  I am really excited to let you know that we now have kits for a new version of my Bohemian Blooms Crochet Along Style project. The original pattern is written for yarns from the Rowan range, but as 3 of the shades are now discontinued we decided it was time to give the project a revamp. Our new kits include yarns from the Stylecraft range and we have chosen shades that almost exactly match those used in the original project.  The tension of the new yarn palette crochets up the same as the original, but we decided that the new version would not include beads so that crocheters can see what it looks like without them and have the choice of whether or not they want to add them - not everyone is a fan of bling like me!   We have created a quick video that shows the two versions of the blanket and you can find over on our Instagram feed. We have made a yarn substitution document, which also suggests alternative yarns for the discontinued yarns in the Rowan version should you wish to source yarns from their range. You can find it by following this link.  After a long absence, my crochet techniques book, The Ultimate Crochet Bible, is now back in stock. You can find it by following this link.  Following the success of her last book 'Head to Toe Crochet', my lovely friend Gurinder Kaur Hatchard has created another amazing new book called 'Hooked on Shakespeare'. With 15 projects featuring more than 30 step-by-step designs inspired by the works of William Shakespeare, this fabulous collection of creations ranges from the iconic Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet and the Ghost, and from the Three Witches from Macbeth to Bottom and Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Not forgetting the one and only Woolliam Shakespeare himself.  Each project features an introduction to the play and its characters, followed by colourful step-by-step instructions. The easy-to-make designs include fully illustrated stitch basics, perfect for beginning crocheters as well as advanced crochet enthusiasts. Why not celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio, by picking up your crochet hook and creating your very own beloved characters from the plays! You can find the book and more information on Gurinder's Instagram page by following this link.  Over the last few weeks I have been dipping in and out of sampling for the new ‘Marrakesh’ inspired version of my Persian Tiles blanket. I have decided on my palette and have chosen the colour sequences for my crochet octagons. The yarn for the project has been sent to my lovely test crocheter. It is unlikely that it will be complete before Christmas, but as soon as it is ready we will release a free yarn substitution document to guide you on making it too. If you fancy having a play around with my palette of colours and would like to see my inspiration images, then head over to my blog where you will find a post about it. CHARITY DONATION As October has been Breast Cancer awareness month we donated 20% of the list price of our patterns sold over a 48 hour period a couple of weeks ago to Cancer Research UK. Thank you to everyone who bought a pattern within that period and helped us raise a donation of £100.   I love projects that use up left overs or small amounts of yarn and I really adore adding beads to crochet stitches, so I am really excited that the pattern for the beaded pouches are available for all you eager crocheters who love stash busting projects and a bit of bling too! The pattern includes instructions for two versions, which I have called Cafe au Lait (the brown coffee one) and French Linen (the pale flax coloured version). You can choose whether or not to add lots of beads and a pretty additional flower, which I have taken from The Fruit Garden Blanket project and revamped a little.  As I am no good at sewing I have used a ready made cotton zipped pouch from The Clever Baggers (details are in the pattern) as a lining. Working around existing bags is a trick I have been using for workshop projects for the last 5 years or so and it is a great alternative for those of us unable to sew a lining - although you do need to be a tad more careful about achieving the correct tension so that everything fits together. Using a padded lining bag means that your pouch would be perfect for storing precious, more delicate items. The projects are written for Stylecraft Organic Cotton DK and use Debbie Abrahams knitting beads. Of course you can choose to use exactly the yarns I have used, or pick your own lovely palettes - I am really looking forward to what you come up with. I hope that your crochet pouch will make a great addition to your cherished bag collection just like mine has, whatever you choose to use it for. You can find the patterns available as downloads on Etsy and Ravelry and as paper copies (UK terms only for this one I'm afraid) by following this link to the Janie Crow store.    Emma had a fabulous idea and revamped my Festive Decorations pattern using a fabulous Halloween inspired palette of yarns. You’ve still got plenty of time to make a few of these as they are such quick little makes and they really will put you in the Halloween spirit! If you want to REALLY go for the full experience, why not put on a little ghosty podcast? We love 'Uncanny' from Radio 4. (Available wherever you get your podcasts and it should be free). It’s hosted by Danny Robins – he wrote the fantastically spooky play, 2.22 which is touring the UK now and is definitely one for those who like a jump scare! The podcast features normal average people recounting experiences they’ve had that they can’t explain. There’s a good dose of debunking via sceptics as well so it shouldn’t scare you too much!  