Last week saw the release of the second motif from my Climbing Rose Wrap via Inside Crochet Magazine. This month's motif is called Anemone and the inspiration for it came from the kind of flowers that William Morris may have had in his own garden twinned with the styling of his famous fabric and wallpaper designs.

The project has been designed as a large comfy wrap, but because of it's size and weight you could also use it as a runner - I think it would sit beautifully on a bed or draped over a sofa.
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The Climbing Rose CAL Facebook group now has over 1500 members and you can find it by following this link, or clicking on the banner above. All images are courtesy of Inside Crochet Magazine and Leanne Dixon.

If you are still looking for a yarn kit to accompany the project you will find them on Just Knots, Wool Warehouse and Black Sheep Wools.
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This week Helen Prentice sent me an image of her 'Primavera' version of my Frida's Flowers CAL project.

A while ago Helen and I had a discussion about how she might be able to hang her blanket up on her wall. Helen says:

'I remember talking to you at Bournemouth last year about mounting my crochet and I’m delighted to say I’ve finally managed it and am very pleased with the result and thought you might like to see it. Richard, my husband, put batons on the wall at the top and bottom. I mounted the crochet on a piece of material and have used Velcro to attach it.'

I think Helen has done an amazing job, so I asked her if she would be happy for me to include her in this week's newsletter.
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I hope this email finds you well and that you are looking forward to the weekend....

It has been another speedy week here at Janie Crow especially as we had a very cheeky Monday away from the studio to travel back from our weekend trip up to see Andy's family in Cleethorpes. We had a really great weekend - the fish and chips totally lived up to expectations and the weather was surprisingly good. We managed to have some lovely walks on the sand dunes and some time playing on the beach. Of course we managed to squeeze in about a thousand ice creams and had great fun taking part in a family game of crazy golf on the seafront! Oh and doughnuts, there were lots of warm doughnuts........

So, it was back to reality with a thump on Tuesday when we returned to the studio. Thankfully the wonderful Sue had once again done an amazing job holding the fort at Janie Crow and Just Knots. She is a total star!
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Yesterday saw the release of the next motif from my Climbing Rose Wrap via Inside Crochet Magazine. This month's motif is called Anemone and the inspiration for it came from the kind of flowers that William Morris may have had in his own garden twinned with the styling of his famous fabric and wallpaper designs.

I am amazed at how quickly many of you are ploughing through the project and so grateful to all those of you who have been in contact to say how much you are enjoying it.
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Don't forget that there is a dedicated Facebook Group for the Climbing Rose CAL. The group now has over 1500 members and was created by my fabulous friend and talented crocheter Sue Macdonald. You can find the group by following this link, or clicking on the banner above. All images are courtesy of Inside Crochet Magazine and Leanne Dixon.

If you are still looking for a yarn kit to accompany the project you will find them on Just Knots, Wool Warehouse and Black Sheep Wools.
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This week we have submitted our yarn orders for kits to take to Yarndale next Friday. I cannot believe how fast the show is suddenly approaching and I am scared that it will be over within the blink of an eye - it is my favourite show, but it always comes and goes so quickly! We are planning to take lots of yarn kits and patterns, as well as hooks and needles, but if you are coming to the show and want to reserve anything in particular please let us know so that we can have it put to one side for you.
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My fellow Blogstar, Emma May, aka Pippin Poppycock, has designed a lovely slouchy crochet beret using Cosy Delights - a beautiful snuggly soft chunky weight yarn from Stylecraft.

The pattern uses just 1 ball of yarn and a 5.5mm hook.
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I have featured the beaded crochet technique a few times within my newsletters over the last couple of years, but as there are a lot of new members on the mailing list I thought it might be good to feature it again, especially as beaded crochet is becoming more and more popular.
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Do you already follow JANIE CROW on Facebook? If not, you can find the link to the page here. Gemma, the fabulous new addition to the team here at JC, has been busy curating some great posts, including a chance to share your project images with us on a Monday. Because of the way many social media platforms work these days, you might not always see our posts, even if you have previously clicked to follow us. If you have 'liked' the page in the past, but are not seeing our new posts, of which there are now 3 a week, please follow the link above to the page and click to like a few of the historical posts, hopefully that will mean we start to show up on your feed again....

If you are in London on the 25th September then it would be great to see you at Knit Night in London a fun event for knitters and crocheters organised by the fabulous team at Row House Yarns USA.

"We're coming back to London! Come join us for a Knit Night at the Thomas Cubitt gastropub near Victoria Station on September 25th from 6:30PM to 8:30PM.
All fiber artists are welcome, and we love beginner knitters! We'll have a knitting teacher available, and if you are a newbie, and need yarn and needles, please email us at [email protected] to let us know. We'll have a few balls of yarn and needles available."
Get a ticket to reserve your spot now, as space is limited. Tickets are £20 and include drinks (beer and wine) and shared appetisers.

