Blog Archives

Autumnal Weekends And Cosy Nights By The Fire

25/10/2019

Janie's Quick Update

I hope this email finds you well and that you are looking forward to the weekend....

It is Friday again and so here I am with a Janie Crow update. I am writing this while listening to Woman's Hour on Radio 4 and they have just started talking about chocolate, so I am a bit concerned that I will be a tad distracted from my newsletter writing......

Autumn is most definitely here in North London now. It has been damp and dismal all week and so I have had no qualms about snuggling up on the sofa in the evenings and getting on with my knitting and crochet projects. As you know, I am a real sun lover, but I do find the evenings at this time of year very relaxing and cosy!

'Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.'
(John Howard Bryant)

Climbing Rose Wrap

The third motif for the Climbing Rose CAL project has been published in Inside Crochet Magazine this week. The motif is called Rambling Rose and if you are following the project you need to make 10 of them. I have already seen the motifs popping up on social media platforms and there have been a couple posted within the Climbing Rose Facebook Group.

Iceland

Last week I told you about the knitting trip to Iceland that I will be tutoring next summer. There are just 5 places left on the trip. This is what the Stitchtopia web site says of the trip:'Circumnavigating Iceland, taking in extraordinary waterways and ports along the way, you’re in for an exhilarating adventure packed with opportunities to marvel at the awe-inspiring natural wonders, dramatic landscapes and magical wildlife of one of the world’s most spectacular countries.
In Reykjavik our included excursions combine all the highlights of the classic ‘Golden Circle’ with visits to the producers of the famous Álafosslopi yarns and the studio of a renown Icelandic knitter. There will also be plenty of opportunities for shopping!
Our knitting expert, Jane Crowfoot, will offer four full day knitting and crochet workshops on board, as well as plenty of opportunities for social knitting as we circumnavigate Iceland.'

You can find information and links to the Stitchtopia site on my web site here.

Instagram Favourite

I didn't manage to include my Instagram favourite of the month in last week's newsletter, so here it is:

I came across Aulaartesana a few weeks after visiting the Peruvian Textile Exhibition at The Fashion & Textile Museum. It was a fabulous exhibition that showed all the incredible textile heritage of the country. There is so much inspiration on this feed and I love seeing the colours and patterns of these amazing textiles - and the Alpacas are really cute too!

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions

The colour sub documents for the two new versions of my Bohemian Blooms Blanket are available to download for free from the Janie Crow web site. You can find them by following this link.

One of the new versions of the blanket that I have named 'Bloomsbury Gardens' has been designed in a simpler layout than the original and features the square flower and butterfly blocks as the focus. The blanket has been made using Stylecraft Life DK, Life Changes, Bellissima and Batik, all of which are DK weight yarns. Yarn packs for this version of the blanket went out of stock via most of the Janie Crow flagship stores when I mentioned this a few weeks ago. The packs are back in stock on the Just Knots web site.

Yarn kits include the colour substitution documents, but, if you do not have the original Bohemian Blooms pattern book already you will need to purchase that too. Just Knots have the book at a slightly reduced rate if you buy a kit. If you want to make the blanket using alternative yarns from your stash, then you can order the book from Janie Crow and use the colour sub documents to help you choose a new palette.

Knitting with Wire Workshop

There are just 2 places left on Suraya's knitting with wire workshop next month. You can find more information about it by following this lin k.

Suraya's awesome son, Umar, is involved with a project called Plant Paradise. It is a really interesting project that aims to get people planting more trees and shrubs - something that is very much at the forefront of the topic of conservation at the moment.

The project is called Plant Paradise and you can find the web site by following this link.
'Our planet is not in a healthy state. We’ve used up a life-threatening amount of natural resources and we need to do something about it.

Plant Paradise aims to connect volunteers with planting projects on a global scale. We are developing a platform that makes it easy for planting projects to promote their events, and simple for volunteers to discover local planting and permaculture work.

Now is the time to give back to the planet we have taken so much from.'

The Plant Paradise web site includes a survey. It takes just a minute or so to complete and it would be great if you could take a look.

It's Nearly the Weekend!

We had a really nice time at Summer and Chris's engagement party last Saturday. I managed to get the cake finished in time, and although it was far from perfect, it did the job! An image of the cake, along with a pic of my Mum and Dad, Summer, Chris, Andy and I.

If you haven't already voted in the Craft Business Awards I would really love it if you could take a couple of minutes to do so. You can vote by following this link and you can skip questions you don't want to answer. I have been nominated in the Craft Influencer of the Year category.

It has been a really busy week here at Janie Crow with quite a few late nights, so I am really looking forward to a bit of quiet time over the weekend. Whatever you are doing, I hope you have a great weekend...

