We're looking at something a little bit different this month with 'Mindfulness in Crochet - Meditations on Connection & Calm' by Emma Friedlander-Collins (Leaping Hare Press 2026 ISBN: 9781805705109), one of the latest additions to the 'Mindfulness In' series of books by various authors. Emma has been crocheting for over 20 years  and her patterns have been featured in Mollie Makes, Simply Crochet, Inside Crochet, Love Crochet and Crochet Now magazines. She also recently published a paper on wellness, crafting & hope. 

Even the first impressions of this book are calming. The small size of the book makes it easy to hold and the understated colours used on the cover work well with the theme. There are seven chapters in total, covering themes as wide ranging as the smart phone and social media to some of the socio-historical background of crafting in women's lives, together with a sprinkling of patterns and mindfulness exercises among them.

In the Introduction the author talks about how, alongside therapies, crochet helped her to cope with difficult thoughts following recovery from a mental health crisis, by enabling her to really be grounded in the present rather than becoming distracted with escalating thoughts and worries. 

There are simple exercises placed throughout the book encouraging the reader to really think about things when they are crocheting. Notice how the crochet hook feels in the hand, what material it is made of, to feel the embossing of the size mark, is it indented or raised? Then move on to the yarn and think about the qualities of the yarn. Is it smooth or rough, does it have a bounciness to it or a more solid feel? For example cotton has a completely different feel to acrylic. Look closely at the yarn and think about how many strands of fibre make up the yarn, are they loose or tightly plied, is there a twist to the ply? As stitches are made focus on what the hook is doing with the yarn for each movement that is made. All of these tiny observations help to focus the mind on exactly what is happening right in that moment and can pull the mind away from everyday worries and concerns. 

Another of the exercises really struck a chord with me. Do you ever find yourself scrolling endlessly on your phone, whilst at the same time saying to yourself 'why am I doing this? I don't need to be reading all these irrelevant stories'? I certainly do and I have started leaving my phone downstairs deliberately so that I don't get drawn into this at bedtime or when I wake up in the morning. It also means that I am far more likely to pick up a knitting or crochet project and add a few rows or rounds here and there, which is far more useful and satisfying than reading about an incident in a car park in a town I have no connection with! The exercise on page 55 suggests that when being 'sucked into a scroll hole' (love that phrase), put the phone down, pick up a hook and yarn and just start making. There doesn't need to be an end goal in mind, just start making stitches and feel your mind start to slow down and relax. If it doesn't start turning into anything it can always be pulled apart ready for use another time. 

Each chapter is marked with the same monochrome drawing depicting crochet as part of nature. It would have been nice to see a different image in the same vein for each chapter but I like the drawing style nonetheless. I guess one of the overall aims of the book is to promote calmness and therefore it really feels like a 'low stimulation' approach has been taken with the illustration and layout of the book. The simplicity itself is calming. 

I haven't leapt straight in and read this book from cover to cover, but I am enjoying dipping in here and there and taking little snippets to apply in my own life. I have recently been adjusting to a new routine with changes in educational placements for my daughters and as a result of this I have been able to incorporate some walks in a local park into my days. It's a lovely large park with a nature reserve/wet woodland as well as the children's play area, and large grassy areas. One of the exercises Emma suggests is to start really looking at the colours in nature. Notice the variations of blue in the sky, all the different greens in the trees, the colours of a flower close up and to take a photo. Then at home, with that photo try to find a way to record the colours, whether that be with colouring pencils, a palette app or even (and this is the one I'm going to try) with yarns from your stash! 

This isn't a book full of glossy photos of crochet makes or tempting squishy balls of yarn but it's perfect for snatching a moment of calm in a busy life and I'm looking forward to becoming more mindful in my own crafting activities as a result. 
Happy crafting (and reading)! 

We arrived home from our summer holidays on Wednesday of the week before last, landing into Heathrow to the mayhem caused by the air traffic control ‘blip’ the day before. As lots of flights were cancelled that day, we were really lucky to get home at all, but unfortunately the same cannot said of our suitcases, which only made it back to us a week later! It has been quite an odd experience spending the last week searching the house for things that couldn't be found because they hadn't made it back yet! My knit and crochet projects, as well as my hooks and needles, were in my case so I had to root around for spares and I have to admit to having a couple of panic attacks about my yarn not making it home!
 
With all the post holiday washing now done and my yarn safely back in the studio I finally feel ready to head into the autumn. I have a fair bit of news this week so I hope you can spare a few minutes to take a look!   

I start with some incredibly sad news as our dear friend and colleague, knitwear and crochet designer Carol Meldrum, died last week. 
 
Carol leaves behind a large legacy of work, including many knit and crochet project designs and at least nine published books, including titles such as Knitted Icons, Beaded Crochet Accessories and Knit Your Own Boyfriend. She even collaborated on a series of pattern books to make Clangers and other characters from the iconic TV series.
 
As well as designing projects for mainstream magazines such as The Knitter and Inside Crochet, Carol was a keen workshop tutor, creating fun and informative classes for many yarn stores, shows and travel companies such as Knitting Holidays in France and  Stitchtopia. She also assisted Jean Moss on many of her knitting tours. Carol had a passion for teaching, but was very modest about her achievements.
 
