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A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Quick Catch Up
I hope this email finds you well and that you have all had a good week since I was here last. I thought I would pop in with a speedy catch up to let you know that a couple of the things I mentioned last week are now live...
Persian Tiles - Sandalwood
My new version of the Persian Tiles blanket, which I have called Sandalwood, is now available as a kit via US yarn company Mary Maxim.
The Sandalwood version features rich dusky pink, terracotta, gold, green and blue shades and it has been made using a lovely soft yarn called Premier Everyday DK. The images make the colours look a little washed out and yellow - they are much more vibrant and sumptuous in reality. We had a bit of a hiccup with the US photoshoot due to the current situation and only managed to get the original version of the blanket professionally shot in a room setting. The Sandalwood version and the light blue version are now in the post to the US to be photographed. I am sure the new images will do the blanket far more justice than these do - I took them on the studio floor before the blanket headed off in the mail!
All this said I am incredibly pleased with this blanket and hope that you will like it too!
Whilst in Mysore in January I was inspired to make the new version of the design by a traditional Indian woven carpet design I saw in one of the many fabulous handicraft stores. It was similar to the one shown in the image below.
Over the course of February and into early March I produced my new version of the design and was very fortunate to be supported by US yarn company Mary Maxim who have now released the kits for the new colour way and the original dark blue version shown below.
Please note that Persian Tiles Sandalwood is only available as a yarn kit via Mary Maxim. We do not have a yarn sub document we can supply outside of the kit so please do not email asking for one!
If you want some ideas for your own colourway you can join the dedicated Facebook Group. You can get a download version of the pattern via Ravelry or a paper brochure or yarn kit for the original or light blue version via the Janie Crow web site.
Fruit Garden CAL
The patterns for Part 3 of the Fruit Garden CAL were released on Tuesday (26thMay). The patterns feature the Clementine Motif and 3 more rounds that need to be added to the Acanthus Motif. You can find all the patterns so far by following this link.
I know that many of you have already completed your pieces or that you are well on the way to doing so, but if you are in need of a bit of support, you can find my accompanying video on my Youtube channel helpful. In the video I demonstrate surface crochet and show you how to make the leaves that feature in quite a few of the forthcoming motifs, I also talk you through how to made dtr3tog (tr3tog in US terms) and how to make a neat picot at the top of the cluster that the decrease stitch makes. I hope you will take a look.
Support the Maker
Two weeks ago Juliet Bernard and I got together via Zoom and recorded a short chat that has now been published on the Stylecraft Youtube Channel. You can find it my following this link.
The chat focused somewhat on The Fruit Garden CAL, but as Stylecraft had previously asked people to send in questions, I got to talk about other aspects of my career too. Because we are all still in some form of lockdown the video quality is not great, but I hope that there might be something within the film that you will find interesting or useful.
You can find another video that Stylecraft recorded back in early March, where I talk about the inspiration for the Fruit Garden CAL, by following this link.
Fruity Knitting - 101st Episode
Last week I told you that Andrea and Andrew from Fruity Knitting had celebrated the 100th edition of their podcast. This week they have released their next episode and I was really excited to see that Angela has been busy working on her version of my Bohemian Blooms blanket. The episode also focusses on knitted animation, something that I found really interesting too.
It's nearly the Weekend!
We are really enjoying having a little more time at home now that the lovely Sue works the afternoon shift at the studio and we head home. On a Friday our new shift pattern feels even more special as it is like being allowed to get out of school early and start the weekend sooner - even though we still have a mountain of stuff to do!
The weather here in North London has been glorious all week and it is set to remain that way, so we are hoping to have some time in the garden and enjoy a couple of local walks. I hope that wherever you are you are safe and happy and I will see you back here again soon...
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A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Janie's Quick Update
Hoping this email finds you all safe and well...
First of all I want to say a really big THANK YOU!
The response to the first set of patterns for the new Fruit Garden CAL has been phenomenal and I would like to thank you all for the huge amount of goodwill that has been sent our way this week. I have been feeling really up and down and emotional this week, perhaps partly because the release of new patterns always makes me really nervous, so seeing such a great response has been a real boost.
If you have yet to start on your Forget-Me-Not motifs you can find the first set of patterns by following this link and you can find the accompanying video on my YouTube channel via the link here.
Fruit Garden CAL
We have a small number of Fruit Garden CAL kits in both the Life DK/Batik and the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton left in stock and you can find them on the Janie Crow site by following this link.
Unfortunately we have been informed by Stylecraft that they are now out of stock of some of the shades used in Recipe 2 (Bamboo + Cotton) and we already know that Recipe 1 has shades they are waiting for, so for the time being we are unable to restock CAL kits.
Substituting Yarns
It is a real shame that yarn kits for the CAL are now out of stock for a while, but you could always have a rummage through your stash and find something that might be suitable, or source other shades. If you fancy doing the Life DK version (Recipe 1) for example, you could substitute Oatmeal in place of Parchment as they are really close colours, or you could use the following info to help guide you through making different yarn sub choices:
Most yarns on the market fall into set categories according to their weight. In the UK we have the following standard weights: 1, 2, 3 & 4ply, DK (double knitting), Aran and Chunky. The yarns used within Recipe 1 of the Fruit Garden CAL are all DK weight, for the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton version they are slightly finer.
Yarns sit within the categories to make it easier to ensure that things come up the right size. This is especially handy when substituting yarn, as, in theory, a DK weight yarn should achieve more or less the same tension regardless of brand or yarn content. The ball band on the yarn should give you the suggested tension and also a needle or hook size that this tension is to be achieved on.
For a standard weight DK yarn this is usually a 4mm (US G/6) knitting needle or crochet hook and knitted tension would be 22sts & 30 rows knitted to 10cm. Sadly a lot of yarns do not give a crochet tension.
When substituting yarn you need to be sure that you have sourced enough in terms of yarn length. Sounds obvious really but my point is - don’t assume that every 50g ball of yarn has the same length! Each type of fibre comes up a slightly different weight. For example, a 50g ball of cotton yarn is likely to have less length than a wool or acrylic fibre.
To work out how much yarn you need you will need to know the length of the yarn used in the design.
As a guide for the Fruit Garden CAL:
Life DK is 298m (326yds) to 100g
Batik is 138m (151yds) to 50g
Naturals Bamboo + Cotton is 250m (273yds) to 100g
You also need to know how many balls of the shade are used in the design.
Lets use Parchment Life DK and the Fruit Garden CAL as an example:
4 balls are used in the project, so that is a yarn length of 4 x 298 = 1192 (m)
So, we now know that we would need in the region of 1200 metres of yarn in the Parchment shade equivalent. The new yarn choice needs to have the same length regardless of whether it comes in 100g or 50g balls and regardless of the yarn composition.
Let’s say you wanted to use Batik in place of the Life DK and want to know how many balls you need.
Batik = 138m a 50g ball.
You need to divide the total length of yarn needed (1192m) by the length in the Batik ball of yarn, so:
1192 divided by 138 = 8.63
This means that you would ideally need to source 9 balls of substitution yarn.
You can find the yarn list for both versions of the Fruit Garden CAL here if you do want to look at substituting yarn. Alternatively you might want to have a look at working though one of my older CAL projects.
It is a real shame that yarn kits for the CAL are now out of stock for a while, but you could always have a rummage through your stash and find something that might be suitable, or source other shades. If you fancy doing the Life DK version (Recipe 1) for example, you could substitute Oatmeal in place of Parchment as they are really close colours, or you could use the following info to help guide you through making different yarn sub choices:
Most yarns on the market fall into set categories according to their weight. In the UK we have the following standard weights: 1, 2, 3 & 4ply, DK (double knitting), Aran and Chunky. The yarns used within Recipe 1 of the Fruit Garden CAL are all DK weight, for the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton version they are slightly finer.
Yarns sit within the categories to make it easier to ensure that things come up the right size. This is especially handy when substituting yarn, as, in theory, a DK weight yarn should achieve more or less the same tension regardless of brand or yarn content. The ball band on the yarn should give you the suggested tension and also a needle or hook size that this tension is to be achieved on.
For a standard weight DK yarn this is usually a 4mm (US G/6) knitting needle or crochet hook and knitted tension would be 22sts & 30 rows knitted to 10cm. Sadly a lot of yarns do not give a crochet tension.
