May News

May is a month full of birthdays and festivities in our family, with my Dad and our daughter sharing their birth date on the same day and my parents' wedding anniversary on our niece's birthday. Our nephew will have his birthday next week, on the same day as one of our cousins and I have my birthday next weekend, which means I just scrape into being a May birthday too! 
 
I love May, not just because of the family celebrations, but also because it is a time when the promise of summer is at its peak. The garden is getting ready to burst into colour and the air smells different, with the morning chill not so harsh as of late, so it might finally be the time to dig out the summer clothes and sandals! 
 
It has been a busy few weeks here at Janie Crow, so busy in fact that I am a week late with the May newsletter, but as a bank holiday looms and we get an extra day off to enjoy, I am sure such things are very unimportant! I have a few things to tell you about this week, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news before you head into your weekend plans….

Last week I bundled loads of my crochet projects in the car and headed off to south London for a shoot. It has been a while since my projects were given the love and attention of a stylist and professional photographer, so it was great to see them come to life in a fabulous location, full of quirky pieces and vintage finds. I am looking forward to showing you the new pics very soon, especially as we created lots of group shots showing how well many of the projects sit together in a lovely interior setting. We even managed to squeeze in enough time for some blanket stack shots and some profile pics too! 
 
You can see a couple of speedy videos, shot by the fabulous stylist and crochet designer Claire Montgomerie on the day of the shoot, over on my Instagram feed by following this link.

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 below, and for the blanket version of the same design, which is called Sevilla and is shown above.
 
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's 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.

Other kits we have good stock of are shown below - click on the images to be taken to the website for more information.

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.

Within my monthly journal for the most recent edition of Inside Crochet Magazine (Issue 189) I talk about the joy I get from my garden, especially at this time of year, when it is looking so full of promise! The magazine features some great garden inspired projects too, so do be sure to check it out if you haven't done so already. 
 
I have been patiently waiting for my peonies to burst into bloom in the front garden. The bushes are loaded with buds, but so far, despite me checking up on them daily, they are still tightly shut! I am hoping that this weekend's warmer weather will force at least a couple of them to open and I guess I shouldn't be in such as hurry as I am always disappointed when the flowers finish. At least they are currently providing a sweet treat for the ants who love their sticky nectar and patrol the buds to ward off other pests like greenfly.
 
I love arranging the peonies in shallow bowls once they are picked and last year we used a crochet basket that Andy made from a kit by Tamsin at The Left Hookey, as the perfect cover for the ceramic dish. You can find kits for the Appledore basket, along with other fabulous items, many of them perfect for crochet beginners, over on Tamsin's website here.
 
Our climbing rose is also looking fabulous with a profusion of buds and flowers. I was told recently that commercial roses are bred so that they don't smell as this makes them flower longer. The roses in the garden smell divine and remind me so much of my childhood when my grandparents had a garden full of them. There are so many that I can pick them pretty much daily and pop them in a vase with some cut lavender - a heavenly combination which provides a blissful perfume festival! 

There is nothing quite like the taste of fruit and vegetables that have been grown in the sunshine rather than under artificial light in greenhouses, or picked before they are ripe and flown across the globe, so I love it when we start to get tomatoes that are soft and sweet rather than sour and crunchy! I believe that one of the finest accompaniments a fresh tomato can have is feta cheese, oh and a splash of olive oil of course, so this week my recipe recommendation is to use all three!
 
As we head into the warmer months we tend to have salads as the accompaniment to most of our meals and so we have plenty of fresh herbs growing in the garden - flat leaf parsley and corriander are particularly good in leafy salads and fresh oregano, thyme and mint work so well with feta and tomatoes too.
 
I grew our mint from the left overs from a bunch I bought from the local supermarket. Mint will grow roots in water really quickly, even if it is looking a little sad and wilty beforehand, so it is super easy to get a large plant in next to no time - just be sure to keep it in a pot rather than planting it straight into the garden or you could be inundated! 
 
We discovered a lovely salad made with watermelon and feta a few years ago. I am pretty sure I have shared this recipe before - but it is particularly yummy! 

I have already given you quite a few reasons why I love May so much, but another one is that we get a double dose of Bank Holiday weekends - and with a fab forecast on the horizon too, I am particularly looking forward to the next few days. 
 
I have been living in jeans and layers for months on end and my feet haven't seen daylight for a very long time so it will be good to dig out some lighter clothes and replace my woollies in the the wardrobe for a few months. In reality we only really get about four months where summer clothes are more appropriate here in the UK, so let's hope that the summer will live up to all expectations this year.

We are currently dog sitting for our daughter and her husband who are away on their holidays for a few weeks. It has been lovely having the pup around for the last week and he has already got us wrapped around his cute little paws! I imagine that a few longer walks will be on the cards over the next few days, as well as some games in the garden.
 
I have been working on the projects for the forthcoming Stitchtopia trip to France over the last couple of weeks, as well as the one for the Footsteps of William Morris one in early July. I am hoping to get the project for the trip to Turkey sorted relatively soon too, especially as we are already planning more trips for 2027.

This week marks the two year anniversary of my health and fitness journey, which started after a conversation with Emma about calorie counting apps and has led me to some life changing habits. I told myself lots of mistruths for a long time and kidded myself that I was healthy enough, so to now be in a position where I am lighter and fitter and see a body in the mirror that makes me proud is an incredible feeling and makes all the hard work so worthwhile! ​

As the sun is shining and its beautifully warm here in North London today, Andy and I are going to head out for a Friday afternoon drink in the local pub garden later on and then have no real plans for the rest of the weekend, other than to potter about in the garden and cook some good food. We still have Margaritas (cocktails, not pizza) on a Saturday evening, which is a habit that dates back to lockdown, so it will be great to sip the first of the season watching the sun set over the house! 
 
I hope that whatever you have planned, that you are heading into a nice weekend and a great bank holiday too if you are in the UK!