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER FROM JANIE CROW

18/10/2019

Janie's Friday Feature

Welcome to October's bumper newsletter - the Janie Crow equivalent of a Sunday supplement magazine....

It has been a really busy month here with pretty much back to back yarn shows - Yarndale and The Knitting & Stitching Show. I love shows and it was really fabulous to see so many of you on the stands. Andy, Sarah and I had a great time chatting to you all and it was so good to see your positive reactions to my new work - both Bloomsbury Gardens and the Climbing Rose Wrap kits proved incredibly popular at both shows.

We are now back in the studio for 6 weeks before our next event, so I am looking forward to some catch up time. I have been designing a new CAL project for spring 2020 release and am into the final stages of this. I love seeing big designs come together and I can't wait to show you the project next year.

As we have no more shows until the new year we have put a few events into the Janie Crow diary - one is a workshop with designer Suraya Hossain of Mahliqa Wire and the other is our Winter Open Day here at the studio. You can find more information about these events and find out about other plans within the 'Dates for your Diary' feature of this month's newsletter.

If you have five minutes to spare, I hope you will be in a position to prepare a drink of choice, settle into a comfy chair and enjoy a catch up with all things Janie Crow....

'The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here's to October....''
- A.A.Milne -

What's New?

The response to the new layouts of my Bohemian Blooms project has been amazing! So amazing that we sold all the dedicated yarn packs via Just Knots at both Yarndale and The Knitting and Stitching Show. Unfortunately Just Knots and Wool Warehouse are now out of stock of the kits, but hopefully they will be back in soon, so do keep checking on the links if you want to get your hands on a kit. If you would rather use some of the yarns from your stash you can find free colour sub documents for the new Bloomsbury layout and for Emma May's Special DK version by following this link to my web site. You will need to purchase the pattern book to make any version of the pattern.

The third instalment of my Climbing Rose CAL will be published in next week's issue of Inside Crochet Magazine. 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 motifs and I have loved seeing the images of your crochet popping up on line

Next week's pattern will be for the Rambling Rose motif, which is shown to the right side of the image above. You can find more information about the CAL by following this link and don't forget that there is a new dedicated Facebook Group. You can find the group by following this link and above is an image of Sue and Tracy who both moderate the group.

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.

I am really pleased that many of my designs are now available as patterns and project kits via Wool Warehouse. It is great to have such a high profile on line yarn store showcasing my work and so I was really chuffed when they asked if they could interview me for their blog as part of their Designer Profile series. You can find the interview by following this link.

As I told you a few weeks ago, I have been nominated in the Craft Influencer of the Year category in the British Craft Awards. I am extremely proud of this, especially as I am the only 'yarn' crafter to have been nominated - my fellow nominees are all from other craft areas such as card making, patchwork and quilting and DIY/Lifestyle, so it is a real honour to have the chance for crochet to be recognised within this category for the first time

If you have a spare minute or two I would love it if you would vote for me. The link to the poll is here. You can skip any of the categories if you are unsure of your favourite choice within them. Thank you!!!

Dates for your Diary

I am really pleased that Suraya Hossain of Mahliqa is coming to the studio on Sunday 10th November to tutor a 'Knitting with Wire' workshop. You can find information about this class by following this link. There are just 8 places on this workshop, so you may need to sign up quickly if you want to come. We will be adding 2 new crochet workshops to the diary for 2020, so do look out for those in the future.

Alongside Suraya's workshop we have also added the date for our Winter Open Day, which will take place at the studio here in North London on Sunday 8th December. It would be really lovely to see you at the event where we will have lots of gift ideas for knitters and crocheters, kits and accessories. We will also have some great crafty bargains and Helen Bridgwood will also be holding a pop up shop to showcase her lovely knitted necklaces.

I get asked a lot to tutor both knit and crochet workshops and although I really love teaching I have decided that for 2020 at least I am going to step back a little and do fewer day long or weekend workshops. Teaching on longer workshops, like the trip to India with Knit For Peace and my recent trip to Ireland gives participants a chance to really get stuck into a project and hone their skills, so I am really pleased to be able to finally confirm that I will be teaching on a 10 day cruise to Iceland as part of Arena Travel's Stitchtopia workshop programme in late June/early July next year.

Details of the trip have been published on the Arena web site today and I have been told by the company that 8 places have already been sold, so it looks like the trip is going to fill up fast! You can find more information on the web site here, but you will need to phone Arena to discuss your booking as the cabin configurations are quite complicated.

STOP PRESS! There is just one place left on the Knit For Peace workshop trip to Mysore in January 2020. Juliet Bernard will be joining me as my assistant and we are really looking forward to the trip. Book the last space now!!!