When substituting yarn you need to be sure that you have sourced enough in terms of yarn length. Sounds obvious really but my point is - don’t assume that every 50g ball of yarn has the same length! Each type of fibre comes up a slightly different weight. For example, a 50g ball of cotton yarn is likely to have less length than a wool or acrylic fibre.
To work out how much yarn you need you will need to know the length of the yarn used in the design.
As a guide for the Fruit Garden CAL:
Life DK is 298m (326yds) to 100g
Batik is 138m (151yds) to 50g
Naturals Bamboo + Cotton is 250m (273yds) to 100g
You also need to know how many balls of the shade are used in the design.
Lets use Parchment Life DK and the Fruit Garden CAL as an example:
4 balls are used in the project, so that is a yarn length of 4 x 298 = 1192 (m)
So, we now know that we would need in the region of 1200 metres of yarn in the Parchment shade equivalent. The new yarn choice needs to have the same length regardless of whether it comes in 100g or 50g balls and regardless of the yarn composition.
Let’s say you wanted to use Batik in place of the Life DK and want to know how many balls you need.
Batik = 138m a 50g ball.
You need to divide the total length of yarn needed (1192m) by the length in the Batik ball of yarn, so:
1192 divided by 138 = 8.63
This means that you would ideally need to source 9 balls of substitution yarn.
You can find the yarn list for both versions of the Fruit Garden CAL here if you do want to look at substituting yarn. Alternatively you might want to have a look at working though one of my older CAL projects.
The patterns for Lily Pond and Frida’s Flowers are still both free on the Stylecraft web site. There are kits for Lily Pond on Janie Crow and Just Knots and although the yarn packs for Frida are currently out of stock, you will find packs for the Primavera version (colour subs chosen by the fabulous Lucia Dunn and shown below) on the Just Knots site here.
Painting the Modern Garden - Monet to Mattisse
The Lily Pond blanket was the first CAL project I designed for Stylecraft. It was released in 2015, but is still very popular. The project was inspired by the series of famous paintings that Claude Monet painted, of his beautiful garden in Giverny, France.
I love impressionist art and so I was really excited to receive an email from the Royal Academy this week saying that they have posted a free video on their site:
Documentary: Inside ‘Painting the Modern Garden – Monet to Matisse
“Originally released in cinemas, this ‘Exhibition on Screen’ film takes us back to our landmark exhibition, ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’, examining the role gardens played in the evolution of art from the early 1860s through to the 1920s.
Back in 2016, we filled our Main Galleries with all the vibrant colours of the garden, as we traced its many forms through a period of great social change and innovation in the arts.
Discover the paintings of some of the most important artists of the early twentieth century exploring the theme, including Renoir, Cezanne, Pissarro, Manet, Sargent, Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Matisse, Klimt and Klee’.
You can find the feature length video on the Royal Academy site by following this link. I have not had a chance to watch it yet, but hope to do so later on today or tomorrow.
Documentary: Inside ‘Painting the Modern Garden – Monet to Matisse
“Originally released in cinemas, this ‘Exhibition on Screen’ film takes us back to our landmark exhibition, ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’, examining the role gardens played in the evolution of art from the early 1860s through to the 1920s.
Back in 2016, we filled our Main Galleries with all the vibrant colours of the garden, as we traced its many forms through a period of great social change and innovation in the arts.
Discover the paintings of some of the most important artists of the early twentieth century exploring the theme, including Renoir, Cezanne, Pissarro, Manet, Sargent, Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Matisse, Klimt and Klee’.
You can find the feature length video on the Royal Academy site by following this link. I have not had a chance to watch it yet, but hope to do so later on today or tomorrow.
Looking Forwards
5 weeks into lock down I have finally managed to find some time to do some forward planning, so it is really nice to have a few new projects to look forward to. We will be releasing the Climbing Rose Wrap pattern as a PDF download and paper brochure in the early Autumn, so Sarah is currently working on putting the pattern back into my writing style and I am really looking forward to being able to show you more of the lovely images of the project, taken at William Morris’s Red House in Kent, as part of the re-launch. Inside Crochet Magazine have been incredibly supportive with this project and we look forward to being able to share the pattern with you again soon.
Talking of Inside Crochet Magazine – the May issue of the magazine is out now and Andy has 10 copies in stock on his Just Knots web site.
Feeder - Just A Day
The band Feeder released the song ‘Just a Day’ in 2001. It is a great song, but it was the awesome video that accompanied it’s release that made the track truly iconic. The video featured film clips that fans had recorded at home of them singling along to the song. You can find the original video here.
The Welsh group say they have been consistently asked over the last 2 decades to remake the video, but they have resisted, even vowing to never remake it – until now!
The band Feeder released the song ‘Just a Day’ in 2001. It is a great song, but it was the awesome video that accompanied it’s release that made the track truly iconic. The video featured film clips that fans had recorded at home of them singling along to the song. You can find the original video here.
The Welsh group say they have been consistently asked over the last 2 decades to remake the video, but they have resisted, even vowing to never remake it – until now!
According to the NME:
‘Feeder called on fans to help them remake the video earlier this month, noting that it felt like the right time to recreate it “for a good cause”. The new version features fans in NHS uniform, fancy dress and more…..
The new version of the video raises awareness for two fundraising drives – the Scrub + Face Protection Hub and Masks 4 NHS Heroes, which aim to provide NHS staff and key workers with vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
In a press release, frontman Grant Nicholas said: “The original video has become a classic, especially being in an era pre-YouTube and TikTok. We have always been against remaking it but after messages from fans in Italy we decided to revisit it again and highlight the plight of our own NHS and key workers.’
You can watch the video here.
‘Feeder called on fans to help them remake the video earlier this month, noting that it felt like the right time to recreate it “for a good cause”. The new version features fans in NHS uniform, fancy dress and more…..
The new version of the video raises awareness for two fundraising drives – the Scrub + Face Protection Hub and Masks 4 NHS Heroes, which aim to provide NHS staff and key workers with vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
In a press release, frontman Grant Nicholas said: “The original video has become a classic, especially being in an era pre-YouTube and TikTok. We have always been against remaking it but after messages from fans in Italy we decided to revisit it again and highlight the plight of our own NHS and key workers.’
You can watch the video here.
Instagram Favourite
I was contacted by Melani Kline this week - Lace_Princess on Instagram. Melani has produced a fabulous drawing of the Acanthus motif from the Fruit Garden CAL and when she shared it on one of the CAL dedicated Facebook Groups this week it all went a bit bananas!
Melani has given me permission to share it here - isn't it fabulous!
It's the Weekend!
As I have said many times over the last few weeks we are keeping ourselves very much in a Jane & Andy bubble. We are not venturing out very far and are just making necessary journeys, so it is really odd to realise that things are going on in the ‘outside world’ that we are not massively aware of. I popped out on Friday to pick up a prescription for my mum to find that road of our local high street has been resurfaced and some trees have been planted. As I walked down the main road, which is usually a mad hustle and bustle, it was a lovely surprise to find a dedication to the NHS painted into the tarmac! I stopped to take a quick snap - isn’t this cool!
I have not had a chance to look at your emails this week – I know they are there in my inbox and I will try and take a look at them over the weekend or early next week – please don’t think I am ignoring you, it is just that the orders on the web site and the launch of the CAL patterns has had to take priority this week.
We are in the studio today – hence the Saturday email, but hope to spend some time later on this afternoon baking in the kitchen and then I have a day of crochet planned for tomorrow.
It was Andy’s birthday on Thursday. We managed to have a catch up with the family on Zoom and opened a bottle of bubbly and tonight we are going to order from our favourite Indian Take Away to celebrate. Those of you who have met Andy will know what a top-notch kind of guy he is. He has supported me through everything I do and works so hard, so I hope I will be in a position to treat him to something lovely when all this is over – even if that just means a pint in his favourite pub garden!!!
The weekend is calling and so I am waving goodbye once again. It really is beginning to feel a bit like Ground Hog Day Monday to Friday so, for us anyway, the weekend still feels a bit different to other days. If you are stuck at home I think it must be worse for you, so I am sending extra big hugs this week!
So until next week, keep well, safe and happy!
