June News

Wow it has been a super busy month so far! From my birthday at the very end of May it has been a non stop few weeks with a fabulous trip to the delights of Northern France with Stitchtopia, a visit to the fabulous new HQ at Emma Ball and a music festival all in the mix. This week has been more about work, as I endeavour to catch up with my to do list, but with the afternoon crochet event and another residential workshop on the horizon, there is never a dull moment here at Janie Crow! 
 
I have quite a bit to tell you about this week, so if you have a spare five minutes for a quick catch up, grab a cuppa, or a glass of something extravagantly fizzy, to enjoy while you catch up with all our news.

I love seeing my projects professionally shot in fabulous locations, and it had been a while since we held a proper shoot, so about a month ago I felt it was time for a revamp. I packed up the car and headed to a lovely location with my trusted photographer, Leanne Dixon and the fantastic stylist Claire Montgomerie to breathe new life into my blankets, throws and cushions. 
 
We had a great day, despite a thunder storm and termeramnetal light, and it is lovely to now see the results of the shoot and have a whole load of new pics to share on our website and on social media.
 
We have already shown some new images of Eastern Jewels, such as the image above, but you can also find a nice new flat lay shot on the updated webpage here. We have also updated the Sevilla page with quite a few new images, including details of the edging and the design inspiration.
 
Keep an eye on our website and social media channels, such as Instagram and Facebook, for more new images over the forthcoming weeks! 

We have a good selection of kits in stock at the moment, including those for the Majorelle pouch and cushion cover, which are both featured in the image above, alongside the Sevilla blanket.
 
The blanket project uses Stylecraft Life DK in seven shades of yarn, with a total of sixteen x 100g balls needed to make it. The project measures approximately 138cm wide by 148cm long and I chose the colour palette using our trip to Seville in Spain last summer as my inspiration. I love the fact that this project sits so well with my Persian Tiles original colour way, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year. In fact I have been referring to Sevilla as Persian Tiles' new baby sister, as I am so proud of this brand new addition to my crochet blanket family! As always it has been great to see clever crocheters using yarns from their stashes and recolouring the design - you can see some featured on our Instagram feed here.
 
The Majorelle pouch and cushion cover are included in one pattern and the kit contains enough yarn to make the cushion cover. If you wish to make the cover and the pouch you will need to add in more beads and probably a few extra balls of Ricorumi cotton, which you can find on the Wool Warehouse website here or via Black Sheep Wools here.

I have been writing a Seasonal Journal for Inside Crochet Magazine for the last six months or so. It has been a really nice experience, although at times it has not been easy to find a track to talk about. On the whole though, I have really enjoyed writing a monthly update focussing on what is going on in my life at the time, but also how we all view and react to the passing months. It's nice to take the time to write stuff down. Journal writing fell by the wayside for me along time ago, so it is good to have some thoughts written down ‘properly’ somewhere, rather than just as digital notes and emails etc.
 
I am a big fan of Inside Crochet Magazine, especially as it tends to push the boundaries in terms of technical skills and offers beginners and expert crocheters alike a great range of projects to choose from. Very kindly the magazine has given us permission to create a specific page on our website to show snippets of the journal for those who may not subscribe. This page does not show the whole column - you need to see the magazine for that - but it does give a bit of a round up of what I have talked about. Emma has done a really lovely job building this web page and she will be updating it monthly, so do take a look! 

Just two places remain on the Knit For Peace retreat that I will be tutoring in Mysore, India next year. The break will run from 22nd January to 4th February at The Green Hotel, with comfortable accommodation on a full board basis - the food is particularly delicious! 
 
During the trip I will lead seven morning workshops, including both a crochet and a knitting project for those who wish to participate. Afternoons and weekends will be free to explore the city and surrounding countryside - there is a lot to see and do! 
 
Knit for Peace retreats are both extremely friendly and very relaxed. Join in as much or as little as you wish. Come on your own and make new friends or bring a non-crafting partner or friend to share with you. Everyone is welcome. The retreat could be an excellent first introduction to India, or a joyous return to a lovely city.
 
You can find more images taken on previous trips to Mysore with Knit For Peace on the Janie Crow Instagram feed here. If you would like to join me and other craft enthusiasts on this fabulous break, follow this link to Knit For Peace for more information and to book.

