janie's Friday feature - quick update

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

It has been a fabulous week here at Janie Crow as I have finally been able to reveal a complete image of the Climbing Rose Wrap. The first set of patterns for this brand new CAL project featured in Inside Crochet Magazine issue 117 which was available to purchase from yesterday.
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I am REALLY proud of this design, especially in regards to the inspiration I chose to work from. I have always been a huge fan of William Morris and it has been a long term ambition of mine to produce a design in homage to his work. Having worked in a home decorating store part time as a student, I am very familiar with William Morris’s wallpaper designs in particular and so I started off thinking that my design inspiration for this project would be Morris’s very well known design ‘The Strawberry Thief’, which is one of my favourites, but I was concerned about how I could produce the idea of strawberries and birds in crochet! I was relieved and inspired further when I came across another design called Molly Blue by Fryetts, which in turn was inspired by Morris's work. This lovely design not only had the floral elements I was looking for, but also totally summed up the colour palette I wanted to use.
   

Some of my CAL designs have taken me months to design and make, whilst others, have been quite quick. The design process for the Climbing Rose Wrap was really speedy once I set to crocheting and I really enjoyed interpreting elements of Morris’s fabric design in my crochet. The flowers within the original design are not easy to identify exactly, so I looked at traditional Victorian garden flowers and used these as the basis for my motifs.

Working with Inside Crochet magazine on this project has been amazing. The whole team really got behind the project and I am hugely grateful for all the time and attention they gave me. I was absolutely bowled over that they managed to arrange to shoot the project at William Morris's Bexleyheath home The Red House and I had to keep pinching myself that we were there.
 
I have been totally bowled over by the response to this project and really hope that my design has inspired you to pick up your hooks........
 

There is a new dedicated Facebook Group for the Climbing Rose CAL. The group has been created by my fabulous friend and talented crocheter Sue Macdonald and you can find it by following this link, or clicking on the banner above. All images are courtesy of Inside Crochet magazine and Leanne Dixon.

If you are still looking for a yarn kit to accompany the project you will find them on Just Knots, Wool Warehouse and Black Sheep Wools.

My great buddy Jo Smith has revealed her brand new CAL project Sunstar, which she has released in conjunction with Stylecraft Yarns this week. Jo's design is fun and vibrant and I love her Sunshine inspired centre part in particular, which is made using the two colour method of crochet. You can find more information about Jo's CAL, which is available in 3 colour ways, by following this link or by clicking on the image of Jo's lovely blanket below.
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This week I have added 6 new necklaces made by the talented crochet designer Marina Kelly to the web site. The beautifully intricate necklaces are made with fine hand dyed linen threads and incorporate beads, ceramic buttons and tiny ornate crochet flowers. Take a look at Marina's beautiful designs in the shop by following this link.
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My 'Maker of the Week' goes to redheadeddoodlejumper on Instagram who has posted the most wonderful version of my Summer Palace Wrap. The colour palette includes a lovely splash of bright yellow (a colour I have to admit I still shy away from in favour of a bright green) and a dark edging. I think it is really stunning and am bowled over that this has been made my a complete beginner.....
   

We are looking forward to the bank holiday weekend. It will be a quiet one for us as the kids are both away for a couple of days. It will be nice to get some peace and quiet for a bit, but I know that within a short space of time I will be missing them...

As always, I hope you are looking forward to a lovely relaxing weekend and that you are healthy and happy wherever you are....
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