A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Forget-Me-Not
I am a bit late in the day with this email, so apologies for not landing here in your in-box earlier on! I have just popped in to say that the first set of patterns for the Fruit Garden CAL are now ready and waiting for you to download via the Stylecraft web site here. The patterns for the Forget-Me-Not motif are free and you can choose from UK & US terminology and the Dutch Language.
I have posted a new video on my Youtube channel to accompany the first set of patterns and you can find it by following this link. It is quite a long video - subsequent videos will be shorter - but I hope I cover quite a few things that you will find useful going forwards.
Don't forget that we have now decided to run the The Fruit Garden CAL twice, so if you cannot join in this time, you might want to do so in the Autumn when we start all over again. You can follow the progress of the project within the dedicated Facebook group and I would look forward to seeing images of your work popping up on my social media.
Things continue to be incredibly busy here at Just Knots and Janie Crow, but we are beginning to feel things are a little calmer and we have received a big yarn order from Stylecraft today, so all being well, we should find time to pack the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton kits over the next few days. As soon as we have kits we will put them into stock and I will be back with my newsletter on Friday with an update on what we have.
Sending virtual yarny hugs...
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Janie's Quick Update
Another week into lockdown and I am back to say hello and check up on you!
When we were young -like in our late teens and early 20s we used to adore Friday nights as it meant party night! Living in London, we would head out to the pub for a few drinks then make the tube journey into town to dance the night away at the Astoria club, heading home at stupid o’clock the next morning on the night bus. Friday night was the highlight of the week and every Saturday we would start planning the logistics for the following week. When I think of it now I am amazed that we had the energy, especially as we used to go to a club in town on Sunday nights too and occaisionally on a week night! Friday nights were always the best though - some of the nights that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Andy has always been a party animal and he still loves going to clubs and to see bands, so lockdown has been pretty tough on him as he has missed his friends and his live music. These days I am a bit of a hermit anyway - the idea of heaven for me is time spent in my PJs on the settee with a crochet hook, but at the moment it seems that Andy and I are on the exact same page as we are both finding that we are noticing that Friday Feeling creeping in more than ever! Perhaps it is because the Monday to Friday bit (in our own Jane & Andy bubble) is beyond hectic and because I am not sure we have ever had to work so hard and attempt to keep jolly in each others company for so long! Whatever the reason, when it gets to 5pm on a Friday (around about now) we are definitely up for a party….
Except we have nowhere to go!!!
So here I am with a slightly late email to welcome you to this Friday evening. I hope that you are all keeping safe and well and that you have 5 minutes to spare so that I can bring you up to date with all things Janie Crow!
Another week into lockdown and I am back to say hello and check up on you!
When we were young -like in our late teens and early 20s we used to adore Friday nights as it meant party night! Living in London, we would head out to the pub for a few drinks then make the tube journey into town to dance the night away at the Astoria club, heading home at stupid o’clock the next morning on the night bus. Friday night was the highlight of the week and every Saturday we would start planning the logistics for the following week. When I think of it now I am amazed that we had the energy, especially as we used to go to a club in town on Sunday nights too and occaisionally on a week night! Friday nights were always the best though - some of the nights that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Andy has always been a party animal and he still loves going to clubs and to see bands, so lockdown has been pretty tough on him as he has missed his friends and his live music. These days I am a bit of a hermit anyway - the idea of heaven for me is time spent in my PJs on the settee with a crochet hook, but at the moment it seems that Andy and I are on the exact same page as we are both finding that we are noticing that Friday Feeling creeping in more than ever! Perhaps it is because the Monday to Friday bit (in our own Jane & Andy bubble) is beyond hectic and because I am not sure we have ever had to work so hard and attempt to keep jolly in each others company for so long! Whatever the reason, when it gets to 5pm on a Friday (around about now) we are definitely up for a party….
Except we have nowhere to go!!!
So here I am with a slightly late email to welcome you to this Friday evening. I hope that you are all keeping safe and well and that you have 5 minutes to spare so that I can bring you up to date with all things Janie Crow!
Fruit Garden CAL
Did you see my Special Statement about the new Fruit Garden CAL on Tuesday? In case you missed it you can find it by following this link to the Janie Crow blog. The response to the statement has been so incredibly positive and I am really glad that the majority of you saw the CAL repeat as a positive thing. Out of all the emails received this week, we only had one negative response, so I think that definitely counts as a win!
We had hoped to have a good stock level of the Life DK & Batik (Recipe 1) kits by now, however there has been a bit of a hiccup at Stylecraft HQ, so we have ended up with only about a 3rd of the stockholding we should have had. If you are quick you can grab one of the last remaining Recipe 1 kits as we have about 5 left in stock on the Janie Crow site. The good news is that we are expecting to receive the yarn to make up the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton kits next week. These will go into stock as fast as we can pack them.
Don’t forget that the first patterns for the Fruit Garden CAL will be ready to download from the Stylecraft web site on Tuesday! I have filmed an accompanying video to help guide you through this first motif and will be posting that on my YouTube channel on the same day.
Don’t forget that the first patterns for the Fruit Garden CAL will be ready to download from the Stylecraft web site on Tuesday! I have filmed an accompanying video to help guide you through this first motif and will be posting that on my YouTube channel on the same day.
It's all about the FOOD!
We had lots of emails in response to last week’s newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to get in touch. ‘Wendy from Oz’ sent the following recipe – it sounds really yummy:
Good morning, have just loved your newsy email with all you have been up to. I have a nice quick and easy recipe for you this week and it is good hot or cold on sandwiches or with a salad.
Aberdeen Sausage Loaf.
Ingredients:
1 kg thick sausages skinned
2 Carrots (from your garden! )grated
2 Granny Smith apples peeled cored and grated
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs beaten
Method:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Shape into a couple of loaf shapes and coat in flour. Place on lined baking tray into a 180 degree oven for about 1 hour. Drain on paper towel. Serve with lovely creamy mash and some greens.
Have cold the next day on Sandwiches or with a salad. Yum!
I find this makes 3-4 loaves and you can freeze any spares for a later date.
Thank you for sending this recipe Wendy!
Good morning, have just loved your newsy email with all you have been up to. I have a nice quick and easy recipe for you this week and it is good hot or cold on sandwiches or with a salad.
Aberdeen Sausage Loaf.
Ingredients:
1 kg thick sausages skinned
2 Carrots (from your garden! )grated
2 Granny Smith apples peeled cored and grated
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs beaten
Method:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Shape into a couple of loaf shapes and coat in flour. Place on lined baking tray into a 180 degree oven for about 1 hour. Drain on paper towel. Serve with lovely creamy mash and some greens.
Have cold the next day on Sandwiches or with a salad. Yum!
I find this makes 3-4 loaves and you can freeze any spares for a later date.
Thank you for sending this recipe Wendy!
I did manage to make the roasted carrot burgers I told you about last week. They were good (image above), but I am not sure they were worth all the work. I am a ‘quick results’ cook, so the multiple stages of this recipe possibly made my expectations a little high. I think the Pret Sweet Potato Falafel that Charlie made the previous week were tastier and easier to make.
If you like quick results like me then you might be interested in my (cheat’s) lime pickle houmous recipe. I know it sounds a little odd – but we love it and it takes less than 5 minutes to make.
You will need:
1 slightly heaped desert spoon of Indian Lime Pickle – I use Pataks.
A jar or tin of chick peas
1 tbsp Tahini
Salt & Pepper
Juice of 1 or 2 limes depending on how sharp you like it (lemon will do if you don’t have it)
1 clove of garlic
Glug of olive oil
Water if needed.
Grate the garlic clove then add all ingredients except the water to a basin and blend with a hand blender. If it looks a bit thick add some water. Add salt and pepper to taste and add more lime juice or lemon juice if you think it needs it. Transfer to an airtight jar and leave in the fridge for a day before you eat it – it is much nicer if you let all the flavours combine over night, although we often can't wait that long!
If you are not a fan of lime pickle you could try adding other things to your houmous – roasted red peppers are great (we use a couple from a jar) or a good spoonful of pesto. If you want a chunkier houmous you could always add a few mashed chickpeas at the end. Don’t worry if you do not have tahini – you could add some sesame oil or even a good dollop of peanut butter!
I hope that once you have a go at making houmous you will not want to buy it in plastic pots from the supermarket. It is super easy, super tasty and super good for you!!!
