Healthy Habits

Janie's Friday Feature

Welcome to this week's Friday Feature Newsletter - the Janie Crow equivalent of a Sunday supplement magazine....

As always I cannot believe just how fast the last week has flown by - the older I get the quicker my time seems to go - it can be a bit scary at times!

This week Sarah and I have been looking at ways of putting healthy habits into practice or keeping in line with those you may have already created. As I have said many times before I found myself in a situation where I needed to reboot my habits and routine a year or so ago, when I felt that everything had got a little bit out of control and when my work in particular was taking over too large a chunk of my time. By working through some very simple exercises over the course of a few months I managed to rearrange my life a little to make room for the things I felt I was missing out on.

It is really easy to loose sight of your goals, be they personal or work related, and get caught up doing things you may no longer enjoy. I have a series of 'post it' notes on the wall in the studio that say things like 'Gym', 'Family', 'Delegate' and 'Prioritise' on them to help me stay in control. I have recently also started using a timer on my phone - I set it to go off at hourly intervals so that I can judge how much time things are taking me, as I do have a habit of spending too much time on small things that are not massively important and so leave too little time for all the other things that need to be done.
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Last year one of the things I was really guilty of was filling my spare time with work - I think when you are self employed this is an easy thing to do, so over the past year I have tried to create some new pass times and hobbies. My sourdough bread making, for example, has become a good distraction and (although my waistline has possibly suffered a negative effect as a result) I feel the process of making the bread 3 or 4 times a week provides me with some really good therapy!

The other thing I have started to do again is walk and Sarah mentions the positive effects of walking within her piece further down. When I had my beloved dog I walked over the woods with her every day, but since loosing her 18 months or so ago the walking habit died too! Sarah has some tips for keeping up with healthy habits and has written a great piece for this week's newsletter, so do scroll down to take a look.

As usual this week's newsletter features both a palette and a tip of the week alongside a few other bits and bobs that I hope you will find of interest. As always, if you have anything you want to say to us, simply hit reply and send us an email.

Happy Friday!
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'There are always flowers for those who want to see them.'
- Henri Matisse -
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Keeping Healthy Habits

Sarah here!

I am really pleased to be joining you again for the Friday Feature and hope that you are all feeling the benefit of any changes you might have made to improve your sense of wellbeing. If like me you started off full of good intentions at the beginning of January and have managed to wander slightly off piste, take heart, you are not on your own. This can be a tricky time of the year to navigate. The festive season is well and truly behind us, but the weather is still unpredictable and although there are the odd signs of spring, there isn’t quite that ‘smell’ in the air yet. However, this could be the best time to check in on the benefits of a healthier lifestyle without all the pressure of the “New Year, New Me” stuff. A few daffodils and twinkly lights is a good way to remind yourself that lighter, warmer days are on their way.

Coming out of your comfort zone at the darkest, coldest and bleakest time of the year, can feel like a bit of an ask. I wonder if this is because we associate healthy habits and regimes with notions of giving things up. How can we help ourselves to stay on track and keep the glass half full? When that sense of overwhelm starts to build up, one of the best things we can do is to simply stop and give ourselves time to reflect and re-assess what we are trying to achieve. What are the building blocks we need to put in place to keep up our momentum? When I started to research this piece there were several simple and obvious ways to help keep us on track  – ironically these are always the easiest to lose sight of when life gets busy. So here is a gentle reminder:

A good night’s sleep is one of the most restorative, mood and energy boosting treats you can give yourself – and it is the quality, rather than the quantity of the sleep that matters. I recognize that this may be really irritating to read for those who struggle to sleep as I guess you will have tried all of the following. however, it may help someone and it certainly got me thinking about how I approach the end of the day.

• Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and well ventilated.
• Try to go to bed and get up at the same time – trickier at the weekends I know, but changes in this routine can often lead to migraine.
• Avoid screens, (even the TV) an hour before you intend to go to sleep.
• Exercise regularly.
• If you do wake up you could try reading or do something else relaxing until you feel tired again – do not be tempted to check your devices!

