December News

I adore my job as a crochet designer and enjoy making pretty much every stitch, but as crocheting is my job I tend not to have a crochet project to work on during my down time and opt to knit instead. I really enjoy the period between Christmas and New Year as we tend to be off work and at home more than usual, so there is more time to sit on the settee and craft.

I tend to plan a new project for the holiday period and have decided to start work on a sweater I have wanted to make for more than 20 years! It is a Kaffe Fassett sweater design called Dark Daisy which featured in an old Rowan Magazine. All of the yarn shades used in the design have been discontinued, but the yarn range itself is still current, so I have managed to create a colour palette very similar to the original.

I am hoping to knit my tension square this weekend and have also lined up my existing knit and crochet down time projects in the hope of getting something finished - I like having a couple of projects on the go, but really need to complete something!

If you are also beginning to think about what project you want to work on over the festive period then you might want to consider embarking on a new blanket. We have Sandalwood kits back in stock after a bit of an absence and many others are still available, including kits for the Climbing Rose Wrap, Bohemian Blooms, Mystical Lanterns in the Avice colourway and Fields of Gold.

Tuesday 19th will be our last postage date for this year and the last Royal Mail postage date for the UK is Wednesday the 20th, so now really is the time to make those last minute gift decisions. Don't forget we have lots of lovely Emma Ball items in stock including some of the bundles we put together last week.

Emma came up with the brilliant idea of using one of the tins from the Emma Ball and Janie Crow collection as the 'wrapping' and so Andy put together some bundle options on the web site, which you can see by following this link.

We think that the large Sandalwood tin would be perfect to hold a handmade gift for a friend. All you need to do is pop the gift inside, shut the lid and tie a ribbon around it and you have created a no waste present! Or maybe you fancy more than a tin and would like to take a look at some of the bundles in stock - all the bundles include a discount of around 15% compared to the price of the items bought individually.

Andy has been patiently waiting for a Della Q order to arrive from the US. We have been hoping to have the fabulous messenger bags and backpacks in stock for quite a while, especially as they make the best gifts, so being patient has not been particularly easy!

In theory they should arrive next week but this is not set in stone. Andy will put them in stock as soon as they get here, so if there is something you've been waiting for then do take a look. If there is a particular item that you have been waiting for and it is out of stock, you can add your contact details on the web site so that you will receive a notification once it is back in.

Inside Crochet magazine will feature the final crochet block for the Spirit of Flora crochet along project in the next publication, which is due out on Thursday. The motif is called Bedford Daisy and it is the most complicated block in the project, but with all the skills that have been built over the year I am sure that you amazing crocheters will cope with it admirably!

The magazine will also feature the patterns for the 3 borders so that you can choose which one you think suits your project the most and you will also find images of another blanket layout, so it is a magazine full of loveliness once again! ​

I am really excited to reveal that I have been nominated in two different categories in the Yarn Industry awards for 2023. I am really proud that my name appears in the 'Best Independent Designer' section and within the 'Best Online Personality' category. I am up against some true giants of the yarn world, many of them with many more followers than me, so I am flattered simply to have been nominated, but if you do want to vote for me, or any of the other fabulous nominees, please follow this link. ​

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 - they would make a particularly nice accessory for a festive outfit!

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.

As I said already, we will be taking a break from work for a bit over the next couple of weeks, but we are already planning for 2024 and will be running some money saving offers over the 12 days of Christmas from the 25th December to the 5th of January on our social media platforms. So if you fancy a crafty bargain, do look out for our daily posts.

It has been a fabulously busy year and I am so incredibly grateful for your support over the 12 months. I know that Christmas is not an easy time for some people and am mindful of all that is going on in the world around us, but I hope you at least manage to find time for a bit of rest and recuperation at some point over the next fortnight and that you will continue to find solace ion your crafty projects.

Happy Christmas from us all at Janie Crow 

Janie x