Over the Rainbow
I have loved seeing images of your pompom wreaths this week. Having one hanging on your door or window sends out a great message of support to front line workers and they are a lovely project to make.
Summer and Chris sat down during the week and made theirs and I have had quite a few of my friends make one too. I love the image of the one made by my friend Gwyn (what a lovely front door you have Gwyn) and the one made by Janet Collins from the UK Hand Knitting and Crochet Guild.
Summer and Chris sat down during the week and made theirs and I have had quite a few of my friends make one too. I love the image of the one made by my friend Gwyn (what a lovely front door you have Gwyn) and the one made by Janet Collins from the UK Hand Knitting and Crochet Guild.
If you want to make a donation to the NHS Charities together appeal you can do so by following this link.
Virtual Wonderwool Festival
Some of the casualties of the current situation are the many music festivals and yarn shows scheduled for the spring and into the summer. Andy was like a bear with a sore head when his favourite Rock Music festival was cancelled for June and we are both disappointed that the Wonderwool show in Wales will not take place this weekend, however the organizers of the show will be hosting a virtual show via their Facebook page. You can find more info by following this link.
Stashbusting Handknitted Cushion Covers
I have been looking through my free pattern back catalogue this week as we are hoping to update some of them over the next few months. Many feature yarns that are now discontinued, so it would be good to have them written for current yarns. I will let you know when we have anything new to share with you, but one of my free projects that I remembered this week features yarns that are still around and is one that I have loads of images of worked in alternative colour ways as it was one I used as the project for my very first visit to The Green Hotel in Mysore with Knit For Peace in 2016.
You can find the free pattern download for my Fairisle cushion cover on the Stylecraft web site here and I have posted images of projects made by workshop participants using Rowan Cotton Glace below. I am sure you can see what a good stash busting project the cushion cover is and hope that it will encourage you to go and have a rummage through your stash for suitable yarns.
The pattern is written for Stylecraft Special DK, but you can use any DK or slightly finer weight yarn – just make sure you change the needle size accordingly to achieve quite a tight tension. You can see from the images that the workshop participants also added beads in as they knitted.
You can also find a free pattern for a crochet cushion cover which was part of the same Stylecraft Collection by following this link.
Instagram Favourite
If you missed it I have included a link to his instagram feed here. The post in question is from about 4 days ago, so you will have to scroll through his feed to find the right video. You’re so welcome!
It's Nearly the Weekend!
So, as is the new usual we have a weekend of walking and gardening planned. The weather here in North London has been amazing this week and we have not yet managed to spend any time enjoying it, so we are hoping it will stay that way and that we will manage to catch a few rays!
If you are looking for things to do over the weekend or into next week you might want to check out the events listing at your favourite gallery or museum. Sarah and I both ‘virtually’ attended a great seminar hosted by the William Morris Gallery on Zoom this week. The presentation was about May Morris’s embroidery, so of course Sarah and I made a point of getting involved! The Gallery is hosting another event this coming Wednesday:
Virtual Tour of Light and Shade
‘Join William Morris Gallery assistant curator Ainsley Vinall for a virtual tour of Light and Shade, our exhibition highlighting the lives led by the women of William Morris’s social circle alongside portrait photographs of them from our collection. The talk will look at the lives of some of William Morris’s family and friends as well as exploring different aspects of nineteenth century portrait photography. Featuring Emma Morris, Isabella Gilmore, Jane Morris, Rosalind Howard and more’.
You can book a place by making a donation and you can find more information here.
That is pretty much it from me for another week.
As I seem to say every Friday I am REALLY hoping to find some design time next week and start working on some new ideas. I am really missing my crochet, but know so well that we are really lucky to still be able to work here at the studio.
Next week we will be heading towards Andy’s birthday on Thursday, so we have that to look forward to. It looks like we will be popping a bottle of bubbly and ordering an Indian takeway and Andy says that he is really chuffed that the whole street, in fact the whole country, will be turning out to clap for his birthday at 8pm!!!
So until next week, keep well, safe and happy!
If you are looking for things to do over the weekend or into next week you might want to check out the events listing at your favourite gallery or museum. Sarah and I both ‘virtually’ attended a great seminar hosted by the William Morris Gallery on Zoom this week. The presentation was about May Morris’s embroidery, so of course Sarah and I made a point of getting involved! The Gallery is hosting another event this coming Wednesday:
Virtual Tour of Light and Shade
‘Join William Morris Gallery assistant curator Ainsley Vinall for a virtual tour of Light and Shade, our exhibition highlighting the lives led by the women of William Morris’s social circle alongside portrait photographs of them from our collection. The talk will look at the lives of some of William Morris’s family and friends as well as exploring different aspects of nineteenth century portrait photography. Featuring Emma Morris, Isabella Gilmore, Jane Morris, Rosalind Howard and more’.
You can book a place by making a donation and you can find more information here.
That is pretty much it from me for another week.
As I seem to say every Friday I am REALLY hoping to find some design time next week and start working on some new ideas. I am really missing my crochet, but know so well that we are really lucky to still be able to work here at the studio.
Next week we will be heading towards Andy’s birthday on Thursday, so we have that to look forward to. It looks like we will be popping a bottle of bubbly and ordering an Indian takeway and Andy says that he is really chuffed that the whole street, in fact the whole country, will be turning out to clap for his birthday at 8pm!!!
So until next week, keep well, safe and happy!
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A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Today sees the publication of the Introduction to the Fruit Garden CAL, as well as this special announcement:
I love the fact that crochet along (CAL) style projects give home crafters the opportunity to collectively join in with a project. I adore the fact that crocheters can contribute to on-line chat forums, seek out videos and groups to help them and create strong friendships with others regardless of background, circumstances or location in the world whilst working through the project. CALs give distance learners the chance to create wonderful pieces of crochet that they can present to their friends and families as a testament to their own talents and crochet skills and who can look back on the process of making as a rewarding and positive experience.
I am hugely excited about the launch of my new CAL project The Fruit Garden, but, at a time of worldwide uncertainty, I also recognise that many of you may be in a position where you cannot join in with the timeline of the project as it stands at the moment. So, after discussion with the wonderful team at Stylecraft, we have decided that my new CAL will now have 2 official launch dates, so that all those who want to can reap the full benefits of working through a project in an organised and supported timescale.
The first set of patterns for the CAL will go live as planned on Tuesday 28th April. This release will be followed by 7 more fortnightly pattern downloads, which means that the final set of patterns will be published on the 4th August.
On 8th September we will start the CAL pattern release process all over again so that anyone who missed taking part, or lost track along the way first time round can join in.
Rather than being the ‘poor cousin’ to the first publication, I see the second release as the fabulous ‘after party’ to the main event; If you choose to join in with the CAL the second time around you can make the most of tips and hints from those who have already completed the project. You can also get ideas for alternative colour ways or layouts and you will have a wonderful project completed in time for Christmas. I also feel that a second release will help support those who may have fallen by the wayside first time round - sometimes leaving a project and returning to it at another time can be a really good learning process and having more support going forwards is bound to lead to less disappointment and more completed projects.
Over the forthcoming weeks I am going to work on a new version of the CAL so that a third choice of project (to accompany the 2 existing colourways) can be added to the pattern options for the second release in September. The colour palette and format for this additional project is top secret for now, but as soon as I have anything solid to show you I will do so. Having another project option in the mix means that you will have even more free designs to choose from and could even mean that some of you decide to create even more Fruit Garden projects than you had originally planned.
I hope that you will all understand why these decisions have been made and will see them as a positive addition to the CAL process.
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, stay safe and I will see you back here again on Friday.
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Janie's Quick Update
Another week into lockdown and I am back to say hello and check up on you!
How are you all getting along? Anyone going a bit stir-crazy or are you all still happily pottering around in your gardens and enjoying your daily walks? Whatever you are up to I hope that your knit and crochet continues to bring you solace, whilst proving a perfect distraction from reality. Judging by the emails we have received this week it seems to me that your crafting is more important than ever and I know that many of you are busy completing projects that have been buried away in your stashes for a while. It really is the perfect time to get lots of things completed and like you, I feel very lucky to have my yarn at the ready by the settee for when I am at home.