 

It has been a real treat watching your progress with the Climbing Rose CAL over the last few weeks. Many of you have been speeding through the Day Lily motifs and I have loved seeing your images of your crochet popping up on line.

It is hard to believe that the next set of patterns will be released next week! The first set of patterns asked you to make a lot of motifs, I think it was 16 main motifs and 16 half motifs, so there was a lot to do. If you are not quite finished working on these don't panic, the next set of patterns will ask you to make just 11 main motifs, so there is plenty of time to catch up!

Here are just a few of the images that have popped up on my social media feeds this week:
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The CAL will be published in Inside Crochet Magazine through until November. You can find more information by following this link.

Don't forget that there is a new dedicated Facebook Group for the Climbing Rose CAL. The group has been created by my fabulous friend and talented crocheter Sue Macdonald and you can find it by following this link. All images are courtesy of Inside Crochet Magazine and Leanne Dixon.

If you are still looking for a yarn kit to accompany the project you will find them on Just Knots, Wool Warehouse and Black Sheep Wools.
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'Bloomsbury Gardens', my new version of the Bohemian Blooms CAL style blanket that has been made using Stylecraft Life DK, Life Changes and Batik DK will be revealed at Yarndale in a little over two weeks time and the free downloadable yarn substitution document will be on the web site thereafter. We will also be revealing another version of the blanket called 'Sussex Gardens' that has been made using Stylecraft Special DK by Blogstar Pippin Poppycock. Below and above are a couple of teaser images and I am looking forward to showing you more very soon.....
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Just Knots and Janie Crow have taken a stand at this year's Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace here in North London. We will be on stand TGQ5 in the Textile Gallery. The show runs from Thursday 10th October through to Sunday 13th. You can find information about the show by following this link.
This year the show has a really big workshop and demonstration schedule and you can find more information by following this link. You can find a full schedule of the workshops here.
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My great friend and fabulous crochet designer Jo Smith will be teaching a Learn To Crochet workshop on Thursday 10th October. This is currently sold out, but you can join a waiting list. Jo will also be teaching Tapestry Crochet on Friday 11th at 3pm and how to 'Crochet a Mandala' on Saturday at 10am.
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On the Thursday at 3pm the very talented Luise Roberts will be showing how to make lovely knitted beaded button covers (as in the image above). Luise is a very patient and talented tutor - she is also my fabulous Graphic Designer and the brain child behind lots of the things that go on here at Janie Crow. Luise will also be showing how to knit a Fairisle Egg Cosy on Saturday at 11.45 and how to work cross stitch and beading onto a crochet fabric on the same day at 3.30pm - this looks like a really fabulous workshop judging by Luise's example image above.
 

Crochet tutor Diana Bensted is also doing a range of workshops at the show, including 'Crochet Mini Monsters' on Thursday 10th at 3.30pm and Broomstick Lace Crochet on Friday 11th at 10am. If you are an early riser then you can join Diana at 8.30am on Saturday 12th to learn how to make Tunisian Finger Mitts and Diana will be rounding off her classes with how to make a 'Tunisian Crochet Coaster' on Sunday at 10am.

BIPOC in Fiber is creating an interactive directory and resource portal highlighting the work of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour working in the fiber community across any discipline; from knit, crochet and weaving, to yarn bloggers, indie dyers, writers, tech editors and everything in between.

This week has seen the launch of a Crowdfunder page with the aim of raising money to support this fabulous project. Here at Janie Crow (and Just Knots) we are proud to support this fabulous initiative and I hope that you will visit the page, read all the info and support the project too. The link is here.
The introduction to the campaign, which aims to raise £20,000 to support the vital and exciting work is as follows.....

'Since January 2019 there's been a vital conversation on social media about racism, representation, inclusion and diversity within the online crafting community.

The urgent need for change has been revealed through this discussion - change that must be led by BIPOC makers.

BIPOC in Fiber is a website and resource portal. It's mission is to amplify and celebrate the work of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour working in the fibre industry.'

Note from Jane: For some reason my version of Mailchimp (the host we use for newsletters) does not do autocorrect on my spelling and I know that checking through my words is not my strongest talent! I also know that quite a few of you love to tell me when I have spelt things wrong and so I thought I should point out that I have used the words fiber and fibre in this piece on purpose and not because I have left my spelling unchecked!

Fibre is the UK spelling and Fiber is the US spelling.
Jeanette and her team have chosen to use the US version within their name and logo.
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When I first started this feature I thought it would be easy to recommend things that I have found over the last month that might cut down on the amount of plastic, general waste or pollution we are all causing, but one of the decisions I made a few months ago was to stop on line shopping binging. I have stopped following links to web stores on social media platforms and have not been aimlessly wandering around shops and so, as a result, I have not come across many 'eco' things that have appealed to me other than 'homey' things like shampoo, soaps and cleaning agents, which I am sure you have already made your own decisions about anyway. I do, however, have a few things to say about getting ready for the autumn that might sit well within this feature....