Emma also has a few suggestions for some light scares from the literary world. The brilliant classic Dracula is of course a slow-burn gothic feast. The recently released film 'A Haunting in Venice' was from the original 'Hallowe’en Party' by Agatha Christie and we’d love to hear whether you think the book was better! Finally, a great collection of short ghost stories 'Ghost - 100 stories to read with the lights on' chosen by Louise Welsh and featuring probably every famous writer of this genre that you could think of - Ray Bradbury, H.P.Lovecraft, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe to name a few! This is a fantastic anthology and the cover alone would add beautifully to your Halloween décor!    Here at Janie Crow we all love the Mystical Lanterns pelmet/bunting that I first saw at Folklore Yarns in Belfast. It’s a lovely way to interpret the pattern so I have made a new technique video to show you how to add mirrors to the centre of the motifs to add some extra sparkle.     (c) William De Morgan Tudor Rose Tile It’s been fantastic to see so many of you getting along brilliantly with the newest motif from the Spirit of Flora CAL. Huge thanks to all those of you who are sharing your images on social media so that we can see them. Some of the colourways you have created are amazing and I hope that those of you who are working through the project are enjoying the journey! Just 2 more motifs to go! This Pair of Roses motif was one of the first that I designed. It’s not an easy make, but it’s good to get those little grey cells working hard every now and again, especially when you’re a crochet pro!   I really love this motif and think it manages to reflect the beauty of Evelyn De Morgan’s painting of the Goddess Flora, surrounded by flowers and vines. This motif is the first one within the project that features two flowers at opposite corners. The stems are made first, then the flowers, followed by the leaves and the frame.  As always, enormous thanks to @insidecrochet @clairemontyknits and @leannejadephotography for the beautiful photos taken at the Emery Walker house. A dream photo shoot!  Dawn Thompson recently sent us some lovely pictures of a bag she has made using my Lily Pond design as inspiration. Dawn made it for her granddaughter whose name is Lily, so not only it it lovely to look at, but it is perfectly fitting too!  Do you know that the patterns for 3 of my crochet along projects are free to download via the Stylecraft website? The Lily Pond blanket was a CAL in 2015, followed by Frida’s Flowers in 2016 and The Fruit Garden in 2020. Being able to access and download the patterns for free means that it costs you nothing except a bit of time and a few balls of stash yarn to have a go at one of my patterns. We often get people commenting that they think my designs might be beyond them in terms of skill, so the free patterns give the perfect opportunity to test out that theory! All the crochet along projects start easy and get progressively harder and will add lots of techniques and tips to your own crochet tool box.  Lucy Chaplin sent in some images of her lovely Mystical Lanterns cowl, which she made using the Highland Heather yarn shades. Isn't it lovely!  Lucy made half motifs along the top of the cowl, which has a triangular shape, with the half motifs folded down inside. You can find other projects made by Lucy on her Facebook page Loop De Loop Studio by following this link.  Crochet retreat alert! Have you heard of Stitchtopia? If not then you may wish to look them up! They create wonderful crafting holidays and retreats for crocheters (and knitters, and quilters and textile lovers of all kinds!) with Arena Travel - a company I have worked with for the last couple of decades!!!   One of their most popular retreats - The Stitchtopia Festival - is back in March 2024 and is a brilliant weekend with access to workshops from 8 different experts - including me! I shall be teaching beaded flowers and also how to achieve the perfect crochet finish. There are plenty of other workshops to choose from including knitting techniques with Anna Nikipirowicz and quilting and sewing too. It's a lovely weekend and loads of fun. You can follow this link to view the details of the weekend event, which will take place in March next year, and you can also have a look at some of the other workshop trips on offer, including a rather spectacular Knitting Traditions of Peru holiday next year! I am cutting back on workshops and events next year to make time for more design work. The remaining places on the Peru trip and those on the Stitchtopia weekend are pretty much the only dates I have on offer for next year other than the Festive Workshop I always run with Debbie Abrahams in November.  