Over the Easter weekend we pretty much managed to catch up on sorting all the backlog of web site orders and so felt like we were heading into this week in a stronger and more organised position. We have managed to get quite a lot of kits back in stock over this week, but they are selling fast and Stylecraft have told us they are now running approximately 5 days behind schedule with trade order delivery, so I think there may well be a bit of a wait ahead of us for the next batch of yarn orders. The kits for the Fruit Garden CAL are still on the web sites on a back order basis, but we hope to have the stock in very soon – thank you for being so patient!
How are you all getting along? Anyone going a bit stir-crazy or are you all still happily pottering around in your gardens and enjoying your daily walks? Whatever you are up to I hope that your knit and crochet continues to bring you solace, whilst proving a perfect distraction from reality. Judging by the emails we have received this week it seems to me that your crafting is more important than ever and I know that many of you are busy completing projects that have been buried away in your stashes for a while. It really is the perfect time to get lots of things completed and like you, I feel very lucky to have my yarn at the ready by the settee for when I am at home.
Over the Easter weekend we pretty much managed to catch up on sorting all the backlog of web site orders and so felt like we were heading into this week in a stronger and more organised position. We have managed to get quite a lot of kits back in stock over this week, but they are selling fast and Stylecraft have told us they are now running approximately 5 days behind schedule with trade order delivery, so I think there may well be a bit of a wait ahead of us for the next batch of yarn orders. The kits for the Fruit Garden CAL are still on the web sites on a back order basis, but we hope to have the stock in very soon – thank you for being so patient!
Fruit Garden CAL
With less than 2 weeks to go before the first set of patterns for the new Fruit Garden CAL are published Stylecraft have uploaded my ‘Getting Ready’ document to their web site. The document includes information about the yarn and equipment required for the project and other crochet related advice like how to achieve the correct tension and how to work neatly.
Over the Easter weekend I managed to film a short video to accompany the document. In the film I have covered the basic crochet stitches you will need to produce the project and I have also included a few little tips – like working your turning chain before you turn your work and changing your hook size on stitches with longer posts. You can find the video on my YouTube channel here. Take a look and let me know if you can hear the thunder storm that happened half way through!!!
Over the Easter weekend I managed to film a short video to accompany the document. In the film I have covered the basic crochet stitches you will need to produce the project and I have also included a few little tips – like working your turning chain before you turn your work and changing your hook size on stitches with longer posts. You can find the video on my YouTube channel here. Take a look and let me know if you can hear the thunder storm that happened half way through!!!
This forthcoming Tuesday sees the publication of another free download via the Stylecraft site. This one is my main introduction to the project and again there is a video to accompany it. Within the document I give you even more background information about the inspiration for my design and how I set about designing the pieces. The accompanying video (put together by Juliet Bernard for Stylecraft) is already live and you can find it by following this link.
Yarn kits for the Recipe 1 version of the CAL are available to order on Janie Crow and the Just Knots web sites.
Catching Up Online
It has been pretty lonely for us all over the last few weeks and I have been thinking especially about those of you who are on your own. I am so grateful to have Charlie still at home with Andy and I, but have been missing Summer dreadfully. Like so many others we have been trying to schedule in weekly catch ups with the family via Zoom and Facetime and it has been so good to see everyone even if it is in a virtual way.
Lots of people are joining in on-line tests and having family group quizzes. I am looking forward to a group catch up this evening where each household has set 10 questions and have a few other Zoom based chats lined up over the weekend.
The UKHK (UK Handknitting) have been holding virtual knit (crochet) and natter groups over the last few weeks and you can find more information on their Instagram feed here. I think they meet every Thursday evening at 7pm.
Yesterday evening I was part of a Zoom group chat with my girlfriends and we were talking about what special thing we can do to celebrate birthdays during lock down. We are all so used to going out to celebrate or having a party at home, so the prospect of a lockdown Birthday or Anniversary is disappointing to say the least! It was Charlie’s Birthday just as we headed into isolation at the end of March, so being at home was a bit of a novelty then, but as the weeks pass by it is harder and harder to think of ways to mark an occasion. My friends were talking about having on line ‘dance offs’ or dressing up, but if you have any great ideas you would like to share I would love to include them in a newsletter!
Lots of people are joining in on-line tests and having family group quizzes. I am looking forward to a group catch up this evening where each household has set 10 questions and have a few other Zoom based chats lined up over the weekend.
The UKHK (UK Handknitting) have been holding virtual knit (crochet) and natter groups over the last few weeks and you can find more information on their Instagram feed here. I think they meet every Thursday evening at 7pm.
Yesterday evening I was part of a Zoom group chat with my girlfriends and we were talking about what special thing we can do to celebrate birthdays during lock down. We are all so used to going out to celebrate or having a party at home, so the prospect of a lockdown Birthday or Anniversary is disappointing to say the least! It was Charlie’s Birthday just as we headed into isolation at the end of March, so being at home was a bit of a novelty then, but as the weeks pass by it is harder and harder to think of ways to mark an occasion. My friends were talking about having on line ‘dance offs’ or dressing up, but if you have any great ideas you would like to share I would love to include them in a newsletter!
Over the Rainbow
I mentioned the crochet rainbows in last week’s newsletter and I know that a lot of you are still making things to hang up in your windows as a symbol of hope. Over the past week I have seen quite a few images of lovely pom-pom wreaths popping up on Instagram.
Julie of Tilly Flop Designs was the first one I saw featuring them on her feed and I love the rainbow effect she has used on her own pom-pom wreath, so I have unashamedly copied her and made my own version using up some scraps of yarn from my stash.
Julie of Tilly Flop Designs was the first one I saw featuring them on her feed and I love the rainbow effect she has used on her own pom-pom wreath, so I have unashamedly copied her and made my own version using up some scraps of yarn from my stash.
Making the pom-poms was a really therapeutic thing to do and it made me think back to my childhood when we would cut out pieces of circular card and wind yarn around until we had big fluffy pom-poms. I can’t for the life of me remember what we did with them once they were made, but I remember the process vividly.
.Once my wreath was complete I packed up all my leftover yarns and popped them in the post to Summer so that she can make one too. I sent her one of the new style pom-pom makers, which make the process so much easier than cutting out card, along with an embroidery hoop for her to tie the pom-poms on to. It is really nice to think that we might have similar wreaths decorating our front doors even though we live almost 30 miles apart.
I know that Summer is really looking forward to making her wreath. She is not an avid knitter or crocheter like me, although I did teach both the kids when they were younger. I am hoping that they might come back to it later on in their lives like my great friend Rhonda who was taught many crafts by her mother as a child. I coached Rhonda through the process of crocheting about 3 years ago, but, as a busy, high flying business woman and a devoted Mum, it has only been during lockdown that Rhon has found the time to return to making her Granny Squares and I am chuffed to bits that she agreed that I could share with you the image she sent me of her and her blanket.
I know that Summer is really looking forward to making her wreath. She is not an avid knitter or crocheter like me, although I did teach both the kids when they were younger. I am hoping that they might come back to it later on in their lives like my great friend Rhonda who was taught many crafts by her mother as a child. I coached Rhonda through the process of crocheting about 3 years ago, but, as a busy, high flying business woman and a devoted Mum, it has only been during lockdown that Rhon has found the time to return to making her Granny Squares and I am chuffed to bits that she agreed that I could share with you the image she sent me of her and her blanket.
Rhonda says the process of crocheting has helped her to relieve stress, feel calmer and keep her mind active and I am so proud of her and the lovely blanket she has created.
It has been so busy with the web site orders over the last few weeks that I have been unable to get going on a new crochet project. I completed a new version of Persian Tiles about 4 weeks ago (which I hope I will be able to show you soon) and have been itching to pick up my hook and start a new design, but packing so many orders has been making my arthritic fingers hurt a little (especially as I am avoiding Ibuprofen), so making the pom-poms was a great way to play with some yarn!
I have rooted through my WIP bag at home and pulled out the cardigan I started knitting in the Autumn, so I am also hoping to make some progress on that now that things are calmer. Heading into next week I have my fingers crossed that I can start to think about some new design work and have a few ideas for inspiration – as usual I would love to know what you are all working on.