By her colleagues within the knitting and crochet world Carol is remembered as a cheery, fun-loving person, with boundless energy and a heart of gold. She was a keen runner and often got involved in raising funds for charities such as Knit For Peace. Carol also volunteered for the Drop Yer Stitches project, a charity supporting children and adults who are blind or partially sighted, by creating tailored hand knit and crochet courses. She will be greatly missed by all who had the good fortune to spend time with her.
 
I have used the image of Carol (above) with permission of her husband Andy Daly. Thanks also go to Sue Tucker for the image below taken in Mysore 2024 when Carol tutored the Knit for Peace knitting & crochet holiday.
 
Carol's family have set up a fundraising page in her memory. It supports five of the charities that helped Carol through her treatment and meant a great deal to her and her family. If you would like to make a donation in her memory, however small, you can follow this link to do so.

We are in a period of grief here at Janie Crow. Collectively we have lost a friend, Emma recently lost her beloved mum, and a few of us are facing empty nests. We have experienced loss in many ways and some days we wear it like a heavy wool coat, but we are thankful to be able to turn to our yarn and hook and the still and quiet. ⁠
 
Emma recently posted about the way our craft can help us through dark times on our Instagram feed. We feel that acknowledging loss and grief is really important, especially in these days when social media platforms present us with a false perception of what life is like - perfect skin, perfect bodies, perfect jobs, perfect families - perfect lives. You can find Emma's post here.

Pretty much all the places on my workshops for next year are now sold out, with the exception of one place on the Knit for Peace trip to Mysore in January (knitting and crochet) and a couple on my knitting workshop in West Yorkshire with Stitchtopia, which runs from the 14th to the 18th of June. There is also just one final place left on my Stitchtopia trip to France (knit and crochet) in May next year. The only other workshop yet to be released is the Inspired Minds Festive one that I traditionally tutor with my good friend and fellow designer Debbie Abrahams. This workshop will return to Bournemouth in November next year.
 
From 2028 I will be cutting back on my workshop commitments to focus on my design work. I am in discussion with Stitchtopia about a few exciting textile trips and have some other things on the forward radar so, if you have a workshop with me on your wish list, hopefully there will be an opportunity for you to attend an event before I step back.

The team at Black Sheep Wools have recently launched another lovely knit along project called Woodland Storey.
 
Embracing the spirit of autumnal woodland walks, this cosy project, designed by hand knit superstar Martin Storey, combines leaf motifs and three dimensional berries to create a warm, contemporary blanket in incredible yarns. You can choose from Rowan Felted Tweed or Sirdar Loveful Tweed DK 100% Recycled. The Woodland Storey Blanket will be created over six patterns and the store will be releasing a FREE pattern every Tuesday from 22nd September.
 
Black Sheep Wools have three yarn packs available starting from £47.50: 'Pink Leaf' in Rowan Felted Tweed, 'Red Berry' in Rowan Felted Tweed and 'Lime Wood' in Sirdar Loveful Tweed. The pack contains all the yarn you need to make the blanket and an introduction booklet. Packaged in a fabulous Black Sheep Wools box. Click here or on the images above and below for more information.

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 their exhibition of contemporary artists work, each piece inspired by the work of the movement, is now entering its final few weeks.
 
I am delighted that The Fruit Garden blanket was chosen to be part of the show and I am looking forward to to seeing it in situ on Sunday.

If you're a fan of podcasts and like to listen to those that centre around food and health, then I can recommend those by Dr Rupy Aujla, aka The Doctor's Kitchen. You can find his website, which also includes lots of free recipes by following this link.
 
Dr Rupy talks a lot about the importance of both protein and fibre in your diet and so I am always on the lookout for easy recipes that I can get a good dose of protein from. It can be particularly hard to find desert recipes, especially when avoiding added sugar, so I was really pleased to stumble across an Instagram feed called Epic Mint Leaves who shared this apple cake recipe. It is really easy to make and it tastes super yummy - I added more vanilla and some cinnamon and cooked it for longer than the recommended 45 minutes. 

I am now a little over six weeks post op and my surgeon has given me the all clear to return to ‘normal life’, with the exception of lifting anything heavy. For my strength training this means a return to pretty much where I started almost two years ago - lifting light weights and working more repeats, hopefully increasing the weight a little at a time.
 
It has been really good to get back to the gym and a fitness routine and, with a three kilo weight gain over the course of my recovery, it is also fortuitous that my all clear has coincided with a six week shred programme organise by Cara, our lovely PT. Eating cleaner and avoiding too much fat and sugar has already made me feel a lot better. My energy levels are increasing and the aches and pains are less each day.

​I have found it really hard to concentrate this week and as a result have crossed very little off my to do list. I have a design deadline for Inside Crochet next week so I will be settling down in the studio with a beaded festive project for the next few days. 
 
I have been enjoying my knitting recently, making a Sophie scarf in this lovely, almost fluorescent pink chainette yarn (shown above) and working on my Autumn Alpine sweater by Caitlin Hunter. Have to admit that I am finding the sleeves a tad monotonous after enjoying the colour work yoke so much. I really want to get it finished though, so hopefully I can crack on with it once I have met my design deadline.
 
I hope that whatever you have planned for the weekend, that you get a chance to spend a little time with your beloved hooks or needles too. Until next time….