We love growing vegetables in the garden through the summer and Andy is really good at planning his little vegetable patch. We didn't harvest as much this year as last, thanks to the rain and lack of warmth this summer, but we still did reasonably well with peppers and aubergines and baby tomatoes. Towards the end of the summer a large vine started to make its way across the vegetable bed and into the grass. At first we thought it was a pumpkin vine and then decided it was courgettes, but as time went on we realised it was a butternut squash vine - something that must have self seeded from seeds placed in the compost bin at some point!  Unfortunately, because we weren't aware we had scrummy squash growing, we picked quite a few of them too early and ate them like courgettes in stir fry! We even gave a couple to an older friend believing them to be marrows because at that point they were covered in green and yellow stripes - who knew that they look like courgettes and then marrow before turning golden yellow? We now have 2 left and are really looking forward to harvesting them, especially since Emma sent me this amazing looking recipe for a really great roasted butternut squash soup that is accompanied by a fried cheese sandwich - sounds amazing right? I will take pics when I make it and will try to remember to share them here within the next month or so.  If you are looking for a tasty supper we recently tried a macaroni cheese recipe that included sweet potato and it was really delicious! Probably the yummiest mac and cheese I have ever had. You can find a similar recipe by Nigella here.   I am heading off to spend some time with my amazing daughter Summer, who is treating me to an evening pot painting session with a few glasses of bubbly thrown in! It has been ages since we spent any time together, just the two of us, so I am really looking forward to it. I haven't held a paint brush for a very long time, so the outcome of the painting (especially if there is wine involved) might not be a masterpiece, but I am sure it is going to be great fun! We don't have much else planned for the weekend, except a family lunch here on Sunday. The house is once again in need of a bit of TLC, so I imagine there will be vacuuming and dusting involved - I'm living the dream here in North London! A bit of knitting and crochet will definitely be on the cards, especially with the clocks changing on Saturday which means an extra hour in bed! Hoping you all stay well and happily hooking until next time! Janie x   Over the last few weeks I have been playing around with a new palette of colours to make my Persian Tiles blanket. the shades have been inspired by my trip to Marrakesh back in July. I absolutely loved it there and found so much inspiration for colours and designs, so I am hoping that this recolour of an old design will not be the only project to come out as a result of my trip. One of my first steps when I am creating a new colour palette or design idea is to make a Pinterest board. I love the way I can search images by topic and quickly put together a board, adding images in as I find them and moving things around until I can start to see clear inspiration. You can link to my Pinterest board by clicking on the image below:  I have chosen my yarn shades from the Stylecraft range of Special DK and and Life DK. Life DK is my preferred choice as it contains a percentage of wool which creates a nicer drape, but the shade palette is not vast, so to get the exact colour combo that I wanted I have mixed some of the pure acrylic yarns in too. I have listed the colours I have used below in case you want to have a play around with them too. I am going to send the project to one of my ace team of crocheters to make, so I don't yet know the total yarn amounts used. Once the blanket is complete we will create a free yarn substitution document for you to download from the website - this is likely to be January rather than pre Christmas, so don't hold your breath!  Yarn shade palette: Stylecraft Life DK: Caramel (2446) Cardinal (2306) French Blue (2447) Special DK: Cornish Blue (1841) Empire (1829) Gold (1709) Gingerbread (1806) Raspberry (1023) Sage (1725) Vintage Peach (1836)     I have whittled my sampling down to 3 octagon motifs that I am happy with and will probably do a blanket layout similar to my Sandalwood one, but I haven't totally dismissed doing a more random layout, with each octagon different like Lucia's Eastern Jewels version.
If you fancy having a play around with any of my choice of yarn shades, or are inspired by my palette and images to find your own, do remember to tag us on social media so that we can see what you're up to! #persiantilesblanket #janiecrow #janiecrowpattern I had a great time on the Stylecraft stand at the Knitting and Stitching show here in North London last week and it was lovely to catch up with so many of you and hear your crochet stories. It is always so wonderful to know that your crochet brings you solace and so much joy and I was really humbled by the fact that so many of you took the time to come and speak to me.   We showcased a few new colour ways and revamped versions of some existing blanket designs at the show and I will share the details of these with you over the next couple of weeks once we get the colour substitution documents sorted. It has been really great to be back at my desk this week and I have finally been able to settle down with my hook, which has been so fantastic after weeks of dipping in and out of design work. I always have a few projects on the go as I find my focus can drift if I spend too long on one thing and so I have been continuing to work on the new colour way of Persian Tiles and on sampling some beaded designs for our festive workshop in Bournemouth. I have a few things to tell you about this week including a new pattern release for some pretty 'stash busting' crochet pouches. I hope you can spare five minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow!    