Virtual Wonderwool Festival
Some of the casualties of the current situation are the many music festivals and yarn shows scheduled for the spring and into the summer. Andy was like a bear with a sore head when his favourite Rock Music festival was cancelled for June and we are both disappointed that the Wonderwool show in Wales will not take place next weekend, however the organisers of the show will be hosting a virtual show via their Facebook page. You can find more info by following this link.
If you are an Instagram fan like me and are looking for a new account to follow can I suggest you take a look at Aannikova – an amazing bag designer who lives in the Crimean mountains.
I love her feed as it is a mix of her young family life and her incredible art work. If you get a chance, take a look and if any of you manage to work out where you can purchase one of her incredible bags please let me know!
It's Nearly the Weekend!
We managed to get 2 days at home over the Easter break – we spent our time walking in the countryside around our home, tidying up the garden, cooking and eating! We are hoping to spend this weekend doing similar (after all there is not a lot more that we can do), but I am also hoping to add in some crochet time and have a bit of a clear up in our summer house at the bottom of the garden as it has become a little bit of a dumping ground for things we cannot find a place for in our little house. In this brighter weather I am also very aware that the house is badly in need of a spring clean, so it may well be that some dusting and cobweb hunting is on the cards!
With the focus on daily life being so much more food and cooking orientated than ever we have already planned our meals for the next few days and I am looking forward to making a veggie burger recipe I found on-line. We have an abundance of left over carrots, so I have found a recipe that should use these up. Life is just so full of excitement these days!!!
I would love to know what you guys are up to and don’t forget that if you have any ideas for ways to mark a special occasion I would love to know them – we are in the lead up to Andy’s birthday and he has been working so hard that it would be lovely to come up with a way to give him a special day - although Summer has already set the bar pretty high by sending him a tin of her handmade rum and raisin fudge!
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, stay safe and I will see you back here again next Friday.
With the focus on daily life being so much more food and cooking orientated than ever we have already planned our meals for the next few days and I am looking forward to making a veggie burger recipe I found on-line. We have an abundance of left over carrots, so I have found a recipe that should use these up. Life is just so full of excitement these days!!!
I would love to know what you guys are up to and don’t forget that if you have any ideas for ways to mark a special occasion I would love to know them – we are in the lead up to Andy’s birthday and he has been working so hard that it would be lovely to come up with a way to give him a special day - although Summer has already set the bar pretty high by sending him a tin of her handmade rum and raisin fudge!
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, stay safe and I will see you back here again next Friday.
PS: The nomination stage of the Let’s Knit Awards for 2020 is now open and of course I would really love it if you could take a few minutes to take a look at the web page. By submitting your nominations you can be entered into the prize draw and win some fabulous yarny goodies, so do take a look!
A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Janie's Quick Update
I hope this email finds you all safe and well...
I am just popping in quickly to wish you all a very happy and healthy Easter weekend. I think it is set to be an Easter celebration that none of us are likely to forget!
We continue to live and work in our own little 'Jane & Andy' bubble. The Janie Crow and Just Knots web sites are still open for business and we have pretty much caught up with all the orders, so are really looking forward to a couple of days off over the weekend. We are hoping to find the time to make a little film to accompany the release of the 'Getting Ready' download for the Fruit Garden CAL, which goes live via the Stylecraft web site on Tuesday and have our fingers crossed that we will get some time in the sunshine in the garden too.
I am just popping in quickly to wish you all a very happy and healthy Easter weekend. I think it is set to be an Easter celebration that none of us are likely to forget!
We continue to live and work in our own little 'Jane & Andy' bubble. The Janie Crow and Just Knots web sites are still open for business and we have pretty much caught up with all the orders, so are really looking forward to a couple of days off over the weekend. We are hoping to find the time to make a little film to accompany the release of the 'Getting Ready' download for the Fruit Garden CAL, which goes live via the Stylecraft web site on Tuesday and have our fingers crossed that we will get some time in the sunshine in the garden too.
Fruit Garden CAL
If you are thinking of getting involved with the new Fruit Garden CAL it's still not too late to order a kit in time for the start of the crochet along on the 28th April. The kits have now sold out 3 times over on both web sites, but we are confident that by the end of next week we should be up to speed with getting the kits into the post.
As it stands at the moment we have the Parchment and Caramel Life DK and Batik kits on sale on a back order basis and we are hoping to be able to have the Naturals - Cotton + Bamboo kits back in stock within the next couple of weeks.
I know many of you are really looking forward to having a crochet along project to get stuck into come the end of April, but I also know that many of you are worried about getting yarn packs in time. We have been inundated with requests to release the patterns and the yarn packs early, especially from those of you outside of the UK, but for now the scheduled dates all remain in place. A huge amount of work has gone into the design stage, the pattern writing, the promotion and of course the preparation of the yarn packs, so making changes now is not an option. I still have the final read through of the patterns to do and all the video tutorials to film. Add to that the fact that many people are still waiting for their yarn packs to arrive and you can immediately see that there is definitely no chance of having the CAL sooner than originally planned, so please be patient!
The 'Getting Ready' download, which comes out on Tuesday, will include information on yarn usage, tension and a few tips to help you achieve a really heirloom worthy crochet blanket. I can't believe that we are now only 17 days away from the release of the first pattern on April 28th....
It's nearly the Weekend
I think there may well be a lot of small scale Easter barbecues going on over the next couple of days here in North London as the weather is set to be good. It is especially tempting to make plans outside of the house when the sun is shining, but I urge you to stay home despite how lovely you think the local park, beach or countryside might be.
Over the last few days I have seen lots of social media posts by people busy volunteering to make sew scrubs for doctors and medical staff. My friend Teresa has been especially busy this week making fresh new scrubs that really help the NHS keep on top of things at this time of need. This is the piece on the BBC web site that inspired Teresa to get involved, so I hope you will take a look, especially if you are a keen dress maker! There are loads of other initiatives that will really help too. This week I have seen patterns for masks and laundry bags and have been told that it is a good idea to look on line to find out what your local area is in need of.
If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans or things that you are doing to help fight the challenges that the world is currently facing please hit reply.
I want to leave you with a positive story though, so take a look at this fabulous article about how sea turtles are thriving now that people are not encroaching on their beaches!
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, stay safe and I will see you back here again next Friday.
PS: The nomination stage of the Let’s Knit Awards for 2020 is now open and of course I would really love it if you could take a few minutes to take a look at the web page. By submitting your nominations you can be entered into the prize draw and win some fabulous yarny goodies, so do take a look!
A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Janie's Quick Update
I have been thinking about you all so much this week and hope that this email finds you all safe and well...
It has (of course) been another strange week here at Janie Crow. As I told you last week, we are still able to work from the studio as internet business is allowed to continue for now anyway. With more and more people at home we have seen the traffic to the Janie Crow and Just Knots web sites soar, which has presented a bit of a challenge in these unusual circumstances as it is just the 2 of us here now.
We continue to live and work in our own little 'Jane & Andy' bubble and I am amazed that we have not yet had a major fall out! I was reading an article about how people who are self isolating together can avoid confrontational situations by giving each other plenty of physical and emotional space and that they should try to spend time away from each other to make being together more special – not sure how those of us who live and work in very close proximity can make this work, but it made me very glad that the two us can at least escape the house and continue to enjoy keeping our business afloat, especially as so many others are not as fortunate. I have been thinking a lot about those of you who are on your own or working in key worker professions. As I said already, we have been working in our own little weird bubble and this is scary enough, so I cannot imagine what it must be like for all the NHS staff, the council employees, teachers and shop workers (etc) who are busy helping us all on the 'front line'.
Fruit Garden CAL
On Monday we added the yarn kits for the new Fruit Garden CAL to our web sites. The kits sold out in a stupidly bonkers short amount of time so we immediately got on the phone and asked Stylecraft to send us more stock. As it stands at the moment we have the Parchment and Caramel Life DK and Batik kits on sale on a back order basis, but we were unable to order more of the cotton + bamboo version as the shades for this are now out of stock at Stylecraft too. With all that is going on the supply chain for all our stock is far slower than usual, so we are hoping to be able to receive, pack and dispatch the next batch of kits early next week, then another batch the week beginning 13th April. As soon as we get word from Stylecraft that the cotton + bamboo kits are back in stock we will add these to the web site.
