Welcome back to our Book of the Month feature and this month we are looking at socks! You might have seen on our socials that we recently took part in a book tour for 'Crochet Socks that Rock' (David & Charles 2025 ISBN-13:9781446314517) by Anna Nikipirowicz. 

Crochet socks are a far rarer beast than knitted socks but patterns are starting to appear more often in the crochet magazines these days and Anna has put together a whole book of fabulous designs. 

I am a sock knitter and so I hadn't ever attempted a crocheted sock so I thought it would be a good idea to start with the Shortie Socks pattern. DK sock yarn is less common than 4-ply/fingering weight and so there wasn't a huge selection to choose from in my yarn stash so I used some leftovers from a skein of green DK merino/nylon from Castle View Yarns, together with a skein of Coop Knits Sock Yeah DK. As you might see in my photo above I hugely underestimated the amount I would need for the toe/heel/cuff and only have a tiny amount of the green left so for the second sock I will be substituting in another colour from the Coop Knits range, which is lighter but similar. 

There is a choice of 3 sizes for this pattern and most of the others but a couple of patterns only have 1 or 2 sizes to choose from. The instructions are laid out clearly on the page, with a good amount of spacing so they don't appear cluttered or squashed together, which really helps when it comes to following them. For patterns with lace or colourwork there are charts too. 

Towards the beginning of the book there is a very helpful information section , which includes information on the best types of yarn to choose, tools needed and very importantly how to measure your own feet. The anatomy of a sock is clearly explained, which really helps you to understand the construction of the sock as you make it. 

There is a also a glossary of techniques towards the end of the book, including pictures, useful as the book uses US terms throughout and whilst there is a note on the differences between UK and US terms in the introduction there isn't a full conversion table for the stitch abbreviations, which is quite a lengthy list. I think this is a shame as it could lead to confusion for crocheters used to working in UK terms.  

This is a lovely book and visually very pleasing. I confess that I'm not going to be a convert to crochet socks as I love knitting them so much but certainly if you aren't a knitter and would like to have a go at making socks it is well worth taking a look. 
If you are in the UK you can purchase the book from Search Press here with a 20% discount and free postage by using the code DD88 at checkout. 

Until next month, enjoy your crafting and if you do have a go at a pair of socks from the book let us know in the comments.
Bye for now...

Phew! What a manic month it has been here at Janie Crow! I have so much to tell you about this week, including news of some brand new kits and festive projects, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with my news! ​

Whether you are a fan of the show or not, there is no denying that The Game of Wool is doing great things for the knitting and crochet industry, with yarn shops and online sellers reporting a rise in visitors over the last couple of weeks. The great news is that many of these customers are new to the crafts and are looking to learn new skills. This is something that makes me feel incredibly hopeful for the future preservation of my beloved crochet in particular! 
 
I am incredibly proud to have been invited onto the show to be a guest judge of the projects made for episode 3. I had no idea beforehand of what the projects might be, so it was a complete surprise to be judging crochet deckchairs - not something that immediately springs to mind when you think about crochet! I am giving away no spoilers in case you haven't seen the episode yet - you can find it by following this link.

In the lead up to filming the show, the TV company asked me to send through some ideas of which projects I could wear. I gave them the option of the Magic Circles, Summer Palace and Climbing Rose wraps. They chose the latter, which I was pleased about as it kept me super cozy on what was a very chilly shoot day!
 
Climbing Rose was released as a crochet along project back in 2019 and patterns and kits are still available in the shop. Due to some discontinuations I have recently revamped the yarn usage by having a version made solely in Stylecraft Special DK. You can find the free yarn substitution document by following this link. The kits in our shop still contain some of the original yarns and will do so until they have sold through. You can find them by following this link.
 
Please note the image above is not too accurate on the colours within the wrap. Images below are closer to the true shades.

Many other projects of mine were showcased on episode 3 of Game of Wool and it would be great to know how many you spotted! I saw Spirit of Flora hanging in the background and there was Mystical Lanterns on the table when I demonstrated some crochet stitches. ​

Of course it was also a big thrill to see the image of Justin Bieber with my Persian Tiles blanket! You can find a Youtube video of him at the Vanity Fair Oscar's afterparty wearing the design here. Fabulous to see Tracy keeping warm with the Marrakesh version too!
 
If you are looking for a project to keep you cosy over the winter then do take a look at our kits and patterns. We have pretty much everything in stock in our shop at the moment - the first time that has happened for quite a while! 

I have been toying with the idea of creating crochet artworks for some time and love the recent trend for festive wall hangings. When Inside Crochet Magazine asked if I would like to work on a beaded masterclass booklet I jumped at the chance and set about creating four different designs, which you can make to hang on your tree, thread up as bunting, or pin to a board to create an artwork like mine.
 
Using the perfectly cute, mini balls of Ricorumi cotton to make these decorations was incredibly rewarding too, especially when paired with beads. They are a designers dream as their size and the array of shades makes it so easy to pick a lovely colour palette without making too much of a dent in your bank balance. The yarn is 100% natural and of a great quality, so it is a brilliant choice if you want to make special, heirloom worthy projects.