I often watch the TV before going to bed and, although I read once in bed, this checklist has made me think about when I watch some of my favourite programmes. Rather than staying up late to catch something, I am going to try recording it and watching it at a better time. It’s a small change, but if it improves the quality of my sleep then it’s a bonus.
Healthy eating has never been easier, but it can still be a struggle some days. I grew up in a house where homemade cakes and biscuits were always available and no dinner was complete without pudding! I still punctuate the day and reward myself with sweet things. Deep down I know this is not good for me.

In a previous Friday Feature you may remember I mentioned that I was going meat free during January. Well, I have stayed meat free and am still really enjoying exploring new recipes, tastes and textures. I am more conscious of the importance of cooking from scratch and how batch cooking can prevent relapsing into bad habits. I have eaten out a couple of times and given in to dessert, but the important thing is that as a family we are making more conscious decisions about what we eat. Preparing food for and sharing new dishes with friends is a habit we have no trouble maintaining!

My attitude to exercise is probably worse than my passion for cakes and puddings! P.E. lessons terrified me at school, but I was very good at ballet, so I do appreciate the importance of exercise and the tremendous boost it can give to our wellbeing. I guess it is another case of finding what works for the individual. I love walking and take my dogs for a run twice a day, so not a complete couch potato! I think walking is a great way to exercise and allows you to make discoveries along the way. Who would have thought that this photo was taken in the heart of Birmingham!
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Despite my treks with the dogs I could definitely do more and so recently we have started walking to the local supermarket instead of taking the car. I often leave things upstairs so that I have to make several trips – sounds crazy, but every little helps. I have also discovered a five minute morning yoga routine that I am going to try. I know that lots of you run, cycle, work out and do yoga, so I hope you are not too appalled by my less than energetic ways. Finding the time to exercise can often be a constraint, but anything is better than nothing, so that will be my starting point!

And finally – STRESS!

We need a small amount of stress to function and to keep motivated but too much is detrimental to both our physical and mental health. It is something we will all face at different points in our life and the triggers will be different for all of us. However, we can develop habits or strategies to alleviate this pressure when we are often at our most vulnerable. Not a day goes by without some report about the negative impact of technology (and often specifically social media) on our health and wellbeing. I have been as guilty as the next person on the number of times I check my phone and counting the number of likes a post gets on Instagram. Apparently, every time you get a like on Facebook or Instagram you get a little hit of dopamine, every time you see something new you get another hit – that is why it is so addictive. The dangers are well documented – constant connections to our phones leads to lack of focus and concentration and creativity, poor sleep and probably most harmful of all – endless comparison with the apparent success, luck and gorgeousness of other people. This is not intended as a rant against the use of social media, just a gentle reminder that it is OK to take a break!
Chances are that if you are reading this feature it is because you crochet, knit or stitch, possibly all three. Working with our hands and engaging with calm, rhythmical and repetitive action leads to a state of flow, similar to meditation. Our focus and concentration improves and our self esteem improves. It helps us to feel grounded in an ever virtual world. These are great habits and certainly the ones I feel most easy to maintain.
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Everyone’s circumstances are different and it is so easy to forget to take care of ourselves. Without some level of self care, both our physical and mental health is likely to suffer. Self care is not a hedonistic concept it is about developing a calmer, balanced and healthier lifestyle, often through tiny changes. Two books that I refer to all the time are Self-care for the Real World  and Rituals for Every Day. They are written by two sisters, Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillipsand published by Penguin Random House. The emphasis is on suggesting ways to look after yourself and boost your sense of well being, rather than dictating a regime. They are realistic and recognize the curve balls that life throws at us.
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I hope you have a great weekend and that you are able to eat something nutritious, get outside and breathe some fresh air, but also find time to rest and relax with your current project.
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Tip of the week

The new Janie Crow web site now has 14 free technique downloads and a range of helpful YouTube videos uploaded to help you on your crochet journey. You can find them by following the links.
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This week I want to highlight one of the videos - 'How to make a neat ring' - as it features a great little tip on how to make sure your slip knot isn't visible in your foundation ring when working in the round. The images above show how much better the ring can look if you use this tip. You can find the video by following this link.
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What's New?
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The response to the new web sites has been amazing - thank you to all of you who have taken the time to comment on them and get in touch.