I know many of you are really looking forward to having a crochet along project to get stuck into come the end of April, but I also know that many of you are worried about getting yarn packs in time. We have been inundated with requests to release the patterns and the yarn packs early, especially from those of you outside of the UK, but for now the scheduled dates all remain in place. A huge amount of work has gone into the design stage, the pattern writing, the promotion and of course the preparation of the yarn packs, so making changes now is not an option. I still have the final read through of the patterns to do and all the video tutorials to film. Add to that the fact that many people are still waiting for their yarn packs to arrive and you can immediately see that there is definitely no chance of having the CAL sooner than originally planned, so please be patient!
The 'Getting Ready' document will be released in just over a week on the 14th April and I hope to get a little video filmed to coincide with this. As soon as this is ready I will let you know.
'Life throws challenges and every challenge comes with rainbows and lights to conquer it.'
Amit Ray - World Peace: The Voice of a Mountain Bird
To get our daily exercise we have been walking into work. The weather has been dry, so walking has been really nice, especially as being out and about early in the morning means we get to spot more wildlife than usual. Have you seen the videos of the Mountain Sheep heading into towns in Wales and the clear canals in Venice? What a wonderful bonus at such a difficult time to think that the birds and animals are thriving!
Lots of people have been putting pictures and messages in their windows and it has been lovely to see all the rainbow paintings in particular on our walks. On Instagram I have been tagged quite a few times over the last week by people sharing images of crochet rainbows they have made to display. Many of those who have tagged me have used the half circle motifs that feature in my Magic Circles blanket or scarf pattern.
Sarah has made a couple of lovely beaded versions from the Magic Circles pattern that you can see above. If you fancy having a go you can find a free step-by-step illustrated ‘Crochet with Beads’ technique download by following this link. I think the rainbows would make a lovely project for using up scraps of yarn and would look really lovely hanging in the window for children (like me) to spot and count on their walks!
As I said last week, I know from posts on Instagram and on Facebook that many of you have been rooting through your stashes to see if you have yarn you can put to good use, so don't forget that I have now made my Emily shawlette pattern free. Emily is the perfect pattern for using up single 100g skeins of 4ply yarn – you will need in the region of 400m of yarn to make the shawlette, which also features some Debbie Abrahams beads.
Knit & Crochet Along
Looking at social media and stories popping up over the last week it has been amazing to see how many knitters and crocheters are rallying around and helping each other. There have been loads of people on Zoom and Skype based chats and lots of groups have been getting together in a virtual way to knit and crochet. It is at times like these that knit-along and crochet-along type projects can be a really good way to feel like you belong to a crafting community. Of course the Fruit Garden CAL doesn’t start for a few more weeks, but you will find an abundance of free projects you can get involved in before it begins. Scheepjes Blogger Esther from ‘It’s all in a Nutshell’ has launched her 'Grannies for Grannies' project, which you can find here and, if you are looking a little further forward in time and fancy the idea of getting involved in a lovely hand knit project for the autumn, then why not take a look at Debbie Abrahams ‘Mystery Cushion Club’.
Debbie’s next club starts in June and Debbie says of the club:
‘The Mystery Cushion Club is a unique one-off ‘knit-along’ project that is split across 5 months (15th June – 15th October 2020). Members receive monthly patterns and one parcel containing the necessary yarn and embellishments to knit and assemble a cushion-cover. The mystery is that you won’t be told the theme of the project, so part of the fun is to discover this while you are knitting it up!'
This year Debbie is using Rowan Baby Cashsoft Merino DK yarn for the project (although it is not a baby themed project), in a vibrant mix of colours including jade, fuchsia, tangerine and lime. The kit also includes Debbie Abrahams Beads and is enhanced with sparkling rhinestone studs.
Cooking is Love Made Visible
I happened to catch a few minutes of Steve Wright in the afternoon on the BBC Radio 2 yesterday afternoon. He was asking people to text in if they have been using this time at home to learn a new skill. This is a feature he has been doing for the last couple of weeks and it is great to hear that lots of people are taking up some traditional crafts such as knitting, crochet and sewing. A lot of people have also been saying that they have been using the time to learn how to cook.
I have always loved cooking and have been making my own sourdough bread for a couple of years now (although getting scarily low on bread flour now) and love making cakes and savoury meals, so I wouldn’t say we have been using this time as an opportunity to learn to cook, but we have certainly been doing much more home cooking rather than eating out or grabbing something quick from the Supermarket on the way home from work.
We have also had a couple of vegetable boxes delivered from the companies who work out of Covent Garden Market as they have been struggling to make a living from their usual wholesale trade. Having a selection of vegetables delivered has forced us to look for new recipes and we have really enjoyed getting home to cook in the evening.
I have always loved cooking and have been making my own sourdough bread for a couple of years now (although getting scarily low on bread flour now) and love making cakes and savoury meals, so I wouldn’t say we have been using this time as an opportunity to learn to cook, but we have certainly been doing much more home cooking rather than eating out or grabbing something quick from the Supermarket on the way home from work.
We have also had a couple of vegetable boxes delivered from the companies who work out of Covent Garden Market as they have been struggling to make a living from their usual wholesale trade. Having a selection of vegetables delivered has forced us to look for new recipes and we have really enjoyed getting home to cook in the evening.
On our search for new recipes we have become avid followers of the Pret (a Manger) feed on Instagram. We have always loved a Pret sandwich and now that we eat very little meat we really like their new veggie products in particular, so it has been great to discover some tasty easy recipes on their feed. The chocolate chip cookie recipe that was posted yesterday looks really tasty and you can also find a lovely selection of recipes on the Pret web site here.
'College friends Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham were sick of processed food and impersonal service so they opened the very first Pret A Manger in 75B Victoria Street, London. It promised simple, delicious food served by friendly, motivated staff.'The founders set up the charity 'Pret Foundation' in 1995. The Foundation’s aim is the alleviation of poverty, hunger and homelessness and it is usually funded by donations made from the sale of some products, plus generous contributions to the collection boxes in shops. While the Pret stores are currently closed the foundation continues to operate their charity runs and have been incredibly busy dropping off food and drinks to those in need both on the streets and working within homeless charities. They have also been providing meals, snacks and drinks for front line workers including those in the NHS. If you want to make a donation to the Pret Foundation you can do so by following this link.
It's the Weekend!
In case you have lost track of what day it is - yes it is Saturday and not Friday afternoon. I am not trying to mess with your head by dropping into your emails a day late, it is just that I ran out of time to get the newsletter out yesterday!
Despite the fact that it is Saturday we are here at the studio packing orders ready to leave here on Monday, but we are looking forward to getting home this evening to celebrate the fact that it is the weekend. Last Saturday we got dressed up for dinner and organised a Zoom catch up with the family beforehand so that we could enjoy virtual 'drinks on the terrace' together. It was good fun, but not like seeing everyone in the flesh. I am really beginning to miss my family and friends as I am sure we all are.
We haven't yet decided what we are going to do tonight, but thought we might have a theme just to make today a little different to all the others..... I would love to know what you guys might be doing to mix things up a little. Have you seen the trend in Australia where people are dressing up to take their bins out? Not sure we will go quite that far!
I hope you all have a good weekend, or what is left of it anyway. I urge all of you to stay home if you can (that means no trips to the beach or national parks!!) even tough the weather is set to be good here in the UK and I hope that wherever you are you are safe, well and happy.
If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans you might have over the next week, please hit reply....
Despite the fact that it is Saturday we are here at the studio packing orders ready to leave here on Monday, but we are looking forward to getting home this evening to celebrate the fact that it is the weekend. Last Saturday we got dressed up for dinner and organised a Zoom catch up with the family beforehand so that we could enjoy virtual 'drinks on the terrace' together. It was good fun, but not like seeing everyone in the flesh. I am really beginning to miss my family and friends as I am sure we all are.
We haven't yet decided what we are going to do tonight, but thought we might have a theme just to make today a little different to all the others..... I would love to know what you guys might be doing to mix things up a little. Have you seen the trend in Australia where people are dressing up to take their bins out? Not sure we will go quite that far!
I hope you all have a good weekend, or what is left of it anyway. I urge all of you to stay home if you can (that means no trips to the beach or national parks!!) even tough the weather is set to be good here in the UK and I hope that wherever you are you are safe, well and happy.
If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans you might have over the next week, please hit reply....
