June News

We will be launching the patterns for set two of the Spirit of Flora project next Wednesday the 19th June. As with set one, the patterns will be available as paper brochures via our website or as downloads via Etsy or Ravelry. 

Chelsea ​

Evelyn

Gillow

Marlborough

There are four motifs in the set - all are shown above. You can purchase the patterns individually at £3.95 each if you want to cherry pick certain motifs, or you can purchase the set at a price of £10.95 which means you save almost £5 compared to purchasing them individually. 

This second set includes patterns for the following motifs: Chelsea, Evelyn, Gillow and Marlborough. From Wednesday you will also be able to find the patterns for the three blanket borders as a free download document on the Janie Crow website.

It has been fabulous seeing so many of you getting involved in this project and I know that many of the crocheters who made the blanket last year are continuing to use some of the motifs for other projects. My lovely friend Gwyn has made a crochet pouch using the Marlborough motif and some yarns from her stash. She is watched over by her crochet dragon companion, Draig and it is fab to see her lovely blanket in the background too!

When we did the photoshoot for the Spirit of Flora project at Emery Walker's House in Hammersmith, we were extremely fortunate to find original William De Morgan tiles around the fireplace in the living room. By complete coincidence this is the tile that inspired my colour choices and layout for the Evelyn motif along side the painted flowers that feature in Evelyn De Morgan's famous painting Flora.

Huge thanks to Inside Crochet Magazine and Leanne Jade for the permission to use these images.

The Complete Crochet Handbook is back in stock following its reprint. We have signed or unsigned copies for sale on the website now and you can find them by following this link. The book is written in UK terms and the copy written in US terms is called The Perfect Crochet Finish. You can find it for sale on Mary Maxim by following this link.

I love using beads in my projects and always use those from the Debbie Abrahams range as they are a really good quality and come in a fabulous selection of shades. If you are a big fan of beading too, or are a newbie and want to give it a go, now is a good time as Debbie is currently offering a 25% discount on the price of her beads and some select yarns on her website here.

My Gertrude Cushion Cover features beaded leaves around the flowers and my hanging decorations, shown below, are a great use for beads too - you can stick to one shade or add a selection.

You can add beads to most stitches, so even if a pattern doesn't include beads you can choose to add them. The image above shows the Hollyhock motif from The Fruit Garden with some beads added on a couple of rows. I really love how beads add an extra dimension to a project.

My beaded pouches, Cafe au Lait and French Linen, can also be personalised with the addition of the Hollyhock flower and you can choose to add lots of beads to the project or just a few. I think they make perfect summer time evening bags and would be fabulous gifts.

If you haven't beaded with crochet before, we have a free technique download here and you can also see free video tutorials on our Youtube channel. If you want to make the most of Debbie's very generous offer, you have just a week as the sale will ends on the 21st June.

A couple of years ago I was interviewed by Jamie and Merion on the Love Crafts podcast and it was a real treat to catch up with them again a couple of weeks ago on their new Craft Talkin podcast, which you can find here .

During the podcast we talked about The Complete Crochet Handbook, the rise in skill level of crocheters, the changing way that crocheters are looking to learn techniques and what I have planned for the future. Jamie also took the opportunity to host his 'Flower or Glower' question round and we chatted a little bit about Justin Bieber and jelly! You can find the podcast by following this link. Please follow Craft Talkin over on Instagram too. ​

Sarah has suggested the Waterstones book of the month, 'Tom Lake' by Ann Patchett for this week's recommendation. Here's the synopsis from the Waterstones website. Sarah says the book is beautifully written and she really enjoyed it:

In the spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake.As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.'
You can find the book on the Waterstones website by following this link.

We have been trying out quite a few new recipes lately and so I have a healthy list for the next few newsletters and Quick Catch Up emails. After a special evening meal at Ottolenghi's restaurant, Rovi, a couple of weeks ago I purchased the book Flavour and have already tried the spicy lasagna, which was amazing!

Last week Andy made a delicious sweet potato recipe, which also features garlic, tahini, crispy roasted chickpeas and baby tomatoes. It was amazing! You can find the recipe over on Minimalist Baker by following this link.

Andy is away for a few days, so I have been pottering about this week catching up on a few home based jobs. I have had a bit of a cake disaster and undercooked a (usually) very reliable chocolate cake recipe and also managed to split the ganache filling for the same cake, not once but twice, so it obviously wasn't my week for baking! Oh well, it was only a cake and the bits I have managed to salvage are delicious! ​

Summer, my mother-in-law Gill and I are off on a shopping trip with our niece Abby to get a few things for her wedding, which is now only four weeks away, so I am looking forward to a girlie day tomorrow. Sunday will be a family day and I am hoping for some cosy crochet in my special corner of the settee, especially as the final instalments of the (dreadful but addictive) third series of Bridgerton are now out!
I hope that whatever your plans are, you are also looking forward to a nice weekend and that maybe, like me, you will get a chance to sit for a bit with some lovely knitting or crochet!

Janie x