As it has got colder here over the last week or so we have been resisting popping the heating on at home and at the studio. Our daughter Summer is becoming a bit of an eco warrior and she keeps telling us to put on another jumper or to add a pair of thicker socks if our toes are chilly, rather than putting the heating on. It makes me laugh because I have spent the last 20 years saying the same things to her! I am so glad that she finally gets it.....
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And while we are talking about beds, another recommendation I have is in regards to duvets and toppers. Check out Baavet on Facebook, they make fabulous bedding from wool that will keep you cool in the summer and really cosy in the winter.
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The images of the palettes I have featured this month are from Sarah Renae Clarks and I think her capsule palette, shown above, could be a really handy tool when choosing yarn shades. I am smitten by Fruit Dove, Biking Red and Galaxy Blue!! Dark Cheddar is just making me hungry!

​We featured my Mystical Lanterns pattern on Facebook this week and asked followers to post images of their own projects. It was so nice to see so many lovely versions pop up on the feed and it led me to discover Tominashandknits on Instagram, who appears to have made the Mystical Lanterns shawl many times in lots of different fabulous colour combos, so I thought I would share a few with you thin week. All of the images below are from her feed.

You can find the patterns for the blanket, shawl and scarf by following the links.
 

We are hoping to head up the motorway to Cleethorpes later on today to spend a bit of time with members of Andy's extended family. Andy's Grandfather was born in Grimsby and so we try to get at least a weekend away up there most years. When the kids were little it was a real treat to spend a week in a caravan taking walks on the long sandy beaches and visiting some of the attractions that the Humberside area has to offer.

I know Cleethorpes doesn't sound like everyone's ideal location for a holiday, but I have always loved the 'kiss me quick' seafront of amusement arcades, deep fried doughnuts and of course, the very best fish and chips in the whole wide world, so I am really looking forward to jumping in the car and heading off for a few days....

As I said at the beginning of this email it has been a bit of a strange week for us here at Janie Crow and I have just realised that it is Friday the 13th and I heard on the news this morning that there is going to be a rare Harvest Moon tonight too, so perhaps this explains why things have taken a bit of an odd turn!

Anyway, I hope that things are good where you are and that you are looking forward to a lovely weekend, whatever you have planned. As always if you want to get in touch please hit reply...

Yarny love and crochet kisses...
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Don't forget that there is a new dedicated Facebook Group for the Climbing Rose CAL. The group has been created by my fabulous friend and talented crocheter Sue Macdonald and you can find it by following this link, or clicking on the banner above. All images are courtesy of Inside Crochet Magazine and Leanne Dixon.

If you are still looking for a yarn kit to accompany the project you will find them on Just Knots, Wool Warehouse, Deramores and Black Sheep Wools.

It is hard to believe that one of our favourite shows Yarndale is now just 3 weeks away. I have been keeping a track of the weekly countdown on the show's Instagram feed and am now excited by the prospect of getting stuck into the show preparations. I love Yarndale and adore the fact that a cattle market is transformed into a yarny heaven for a couple of days every autumn! We will have some new things on display, including a new version of my Bohemian Blooms design, which has been made using a collection of Stylecraft Yarns and we will also have all the new versions of the Delft Blanket on show.

We have also taken a stand at this year's Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. The show takes place in North London between the 10th and 13th October and is one of the biggest textile fairs in the UK so we are really looking forward to exhibiting here again.

My 'Maker of the Week' goes to Taina Tellervo who has posted some lovely images of her versions of my Frida's Flowers Blanket on her Instagram feed. I really love both these colourful versions of the blanket and I really enjoy seeing other people's ideas for colour palettes. I think Taina's grey, yellow and pink colour combo is particularly beautiful.
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The four months we now have left in the lead up to 2020 are bound to speed by, especially with the Knit For Peace workshop trip to Mysore creeping up on me in January, but I am looking forward to sharing some exciting new things with you over the next few months including some reworked versions of existing designs and some new accessories that will go in my shop. Towards the end of the year I am hoping that I will have news of a brand new JANIE CROW venture, so I hope you will all continue to check in with me on a Friday afternoon.....

We are looking forward to a weekend at home. After 10 days away it will most likely involve lots of washing and sorting out before we head back into the studio on Monday. Of course it is a lovely treat to have a family holiday, but I have to admit I always enjoy going back to the studio and returning to the routine at Janie Crow once all the sun hats and swimming costumes have been put away for another year.

As always, I hope you are looking forward to a lovely relaxing weekend and that you are healthy and happy wherever you are....
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