PS: The nomination stage of the Let’s Knit Awards for 2020 is now open and of course I would really love it if you could take a few minutes to take a look at the web page. By submitting your nominations you can be entered into the prize draw and win some fabulous yarny goodies, so do take a look!
A Reminder about Postage
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we use Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate most worldwide postal services and we have not yet been hugely affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here
Janie's Quick Update
I hope this email finds you well and that you are all keeping safe....
As tiny on-line businesses Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns are both able to continue to operate, so we have been in the studio this week putting yarn kits together and packing and dispatching online orders. We know that we are extremely lucky to be able to remain working and so, for now, we plan to carry on for as long as we can. As I said to you last week I will be appearing in your in box every Friday as usual over the forthcoming weeks and hope that you will enjoy a quick Janie Crow catch up.
I want to start by updating you about online orders and postage as we have had lots of people asking us about what we can send and where we can send it to.
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we have always used Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate worldwide postal services and we have not yet been affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
I hope this email finds you well and that you are all keeping safe....
As tiny on-line businesses Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns are both able to continue to operate, so we have been in the studio this week putting yarn kits together and packing and dispatching online orders. We know that we are extremely lucky to be able to remain working and so, for now, we plan to carry on for as long as we can. As I said to you last week I will be appearing in your in box every Friday as usual over the forthcoming weeks and hope that you will enjoy a quick Janie Crow catch up.
I want to start by updating you about online orders and postage as we have had lots of people asking us about what we can send and where we can send it to.
At Janie Crow and Just Knots Yarns we have always used Royal Mail as our postal service provider. Royal Mail continues to operate worldwide postal services and we have not yet been affected by issues with the post. Things can change quickly, so if you are wondering about the mail service to your country, you can check up via the Royal Mail ‘Personal Help’ page here.
Fruit Garden CAL
Yarn packs for the Fruit Garden CAL go on sale on-line on Monday. I know many of you are really looking forward to having a crochet along project to get stuck into come the end of April, but I also know that many of you are worried about getting yarn packs in time. We have been inundated with requests to release the patterns and the yarn packs early, especially from those of you outside of the UK, but for now the scheduled dates all remain in place. A huge amount of work has gone into the design stage, the pattern writing, the promotion and of course the preparation of the yarn packs, so making changes now is not an option. I still have the final read through of the patterns to do and all the video tutorials to film. Add to that the fact that some people might have their yarn parcels slightly delayed in the post and you can immediately see that there is definitely no chance of having the CAL sooner than originally planned, so please be patient!
We have yarn packs for both colourways of the Fruit Garden Blanket packed and ready to start leaving here next week. The yarn packs go on sale on Monday and we will have them on the Janie Crow site and on Just Knots. The kits are currently showing as out of stock because we have not added them yet! We will be monitoring sales as soon as the page goes properly live. If our kits sell out then we will add a back order option, which will mean that you can purchase a pack to be delivered in the future. Of course we will honour any requests for refunds on these kits should you change your mind or find them in stock somewhere else before we dispatch.
Emily Shawlette
I know from posts on Instagram and on Facebook that many of you have been rooting through your stashes to see if you have yarn you can put to good use. Last week I made a crochet decorative Easter Egg pattern free on Ravelry and this week I have made my Emily shawlette pattern free too. Emily is the perfect pattern for using up single 100g skeins of 4ply yarn – you will need in the region of 400m of yarn to make the shawlette, which also features some Debbie Abrahams beads.
Workshops & Events
Sadly my day workshop and event dates for April, May and June have now been cancelled. I have updated the workshop list on my web site so that events taking place in July and August are now visible. You can find the list here. The listed events are in relation to the forthcoming Fruit Garden CAL and for the majority of them they are likely to include a half day workshop for a group of around 12 people followed by a larger in store event where I will talk about the inspiration for the CAL and my other design work.
Images with thanks to National Trust, Standen House, Sussex.
I have tried hard to support small yarn shops and hope to see many of you at the CAL events later on in the year. I am hoping that I will be able to squeeze in some dates for the stores who have had their dates cancelled later on in the autumn and will add these to the web site just as soon as we have a clearer picture of how things are panning out.
Sadly smaller yarn stores in the UK, who do not operate on line stores, are now closed. It is a hugely worrying time for many and it is really sad to think of these small but vital businesses now struggling to survive. If you are lucky enough to have a local yarn store then please take a look to see if there is a way that you can support them. You can find your nearest yarn store on the UK Hand Knitting web site by following this link. If your local store has a web site then you may be able to support them by purchasing a gift voucher that you can use in the future or by booking onto an event later on in the year. Some stores are offering a delivery service too!
Birthdays in Quarantine!
It was very strange celebrating Charlie's 25th birthday at home last Friday, but the three of us had a good time in the company of a few beers and a lovely take away curry! Not the trip to Amsterdam with his friends that our boy had planned, but I don't suppose he will ever forget it!
This week also saw the anniversary of both William and May Morris's birthdays. The V&A Museum celebrated by releasing a lovely picture gallery on their Instagram feed, which you can find here
There is also a really lovely written and illustrated piece about the connection that William and May had with the V&A here. I was really excited to learn via this piece that the Ardabil Carpet, one of the inspirations for my 2012 Persian Inspired Crochet Club projects, was purchased by the museum on William Morris's advice. What a coincidence!
It's Nearly the Weekend!
As we have been at the studio all week Andy and I definitely have the Friday Feeling today! We have been seeing posts from our friends and family tidying up their back gardens and enjoying the sunshine all week and so have our fingers tightly crossed that we will be able to enjoy some time ‘out back’ over the next few days. I know that lots of you are also undertaking some decorating or intensive spring cleaning, so I hope that the weekend will still feel like a bit of a break for you all.
We have managed to catch up 'virtually' on-line with lots of people over the last week and at times like this we feel so blessed to have video and chat forums that we can catch up on, especially as we are not going to see our daughter, Summer, or our lovely colleague Sue, who is now at home, for the foreseeable future.
Charlie and Andy came up with a great plan to get dressed up for dinner on Saturday night. I am going to cook the family favourite of Macaroni Cheese and we are going to concoct a few cocktails, so I am really looking forward to that! We also have a stack of jigsaw puzzles to work our way through and I have a few books that I have been lining up over the last few weeks to read, including ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by the awesome Elizabeth Gilbert (follow her on Instagram if you don’t do so already!) which I have wanted to read for ages.
I hope you all have a great weekend - I urge all of you to stay home if you can (that means no trips to the beach or national parks!!) and I hope that wherever you are you are safe, well and happy. If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans you might have over the next week, please hit reply....
As we have been at the studio all week Andy and I definitely have the Friday Feeling today! We have been seeing posts from our friends and family tidying up their back gardens and enjoying the sunshine all week and so have our fingers tightly crossed that we will be able to enjoy some time ‘out back’ over the next few days. I know that lots of you are also undertaking some decorating or intensive spring cleaning, so I hope that the weekend will still feel like a bit of a break for you all.
We have managed to catch up 'virtually' on-line with lots of people over the last week and at times like this we feel so blessed to have video and chat forums that we can catch up on, especially as we are not going to see our daughter, Summer, or our lovely colleague Sue, who is now at home, for the foreseeable future.
Charlie and Andy came up with a great plan to get dressed up for dinner on Saturday night. I am going to cook the family favourite of Macaroni Cheese and we are going to concoct a few cocktails, so I am really looking forward to that! We also have a stack of jigsaw puzzles to work our way through and I have a few books that I have been lining up over the last few weeks to read, including ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by the awesome Elizabeth Gilbert (follow her on Instagram if you don’t do so already!) which I have wanted to read for ages.
I hope you all have a great weekend - I urge all of you to stay home if you can (that means no trips to the beach or national parks!!) and I hope that wherever you are you are safe, well and happy. If you want to let me know about any of your home based plans you might have over the next week, please hit reply....
PS: The nomination stage of the Let’s Knit Awards for 2020 is now open and of course I would really love it if you could take a few minutes to take a look at the web page. By submitting your nominations you can be entered into the prize draw and win some fabulous yarny goodies, so do take a look!
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Welcome to my blog. Here you will find my email newsletter archive alongside any other general musings or information about events or new pattern releases that I wish to share with you!
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