Natural Dying Workshops

I met Louise Drosdzol a few years ago. Louise is an expert crocheter who has made some of my display blankets whilst pattern checking my designs. As well as being an ace crocheter Louise is also an expert on hand dying yarn using natural dyes.

Louise has recently started running workshops at The Riverbarn Arts Centre in Walton-On-Thames and she has two forthcoming workshops for the autumn. You can find more information on Louise's web site by following this link.

Introduction to Natural Dyeing and Foraging
Sunday 10th November £35 11am - 3pm

In this workshop you will learn how you can forage and use seasonal and regionally relevant plants to create lasting and effective colours. Louise will cover her favourite local plants and what colours to expect. You will collect and forage along the beautiful Thames Path in Walton Upon Thames and then return to Riverhouse Barn to make magic!

An in depth 2 day course.
Sunday 1st December and Sunday 8th December 2019 £80

On this course we will discover how by using different natural mordents and colour modifiers we can make at least 20 different colours from one dye pot of Madder root dye. After this course you will be able to make the most of every natural dye bath you prepare, to achieve a variety of predictable colours.

Maker of the Mont

As you already know, I really love getting images of your projects. I really like seeing different colour ways and alternative layouts that you have come up with using my designs as a basis, but it is also really fabulous to hear how the projects have made you feel whilst crocheting and it is especially nice to hear how they have been included in special events, such as baby showers, weddings and big birthday celebrations.

Helen Miller recently got in touch to share an image of her Lotus Flower Shawl, which was worn by her new daughter in law during her wedding celebrations. Helen kindly gave me her permission to share the image below of her son and her gorgeous new daughter-in-law on their wedding day.

Helen's email read as follows:

'I contacted you earlier this year with a picture of a beautiful pin I had bought for the Lotus Flower shawl I had made. I still have the pin but I will be reordering the shawl kit as I am delighted to say that my new daughter-in-law decided that the shawl was perfect for her wedding! I had promised to make her a shawl, but we could find neither yarn nor pattern that seemed just right when, by chance, she saw my Lotus Flower shawl and fell in love with it. She wore it on her wedding day and it was much admired. I have attached a picture for you.'

BIPOC in Fiber

Just in case you missed it last month....

BIPOC in Fiber is the new name for what began as the POC Designers & Crafters List started in 2018 by Jeanette Sloan. Originally posted on Jeanette’s blog, the list quickly proved both popular and useful. Highlighting the many people of colour who work with fibre, the list reveals an urgent community-wide demand to see and support those talents. This very real demand doesn’t just come from other POC, or just from knitters, but from people of all ethnicities and a wide variety of crafting disciplines. This has led to a change of name and given the project a clearer sense of purpose.

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.

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 BIPOC in Fiber campaign has now raised beyond it's target of £20,000 to support the vital and exciting work.

'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: 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.

Blog of the Month

I am a big fan of the work of hand knit and crochet designer Emma Varnam. Emma has a demanding high profile job away from her life as a knit and crochet designer and so it never ceases to amaze me how prolifically she designs new projects.

Emma is the author of lots of fabulous books, but I especially like her toy books, which feature the cutest of crocheted animals. You can find Emma's blog by following this link.

Emma has recently talked about her process for making for the lovely crocheted cardigan above and about the perils of making a project that combines knit and crochet patches. If you have some time to spare over the weekend, why not check out her lovely blog.

It's nearly the weekend!

We are looking forward to Summer and Chris's engagement party on Saturday evening. I made a prototype engagement cake a couple of weeks ago and made the new cake last night. I don't know whether I had beginners luck with the first cake as it seemed like harder work yesterday - I had a few 'bake off' disaster moments where I thought the cake was going to go off skew, but I managed the crumb coat of buttercream and am looking forward to decorating it properly this afternoon. I never thought I would manage to make a cake like this, but with the help of YouTube tutorials by Cupcake Jemma I think I managed to make a pretty decent job of it! Below is an image of my first cake and I will (hopefully) show you the final cake next week so long as all goes to plan!

Whilst at The Knitting and Stitching Show last week I fell in love with a hand knit design by Erika Knight. The project is a slouchy cropped cardigan called Fettle (shown below). I haven't knitted anything for ages, but I am already really enjoying working on this project. I am using West Yorkshire Spinners Illustrious DK, which is knitting up really nicely. I am hoping to get some 'me time' on the sofa this weekend to work a little bit more of this project. I am nearly at the end of the rib on the back piece and am looking forward to some relaxing stocking stitch!

Anyway, that is it from me for another week. 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..

Every Days a Gift

4/10/2019

Janie's Quick Update

I hope this email finds you well and that you are looking forward to the weekend....