​The patterns for these designs are only available via Inside Crochet Magazine issue 184 which is out now and we have a limited number of yarn and bead packs for sale in the shop at just £29.95. 

This time last year I designed the Halley pouch as the project for a festive workshop. I love making the beaded flowers that are a part of this design so much that I keep going back to them to create more designs. I have used the beaded flower as the centre part of one of the hanging decorations and have also created a wrap version of Halley using yarns from the Yarnsmith's range.
 
The pattern is currently featured in Inside Crochet Magazine and you can find kits for the project on the Yarnsmiths site by clicking here.

With a little under five weeks to go before Christmas it is slowly beginning to feel a bit festive round here. I have managed to get a couple of gifts already, which is a bit of a record for me as I am usually very lastminute.com. I have also been thinking about decorations and have rooted through my projects to find all my festive things.
 
We have quite the collection of crochet decorations now and you can find them by following this link. We also have quite a few bags and pouches that would make great gifts. 

Andy and I have been taking part in a 50 day countdown to Christmas challenge, which has included specific exercises (the 100 squats before each meal was a particular killer on Wednesday) and good habit making ideas, including pointers to being healthy and mindful.
 
One of the days we were asked to experiment with a brand new breakfast idea and another day we had to create a new healthy evening meal. This weekend we have been set the task of trying out a new dessert recipe, but making sure that it does not include any refined sugar.
 
Always up for a challenge, we have found this recipe for lemon ice cream which is made using frozen bananas and cauliflower. Sounds crazy doesn't it! I will report back next time to let you know what it was like…

We have a lot of jobs that need doing in the house and the garden could do with its late autumn clear up, so we will be busy ticking things off of our to do lists all weekend. I am hoping to get in some baking time too as it is so long since I made a cake. I found a recipe for a boozy fruit cake made in the slow cooker, so I might give that a go on Sunday.
 
I am hoping that I will also be able to have lots of crochet or knit time on the settee with a movie or two, and of course The Game of Wool, on the TV. I have almost completed the Utility 2 cowl by The Knitting Shed and I have loved every single stitch of it. I used their Ainsworth & Prin plump sock DK yarn and it is just such a joy to work with. I think I might be a little sad to cast off, but then it is always so good to start a new project.
 
Whatever you have planned for the weekend I hope you keep safe and warm and that you mange to grab a little crochet fix! Much love until next time…..

Hello wonderful woolly crafters! I hope this email finds you well.
 
This is a really speedy email today as I have just three things I want to tell you about:
 
No 1: Due to a cancellation we now have two spaces on the Festive Knit & Crochet Weekend Workshop in Bournemouth.
 
No 2: Wool Warehouse now have Climbing Rose Wrap kits in stock, put together using their lovely Yarnsmiths range of yarn.
 
No 3: I am so excited about Game of Wool on Channel 4!
 
If any of these things tickle your fancy, then do read on for more information!
 

We had an amazing time in Morocco with Stitchtopia and now that I am home I keep looking through the hundreds of photos that I took to remind me of all the surface pattern and wonderment that we saw. It's the light that I am craving more than anything though, that lovely golden light that make colours pop and sing! ​

I haven't been particularly well since arriving home, with a cough that came on a few days after our trip. I had a cold while I was in Morocco too, so I am pretty sure I have had two bugs on the bounce, which is just bad luck! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be shifting particularly quickly, so that, and the fact that it is getting dark at 4.30pm, is getting me down a little now that we are home. 
 
To cheer myself up I am sharing a few of my favourite pics from the trip on here. The one of the shepherd with his arms, and the tree behind him full of goats, was taken by the fabulous Teresa Wardlaw, my fantastic tour manager - isn't it great! We couldn't believe our eyes when we spotted a tree full of goats by the side of the road!

As I mentioned in the introduction, we have a twin room available on our forthcoming Festive Workshop in Bournemouth at the end of the month. The places are available due to a cancellation and are based on two people sharing either a twin or a double room. If you fancy coming along, either with another workshop participant, or with a non crafting companion, then email Sue at the following address:
 
[email protected] 
 
To avoid confusion we have not added the available spots to our Inspired Minds website, but you can find the dates and all the information about the workshop by following this link. To see the correct price you need to look at the inland double.
 
The workshop is hosted by hand knit designer Debbie Abrahams and myself and we both create a festive project for you to work on while you are with us. This year I have gone full on bling with a ton of lovely sparkly beads on my project - more info on that a bit closer to Christmas! 
 
The images above and below show last year's workshop where participants made my Halley Beaded Pouch.

Over the last few months we have been creating some yarn packs in conjunction with Wool Warehouse, using their lovely Superwash Merino yarn. The most recent one is my Climbing Rose Wrap and you can find the kits (which currently have a 40% discount) by following this link.
 
The wrap looks really fabulous made in gorgeous high end yarns and I have used their Heathers range and Pebble Haze which both have a lovely subtle tweedy feel to them. 

So, onto the final topic of this week's Quick Catch Up: GAME OF WOOL and I am already a big fan! 
 