Stitchtopia have just released two new residential workshop trips with me for next year. I will be repeating the knitting trip to West Yorkshire in June, where the week will have more of a relaxed, ‘retreat’ feeling this time, compared to the previous trips. Debbie Abrahams is going to be doing the same trip in October, so there are a couple of choices on dates to choose from if you fancy that one!
 
I will also be heading off to Croatia in October for, what looks to be, a fabulous crochet trip - perfect for those who like a bit of autumn sunshine too. Croatia has a great crochet heritage and the trip includes some lovely sounding workshops and visits. I am getting excited about this one already! 
 
Places are booking fast, especially for the Croatia trip, so head over to the Stitchtopia website for dates and more info by clicking on the links above. 

This time two weeks ago I was in France with a great group of knitters and crocheters on another Stitchtopia trip where visits included Monet's house and garden at Giverny and the incredible Palaces of Versailles.
 
Monet's house and garden were the absolute highlight for me as it has been on my bucket list for a very long time. The gardens were really beautiful and I felt particularly emotional about the water garden, seeing Monet's ponds and the results of his incredible eye as a garden designer.
 
The house was a real treat too and I was so pleased to hear from our guide how the Monet family were lovers of crochet and would sit in a particular spot in the garden to craft together. 

The palaces of Versailles were also pretty awesome, but in a far different way to Monet's home at Giverny. I was flabbergasted by the scale of the palaces and came away thinking that it was no wonder that the French started a revolution as a reaction to the incredible inequalities that were so very visible! 
 
Of course the world is still a very unfair place in terms of what some people have and others don't, so after a day within the palace walls and gardens I think we were all quite pleased to head back to our cosy hotel and a little less opulence! 
 
While in Paris we shared a lovely day with Julie Dubreux, who was just the best guide, showing us some great yarn shops and authentic places to eat. We had such a good day, finished off with cruise along the Seine to see the sights of Paris from the river.
 
Spending a day with Julie surrounded by yarn made me want to come home and cast on a knit project. I find knitting really relaxing in the evening, especially garter stitch and I love colour work when knitted in the round. This week I have been busy searching out my needles and doing some tension pieces for a couple of projects I want to get started on for the autumn. I am not sure this weekend will be quite the right weather for knitting with wool, but hopefully the evenings will be cool enough for me to get going. 

Andy recently made this super yummy tomato tart using a recipe by Meera Sodha, which features in her fantastic recipe book called ‘EAST’. We are big fans of Meera's recipes and have tried quite a few from this book - not had a bad one yet! 
 
This tart has a pistachio and saffron base with onions and spices mixed in, all topped by super sweet baby tomatoes. A perfect dish for this time of year and it was just as good cold as it was warm. You can do so many variations of this recipe using a sheet of puff pastry and pretty much any toppings you fancy - add a salad or side veg and you have a super speedy dinner or scrumptious lunchtime treat! 

We are promised a fabulous couple of days weather wise so I am looking forward to a bit more time in the warmth of the sun in the garden. I love sitting in the shade of the early evening when the sun is warm, but not strong enough to burn. Our patio space has come on really nicely this year and so I have really enjoyed spending time outside - surrounded by my Vinted bargain cushions! ​

I am heading out to visit the lavender fields in Hitchin later on this afternoon to enjoy an event organised by the lovely Helen of Woolly Chic. I am really looking forward to it, especially as I will get to catch up with my good friend Juliet Bernard who I haven't seen in ages! I will try to get some good pics to pop on my Janie Crow Lifestyle feed later on. 
 
Tomorrow I am meeting a friend at King Cross for a spot of shopping and lunch. I love London in the summer, when the whole city spills onto the streets to enjoy the sunshine. The regenerated areas around Kings Cross are the perfect place to sit and people watch or stroll along the canal.

I am really proud to have found out this week that my Fruit Garden blanket has been chosen to be part of a huge exhibition at Standen House in July. The exhibition is called ‘Inspired by Standen' and you can find more info by clicking on the image below.

​Thank you to all those of you who got in touch in response to the reel and blog post about my health and fitness journey that I shared recently. I am so glad that some of you felt inspired by it.
 
I have a small op coming up in August (nothing scary), so I am trying to get as fit as possible in the lead up to it as I may be out of action for a few weeks afterwards. This is the perfect time of year for salads and yummy fresh veg, so I am enjoying some healthy food along the way too!
 
I hope that whatever you have planned for the next few days that you are healthy and happy. If you're in the UK, mind that sunshine and don't get burned. Remember - factor 50 at all times!!! 
 
Yarny hugs!