For those of you who don't already know, the new Just Knots web site is a retail site that replaces our original Janie Crow one and for the time being historical links from Janie Crow, such as those in past newsletters and magazine features for example, will be automatically redirected to this site. Going forwards though, anything related specifically to me and my design will be featured primarily on the new Janie Crow site.
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About six weeks ago Andrew and Andrea from the Fruity Knitting Podcast dropped into the studio so that I could take part in an interview with them. The resulting video went live on Tuesday via their Youtube feed, so I would love it if you would take a look!
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Colour Palette of the Week
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I wanted to feature a bright and cheery palette this week. I took this image in February last year - I remember going out and getting a bunch of tulips in the hope that they would cheer up a dull and miserable couple of days. The image was taken with the lights on at home, so it isn't brilliantly clear, but I think I have managed to create a nice palette of shades from it - I really do love purple/dark red shades with bright greens.
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I remember thinking that we were heading into spring this time last year and then we had all that snow! We did the Spring Knitting and Stitching show in thick snow (the worst that London has seen for years) and had snow again when we were at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival and that was mid March, so I am guessing there is still a chance that we haven't had all our winter weather just yet - it is lovely to start thinking about the spring though isn't it!
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Colouring Competition

The colouring competition has been a huge success - our postman, Dave, has been kept very busy this week delivering all the entry forms! I have been incredibly restrained and have yet to open a single one of them. A small group of us will be going through the entries and picking our favourites next Wednesday and I really can't wait to start looking through them.
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I want to send a big THANK YOU to those of you who have taken the time to send in an entry. We will be revealing the 5 finalists in early March - so do look out for more information on that very soon!
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Instagram Favourite

​I have recently started following the work of quite a few embroiderers on Instagram. I really love the detail of some of the things they are doing and have been really surprised at how innovative and exciting the craft has become.
 

I have been following @fistashka.art for a few months now and I just love it when her work comes up on the feed. Polina, the embroiderer behind Fistashka Art, is from Russia and has been embroidering since 2015. Recently she has been concentrating on lovely moth and butterfly brooches, but you can see from the image that she also works on mini portraits and larger pieces.

'My works are often compared to Impressionist paintings, because my embroidery recalls this style. I am inspired by the works of Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Russian painters.'
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Freddie Fever!
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Last week I featured Mark @theguywiththehook as my Instagram favourite - I hope you followed the link and liked his feed.
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This week Mark has completed his tribute to the legend that was Freddie Mercury. Isn't it amazing! You can find the pattern via Mark's blog by following this link or clicking on the image above.
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It's nearly the weekend!

I am looking forward to a day at home tomorrow, although we didn't make it to IKEA last weekend, so it may well be that we decide to squeeze this in at some point. On Sunday we are going to head up to the NEC in Birmingham to visit the 'CHSI Stitches' trade show. I am really looking forward to this as we are going to catch up with Sarah while we are up there and I have been invited to attend the British Craft Award ceremony in the evening.
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Thinking about the event on Sunday reminded me that I was recently sent some images from the British Knitting and Crochet Awards party back in October. I thought you might like to the one above as it is not often that Lucy from Attic24, Dedri from Look at what I made and myself manage to collide at the same time. The image also features Sarah Neal, Editor of Let's Knit magazine.

Next week we will be heading off to exhibit at Unravel Farnham. The show starts on Friday and runs through to next Sunday. If you are planning to visit the show please drop by our stand to say hello - we will be in the main hall.

Next week's newsletter will focus on Denim, which is a really big trend for spring, so I hope you will join me. In the mean time I trust you will have a wonderfully creative and enjoyable week...
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