We have had some exciting news here this week as I have been informed that I have been nominated in the Craft Influencer of the Year category in the British Craft Awards. I am extremely chuffed about this, especially as I am the only 'yarn' crafter to have been nominated - my fellow nominees are all from other craft areas such as card making, patchwork and quilting and DIY/Lifestyle, so it is a real honour to have the chance for crochet to be recognised within this category for the first time.

If you have a spare minute or two I would love it if you would vote for me. The link to the poll is here. You can skip any of the categories if you are unsure of your favourite choice within them.

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions

The colour sub documents for the two new versions of my Bohemian Blooms Blanket are now available to download for free from the Janie Crow web site. You can find them by following this link.

One of the new versions of the blanket that I have named 'Bloomsbury Gardens' has been designed in a simpler layout than the original and features the square flower and butterfly blocks as the focus. The blanket has been made using Stylecraft Life DK, Life Changes, Bellissima and Batik, all of which are DK weight yarns. Yarn packs for this version of the blanket are available via the Just Knots web site.

The second new version is a recolouring of the original layout by Emma May of Pippin Poppycock. To make 'Sussex Gardens' Emma has used a lovely pink, cream and mocha palette using Stylecraft Special DK. Yarn packs for this project are also available from Just Knots and I am hoping that other stockists will follow suit soon.

All yarn kits include the colour substitution documents, but, if you do not have the original Bohemian Blooms pattern book already you will need to purchase that too. Just Knots have the book at a slightly reduced rate if you buy a kit. If you want to make the blanket using alternative yarns from your stash, then you can order the book from Janie Crow and use the colour sub documents to help you choose a new palette. As always I would love to see what you choose - I love seeing my designs in alternative colours and yarn choices.

It may not look like a lot, but reworking patterns takes quite a lot more work than you would imagine, so I would like to thank my ace crocheter Mary Schwarz for making the new 'Bloomsbury Gardens' version of this blanket and for all her expert help with the revised pattern. I would also like to thank Emma May at Pippin Poppycock for allowing me to share her alternative yarn choice. Luise has also done a fabulous job laying out the colour sub documents and creating new charts too!

We had a great time at Yarndale over the weekend, despite the torrential rain and we are looking forward to exhibiting at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace here in North London next week. We have a couple of complimentary tickets for the show, so if you want one, let us know by clicking reply. We will allocate the tickets on a first come first served basis and we can only donate one ticket per person. If you want to come on Saturday you will need to pay a £5 entry cost even with the complimentary ticket.

'I know every day is a gift but where are the receipts for Mondays? I want to return it for another Friday.'
(Unknown)

We are looking forward to a weekend at home. I am hoping to have a practice run at making a cake for Summer and Chris's engagement party in a few weeks time. I have never iced a large cake before, so it remains to be seen how this is going to turn out. I will let you know!

Whatever you are doing, I hope you have a great weekend. As always, if you have anything you want to share with us please let us know.

Yarny love and crochet kisses...

JANIE'S BLOG

Autumnal Weekends And Cosy Nights By The Fire

Janie's Quick Update

'Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.'
(John Howard Bryant)

Climbing Rose Wrap

Iceland

Instagram Favourite

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions

Knitting with Wire Workshop

It's Nearly the Weekend!

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER FROM JANIE CROW

Janie's Friday Feature

'The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here's to October....''
- A.A.Milne -

What's New?

Dates for your Diary

Natural Dying Workshops

Maker of the Mont

BIPOC in Fiber

Blog of the Month

It's nearly the weekend!

Every Days a Gift

Janie's Quick Update

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions

'I know every day is a gift but where are the receipts for Mondays? I want to return it for another Friday.'
(Unknown)

Author

Archives

Categories

Services

Contact us

Support

JANIE'S BLOG

Autumnal Weekends And Cosy Nights By The Fire

Janie's Quick Update

'Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.'(John Howard Bryant)

Climbing Rose Wrap

Iceland

Instagram Favourite​

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions​

Knitting with Wire Workshop​

It's Nearly the Weekend!​

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER FROM JANIE CROW

Janie's Friday Feature​

'The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here's to October....''- A.A.Milne -

What's New?

Dates for your Diary

Natural Dying Workshops

Maker of the Mont

BIPOC in Fiber

Blog of the Month

It's nearly the weekend!

Every Days a Gift

Janie's Quick Update

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions

'I know every day is a gift but where are the receipts for Mondays? I want to return it for another Friday.'(Unknown)

Author

Archives

Categories

Services

Contact us

Support

'Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.'
(John Howard Bryant)

Instagram Favourite

Bohemian Blooms - Two New Versions

Knitting with Wire Workshop

It's Nearly the Weekend!

Janie's Friday Feature

'The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here's to October....''
- A.A.Milne -

'I know every day is a gift but where are the receipts for Mondays? I want to return it for another Friday.'
(Unknown)