I am a huge lover of project bags and pouches to put all my bits and bobs in. I have countless make up bags and travel bags, all of which have specific uses and contain particular things. I am the same with my crochet and knit project bags. I have them in all shapes and sizes, some with zippers, others with buttons, some with extra pockets and some with dividers. I love the fact that I can identify my WIPs by the bags they are in, especially as I often find myself switching between ongoing projects. I love projects that use up left overs or small amounts of yarn and I really adore adding beads to crochet stitches, so I am really excited that the pattern for the beaded pouches (that we showed you a few weeks ago) are now available for all you eager crocheters who love stash busting projects and a bit of bling too! The pattern includes instructions for two versions, which I have called Cafe au Lait (the brown coffee one) and French Linen (the pale flax coloured version). You can choose whether or not to add lots of beads and a pretty additional flower, which I have taken from The Fruit Garden Blanket project and revamped a little.   As I am no good at sewing I have used a ready made cotton zipped pouch from The Clever Baggers (details are in the pattern) as a lining. Working around existing bags is a trick I have been using for workshop projects for the last 5 years or so and it is a great alternative for those of us unable to sew a lining - although you do need to be a tad more careful about achieving the correct tension so that everything fits together. Using a padded lining bag means that your pouch would be perfect for storing precious, more delicate items. The projects are written for Stylecraft Organic Cotton DK and use Debbie Abrahams knitting beads. Of course you can choose to use exactly the yarns I have used, or pick your own lovely palettes - I am really looking forward to what you come up with. I hope that your crochet pouch will make a great addition to your cherished bag collection just like mine has, whatever you choose to use it for. You can find the patterns available as downloads on Etsy and Ravelry and as paper copies (UK terms only for this one I'm afraid) by following this link to the Janie Crow store.  Don't forget that we have Janie Crow and Emma Ball calendars in stock for those of you who like to get ultra organised ahead of the new year.  Andy has forgotten to take the 'EARLY BIRD' discount offer off from the last time I mentioned them, so if you want to nab yourself a 13% discount (on Friday the 13th!) then head over to the web store and pop one in your basket - they are ready to dispatch! You can find a little reel on Instagram that shows the blankets that Emma chose to feature within the calendar and don't forget to look out for some more new Emma Ball and Janie Crow items coming soon!  A couple of weeks ago Emma asked members of the Janie Crow team to send her photos of our essential crochet kit and this is what we came up with!  Jane: "I couldn't live without my magnetic Della Q buddy case for beading and my sewing needles. Love pouches. The embroidered one was made by my friend Juliet. HAVE TO HAVE a really sharp pencil hence the sharpener and eraser. 2 pairs of scissors as tend to loose a pair every time I settle on the settee. Usually find them down the side or they fall off my lap when I stand up!"  Gemma: "This is what I take with me when I teach workshops, so I suppose these are my essentials. There are several of most things as I often end up lending bits and bobs! At home I have a similar set in my Janie Crow hook roll along with a zipped make up bag of many spare hooks in all sorts of sizes"  Sarah: "The 'post -it' notes are for marking or highlighting parts of a pattern or writing a note to myself on something like a tip that someone has mentioned. Can’t live without stitch markers- use them all the time to mark corners and the beginning of a round. Bit of yarn in case I need to demo or test something. Safety pins - you never know when they might come in handy! The Seams hand cream is perfect for soothing tired hands!"  Emma: "Am never this organised. Normally I am pulling hooks and most other things from down the sofa cushions! I can never ever find a tape measure even though I must have at least 20, so am delighted to have found one to photograph here. Scissors - usually more than one pair but again, they go missing a lot. I love the bent-ended darning needles for sewing in ends and the little bulb safety pins are fantastic as stitch markers. I scribble all over my patterns so always have a pen and the last thing I couldn't photograph was my phone as I always have an audiobook on the go while I crochet." Do you have anything in your kit of crochet essentials that none of us have? If you do we'd love to know what it is and why you can't do without it!   