant that literally thousands of people used it as a way of getting them through a really difficult time. We know that for many, this was their very first crochet project and that alone astounds me, given the complexity of the piece. 
 
The original Fruit Garden blankets were both photographed at Standen House, which is an amazing Arts and Crafts property in East Grinstead, so when I saw that they were looking for artists and creators to submit work for a major exhibition this summer I decided that the Fruit Garden blanket, which was inspired by the embroidery designs of William Morris's daughter May, had to be the one I chose.
 
I am incredibly honoured to have had the Parchment and Caramel version of the blanket (shown above) accepted into the exhibition. I dropped it off at Standen on Monday so that it can be on display within the house, alongside the work of many talented makers, for the next three months.
 
You can find more information about the Inspired by Standen exhibition by following this link. You can follow them on Instagram too! 

I have enthused about my recent trip to France, where we visited Monet's Garden and Versailles, to so many people lately that I think I am in danger of sounding like a scratched record! For those of you who have asked, we are hoping that this Stitchtopia trip will run again next year, so keep an eye out for more information soon.
 
I want to share with you the project that one of my really talented crocheters created while we were away. Using my pouch design as a basis, Rose decided that she wanted to create a piece that really captured the idea of Monet's waterlilies and incredible ponds at Giverny. She used elements of my pattern and added in design features of her own to create the most wonderful unique version. Isn't it just fabulous! 

Gemma's latest review on her book of the month blog looks at ‘Cozy Crochet Motifs’ by Tuija Heikkinen, hot off the press and published by David & Charles on the 16th of June this year. ​

​The book contains 75 patterns for small motifs, suitable for use as embellishments on clothing or household items such as tea towels or cushion covers. This is a great book for stash-busting as the motifs only use tiny amounts of yarn. 
 
Take a read of Gemma's thoughts on the book over on the blog here and you can follow Tuija Heikennen on Instagram here.

Gemma's recommended recipe echoes the one we mentioned last time as it is a quick and easy puff pastry tart, this time topped with onions and artichokes. One of Gemma's fridge staples is a ready rolled puff pastry sheet so that on those evenings when inspiration deserts her she can put together a tart with whatever happens to be to hand. 
 
This is a Mary Berry recipe from the BBC website. It doesn't take too long to put together and cook and is super yummy!

Juliet and I had a lovely time at Hitchin Lavender a couple of weeks ago at the craft evening arranged by the lovely Helen of Woolly Chic. Despite the lavender not being quite in flower we had a fabulous time and enjoyed tea and chat with fellow knitters and crocheters. ​

I know we are only just into July but I have already swatched my autumn knit project as I saw a colourway I just couldn't resist on line. I am going to make the Autumn Alpine sweater by Boyland Knit Works as I am currently completely addicted to working colourwork in the round.
 
Next week I will be away at the William Morris workshop with a fabulous bunch of crocheters. We will be working on a project that uses my Spirit of Flora design as the base, so take a look at pics of the trip over on Instagram if you get a chance towards the end of the week.
 
We are heading off to the seaside to spend a couple of days with friends this weekend. If I am honest I am REALLY looking forward to a bit of time away from my crochet after prepping for the afternoon crochet event and the William Morris inspired workshop next week. I originally decided to do something radical and leave my hooks at home for the weekend, but have now decided that would be far too rash, so I am planning to leave them in the car, alongside a project, just in case!
​
I will be back in a fortnight with the July newsletter, so until then I send you yarny hugs…