happy new year from janie crow

Janie's Quick Update

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

Apologies for not making an appearance in your inbox for a while - it is good to be back! I hope that you have enjoyed a lovely festive holiday season and that you are heading into 2020 in good health and happiness!
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'Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending'.
(Carl Bard)
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We have been dipping in and out of the studio over the last few weeks, but I will not be properly back there until next week when things will start to get busy again. I have spent the last few days scheduling my 2020 plans into my new diary and setting the wheels in motion for all the new things we have in store for you. I think it is going to be an exciting year!
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We head out to Mysore for the Knit For Peace knitting and crochet holiday in 2 weeks time, so I have been busy working on the projects for the group. I have prepared a knit project and a crochet one, so have had quite a lot to do! I am really happy with both projects and will be releasing them as patterns in the future. The projects are based on an indigo, cream and red block printed patchwork throw I found on my last trip to India. I have added lots of stitching and embellishments, so there are lots of techniques included. I will show you some images of the project and of the trip in my February newsletter.

I will be launching a new crochet along (CAL) with Stylecraft in the spring. The pattern will be relased in 8 parts for free from late April/early May through to the end of July and I really hope you are going to like it! I have already made my prototype blanket and the patterns are being checked, but we have now decided to make a second version using Stylecraft's new natural yarn range, which will make an appearance via yarn stockists soon. I am really excited that another natural yarn is set to join Classique Cotton DK in the Stylecraft range and think that you are going to love the fabulously subtle range of chalky colours in this new yarn palette - I am already madly in love with it! Look out for more information about the CAL and the new yarn in forthcoming newsletters.

The trip to Mysore and the CAL are both on my imminent forward radar, but there will be some more (what I think are) really exciting projects coming through this year, some of which are reworkings of older designs and some that will be brand new. If you are interested in my back catalogue of designs you might be pleased to hear that the patterns for many of these are being added as download options to my Ravelry store. You can now find the Magic Circles Blanket pattern to download here and the Summer Palace Wrap here.
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Paper brochure copies of my patterns are all still available via the Janie Crow web site. If you are one of the many people waiting for the pattern for the Magic Circles Shawl, which was released as a kit via Just Knots back in November, this will be added as a download to Ravelry within the next 2 weeks and as a paper copy via my web site and via Just Knots at the same time.
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When I was thinking about what I was going to tell you about in today's newsletter I happened across a great 'woolly' story on the BBC app. It is about seaweed eating sheep on Orkney. You can find it by following this link or clicking on the image above.
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I also saw this piece about how a knitwear company that sells hand knitted hats made within knitting groups in New Zealand has been inundated with baby hat orders after the image of Prince Harry with baby Archie was released for the New Year.
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It's Nearly the Weekend!

It is a bit of a funny time isn't it - that bit between Christmas and New Year and then those odd couple of days where most people are back to work, but the kids are still off school. It is one of those times when we all seem to loose track of what day it is and cannot quite work out exactly what we should be doing! 

I have been working from home this week - I am trying hard to shake off the lurgy that arrived a few days before Christmas, so I am busy drinking hot honey and lemon and trying to keep snug while I work at the kitchen table - it is like old times working from home for a few days, but I am looking forward to heading back to reality next week.

We have a calm weekend ahead of us. We are visiting a wedding reception venue with Summer and Chris on Saturday and I am hopefully off to see Little Women at the cinema on Sunday with a group of girlfriends - so long as my annoying cough has shifted itself by then!

Whatever you have planned I hope you have a good time. I will be back in your inbox on January 17th with my bumper monthly email, until then, please stay safe and happy....
 
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