Now that its October we thought we'd give our Festive Crochet Decorations a Halloween make-over. It's a lot of fun to go a bit bananas with colours we'd not usually use together. Emma has thrown everything at these: beads, mirrors, alternating yarn colours, and the good news is that we have technique videos to show you how to do all of those things. This pattern is so versatile: switch the colours to match any event or holiday and they instantly fit! Also, they're a fantastic "one-hit" project for when you need a little fix but don't have a lot of time. This little collection is a work in progress. There are plans afoot to make it into a.....no, no, we'll keep that a secret and show you soon! For now, if you fancy making some of these lovelies for yourself, there is a link here to the pattern. Be warned though, they're VERY addictive! 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃  Okra has a reputation for being a bit slimy and not very appealing when cooked, but this super simple recipe for Garlic Roasted Okra that Gemma tried out after coming across a bag of fresh okra in a groceries box won everyone in the family over. The pointy ends of the okra were particularly crispy and delicious!  Gemma has been trying out the 'Too Good to Go' app over the last few months, where local cafes, restaurants, shops and supermarkets offer leftover food at vastly reduced prices at the end of the day to help combat food waste. Gemma says: "Every Saturday after our swimming club we pick up a Too Good to Go box from our local Morrisons supermarket on the way home. If we're lucky there are a few bags of crisps to snack on on our way home, but we all enjoy rummaging in the box when we get back to see what's in it. It helps if you are a flexible cook and sometimes things need using up quickly, but as a result of getting the boxes we have been having more home made soups, eating lots more salad and creating some truly interesting meal variations over the week! It feels good to know that perfectly good food isn't simply going into the bin at the end of day too."  It has been a busy few weeks for yarn shows with Yarndale at the end of September and the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace last week. We love exhibiting at shows, but also really enjoy taking a wander round them as customers. Gemma has found this really useful blog post by Being Knitterly, which has been recently updated with lots of yarn show dates from now through into 2024 - definitely time to get that 2024 calendar sorted!  Like so many others we were shocked to read about the felling of the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland recently. Two women who live in a town close to the site where the tree stood felt that they needed to do something to commemorate the tree and together created a postbox topper for the town centre in Hexham. You can read more about it by clicking on the image below.   Knit For Peace are delighted to announce that they will be returning to the much-loved Green Hotel in Mysore, India in January 2024.   The Knit for Peace holiday to Mysore is the perfect way to discover India in comfortable surroundings and friendly company. Esteemed crochet and knitwear designer Carol Meldrum will lead daily crochet and knitting workshops and all skill levels are welcome. Guests will knit and crochet under a shaded pergola in the prize-winning historic gardens, with Carol on hand to teach and inspire. There is a coffee shop and home bakery on site for those who enjoy afternoon tea.   During the afternoons and on weekends, guests have the chance to shop and sightsee local temples, palaces and wildlife, and can take the opportunity to visit charitable projects supported by the Charities Advisory Trust and The Green Hotel. The Green Hotel was set up by the Charities Advisory Trust over 25 years ago as a model of sustainable tourism, and profits are distributed to charitable and environmental projects in India.    You can find more information about this wonderful trip (which I would thoroughly recommend, having been three times myself) by following this link.   We are heading away to the seaside this weekend and I am so looking forward to some time with our family. I have only seen the sea once this year and, as we haven't had a holiday away from home for longer than 3 days, I am hoping it might be a weekend of rest and recuperation. I think the weather is due to cool down over the next few days after our lovely warm start to the autumn, so I will be digging out some cosy knitwear to take with me.  I have started to make a Granny Hexagon cardigan (I am using pattern number 9965 from Stylecraft as the basis for it) and have really been enjoying the mindfulness of working repeated groups of treble crochet. I have raided my stash and have pulled out all my red and pink yarns that I have decent amounts of and will definitely be taking this project away with me. I found a lovely TikTok that shows a fabulous version made big and baggy in a similar colourway to what I am hoping to achieve - you can find it by following this link - I love this! I hope that whatever you have planned for this weekend that you will have lovely time. I will be back in your inbox in 2 weeks time with the October newsletter. If you fancy catching up with what we are up to in the mean time, be sure to take a look at the JANIE CROW Instagram feed or head over to our Facebook page. Sending yarny hugs! Janie x  |
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