March Newsletter

March Newsletter
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Wow! what a whirlwind of a week!
 
After the reveal of the new Fruit Garden CAL design last Friday we have been inundated with emails and messages - Thank you to all those of you who have taken the time to get in touch. It really has been amazing to see so much positivity in regards to the design.
 
We have had a lot of new people join the newsletter list this week, so the first thing I want to do is welcome all those of you who have not had an email from me before. For future reference, my emails usually arrive in your in-box on a Friday and not on a Sunday, so do look out for them!

There are two reasons why this newsletter has arrived with you on a Sunday - the first is that I want to give you the heads up that the shades for the new CAL project will be revealed via my web site tomorrow and the second is quite simply because I ran out of time to email you on Friday!!! Last week was a blur of final pattern checking and sorting ourselves out in readiness for the CAL and so the newsletter fell by the way side.....but here I am brightening up your Sunday instead!!! 

This month's newsletter focuses on the new CAL, but I have also included a few of the usual things like Instagram Favourite of the month, so I hope you have 5 minutes to spare in my company while I bring you up to speed with all things Janie Crow...
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The Fruit Garden Crochet Along (CAL)
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Over the past week or so, we have had loads of queries about the new crochet along project and I have been busy on the social media platforms trying to answer your questions. To help you plan ahead I thought it would be a good idea to add an itinerary and further information to this week’s email.

The Fruit Garden CAL has been designed in 2 colour-ways

The ‘yellow’ one above has been made using Life DK & Batik. The image makes it look a little more yellow than it is in reality. the main shade is called Parchment and the second border shade is called Caramel.
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The  version shown above has been made using the new Naturals Bamboo + Cotton. The main shades are chalky blues and greys.

The completed blanket measures approximately 128cm square made in the Life DK/Batik and 108cm square in the Naturals Bamboo + Cotton.

The list of yarn shades and quantities will be released on Monday 16th March. They will be revealed on my web site and on Stylecraft’s social media platforms. From this date yarn kits will be on sale in ‘bricks and mortar’ stores.
 
We will have kits ready at the studio from the day of our launch party on Wednesday 18th March. The studio will also be open between 10am and 4pm on the dates below should you want to drop in and pick up a yarn pack – we do recommend that you give us a call first to check that we have what you want:
 
Thursday 19th & Friday 20th March
Monday 23rd through to Friday 27th March.
 
Studio no: 0208 447 0040
 
Please note that yarn kits will not be sent out in the post between the 16th & 30th March, even if you ask really really nicely!

If you would like to come to the launch party on Wednesday click on the link here or on the image below to be taken to more information. It is very much business as usual here at Janie Crow, despite what is going on in the world, so we hope you will come along. If, for any reason, the situation changes over the next few days and weeks we will ping you an email.
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Yarn packs go on sale on-line from the 30th March. We will have them on the Janie Crow site. Our kits will include all the yarn needed to complete the project, the advanced information leaflet and a sew in Janie Crow fabric label. The packs will not include the project patterns - these will only be available to download from the Stylecraft web site.
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The first set of patterns will be free to download on Tuesday 28th April. The patterns will then be published every two weeks through to early August. They are all free and have been written in UK & US terms and in the Dutch Language.
 
I will be doing some films to accompany each of the motifs that feature in the design. These will be free to view via my web site and Youtube.
 
A free ‘Getting Ready’ document will be released to download on 14th April. This document will feature notes on yarn use, basic stitches and tension.
 
I hope this covers some of your questions. For more information on kit prices and to see the list of yarns used in the project, don't forget to take a look at the web site tomorrow.

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Dedri's Mandala in Yarn 9 Magazine

​If you are looking for a really striking crochet mandala project, then you need look no further as the super talented Dedri Uys of Look at What I Made has come up with this ultra cool scaled up mandala design that she has called Celestial.
 

I am so in love with this project and would like to make one to go in the garden in the summer. The design is just so pretty!

The project is featured in the new Scheepjes Yarn 9 bookazine of patterns and it uses one ball of Whirl. With Dedri's support Andy has put together a kit page on the Just Knots web site. The kits include the pattern book and yarn needed to make the project and you can choose from one of the many shades of gorgeous Scheepjes Whirl.
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 Instagram Favourite

​My friend Christina is an angel in disguise - she does a huge amount of amazing work for charities and recently told me about a project she was involved with in Cambodia. The project is called Be Free Cambodia - an organisation that campaigns against human exploitation:

'With between 2 and 4 million people trafficked across borders each year, 300,000 child soldiers working around the world and approx 3287 men, women and children being taken and sold every day, it is hard not to stand up and take note of those who are not free, those who don't have a voice and those whose hope has been lost'.
 

'Be Free Cambodia provides a 12 month training programme with a holistic approach for women rescued from human exploitation'.

You can find a link to the Be Free Cambodia Instagram profile here or by clicking on the image above.

Christina very kindly gave me permission to share her images of the crochet flowers that she taught some of the girls on the programme to make during her recent trip to support the project in Cambodia:
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You can find the free pattern that Christina used as the basis for her beaded flower design here.

For more information about the work of the 'Be Free' organisation follow this link to their web site.

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Fabulous Fairisle!
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Hope you have had a lovely weekend!
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I have been teaching at the Woolly Away event in Hertfordshire today. I prepared a small crochet mandala kit based on my Bohemian Blooms design for each of the participants. I will be tutoring the same workshop again at the new Rowan Flagship store 'Osprey Home' in St Albans in June if you fancy coming along!
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It is set to be a busy week ahead, but I am hoping to catch some time at home to sit and crochet. I have discovered the BBC Sounds app recently and love catching up on Podcasts while crafting. I know that many of you are Podcast lovers too and I have been introduced to some great programmes on your advice including Fortunately (which makes me laugh out loud a lot of the time) and You're Dead to Me, which is helping me combat my dreadful historical knowledge! Keep the suggestions coming!

I hope that wherever you are in the world you are safe, warm and happy. I say that in every newsletter, but at the moment this wish is even more heartfelt with all that is going on. Stay well and look after your loved ones