There have been a few grumbles on social media this week, mainly about the scale of the yarn and needles that were used in week one, and poor Gordon's doomed steeking, but the good reviews far outweigh the negative, and the icing on the cake has to be making in onto Gogglebox on tonight! 
 
The framework of the show follows a very similar one to that of Bake Off, where contestants have to complete challenges in set time periods and are voted off on the basis of their achievements each week. Nothing new there, but what I think is AMAZING is finally seeing yarn crafts highlighted on a mainstream TV channel in a prime time slot. 
 
If you haven't watched the show you can find it on catch up by following this link. If, like me, you are already hooked, then don't forget to watch episode two on Sunday evening - I have it on good authority that the next episode includes crochet and finer yarn - so what's not to like! 

​I am looking forward to a weekend at home and have already lined up some comfort knitting on the settee for the evenings. I am making a cowl on circular needles. It has an i-cord cast on, which seemed to take me forever to do, so I am looking forward to getting to grips with the more straight forward (hopefully quite mindless knitting) part! 
 
If I am feeling completely better after my brush with the lurgy I might go to the Make Joy event at Woolwich Works tomorrow. The wonderfully talented Suraya of Mahliqa (knitted wire jewellery) is exhibiting so it will be lovely to see her stand and I really enjoyed the show last year. A fix of mingling with all the gorgeous yarn, accessories and other attendees has to be a great plan for a Saturday right?
 
I think that Sunday may well have the first roast dinner of the season on the cards, as I get ready for the second episode of Game of Wool. I haven't had a roast potato in what feels like months, so it will be good to have a treat! Maybe even an apple crumble to go with it - now that really would be living dangerously! 
 
Big hugs to you all. I will be back next Friday with the November newsletter - until then, stay safe and well.

Hi to all my fellow temperature blanket makers. We are here in the penultimate month of our project and even though I have to confess to being a month behind, I've only just finished my September squares, the blanket is getting big now. 

Temperatures here in North London have started to cool and we have had our first frosts on chilly mornings, although the daytime temperatures have consistently reached double figures each day. Apple Green and Meadow will be coming back out of the bag for the October squares and Copper, Raspberry and Pale Rose will be put away for now. They may be used in the border but I will decide that once all the squares are made and joined. 

I have been busy working on other projects this month but with just a sleeve to finish on a warm knitted jumper I will now be turning my attention back to this one and getting all the October squares made and back on track. In the meantime you can find the November temperature recording chart here. See you next month. 

Greetings from Rabat, our second city location on the Yarn Inspirations of Morocco Tour with Stitchtopia. We have been in the country for five days now and are having an amazing time experiencing all the glorious things that this fabulous country has to offer.
 
I am incredibly grateful that Gemma and Emma have taken the reins while Andy and I are away. I know we can leave Janie Crow in very safe hands, so I hope you have a few minutes to catch up with our news.

We spent four days in Marrakesh before moving on to Rabat by coach yesterday. While there we visited many sites, including the Majorelle Gardens and the Yves Saint Laurent gallery, which featured a fabulous exhibition of his work. We also went to the beautiful Bahia Palace and the Dar El Bacha museum, both of which have the most incredible mosaics, carved and painted wooden ceilings and intricate plasterwork. ​

On Tuesday we travelled to a Berber community in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and enjoyed a traditional meal and tea ceremony. This was also the location for our second knit and crochet workshop. In Rabat we have visited an artisan weaver and were shown traditional techniques.
 
Over the next few days we travel on to Fez, and then onwards to Casablanca, followed by Essaouira early next week, before returning to Marrakesh and then our journey home. I have been posting on Instagram when the signal is strong enough for me to upload images, so do take a look if you fancy following our journey! Our tour manager Teresa has also been busy posting and you can see her feed by following this link.
 
If you like the idea of a knitting and crochet holiday, you can find more information on the Stitchtopia website here. 

It's hard to believe that we are rapidly approaching the penultimate month of the year, which also means the penultimate month of our temperature blanket project. You can download the November temperature chart here. Aren't we well organised this month?
 
It will be interesting to see how those of you who are working on the project decide to assemble your blanket, especially if you have decided not to use a join as you go method. It would also be good to hear your thoughts on what sort of border you might put on the blanket. When we made our sample we opted for a simple moss stitch one using some of the colours we had left over, with the inclusion of a few front post stitches to line through with the seams in the blanket.

We were very excited to be invited to take part in a book tour for the fabulous new book by Anna Nikipirowicz. ‘Crochet Socks that Rock’, published by David & Charles, contains 15 gorgeous crochet sock patterns, together with a wealth of information to help you achieve a perfect fit. 
 
You can join us for a flick through the book over on Instagram here and Gemma will be doing a full review of the book in her Book of the Month blog post in November. As you can see in the photo below she has been busy testing out one of the patterns already! 

On Facebook we celebrated Lucia Dunn's recolouring of the Persian Tiles blanket, known as Eastern Jewels, and invited you to share photos of your completed projects. You can find the post over on Facebook here and check out all the lovely photos shared. ​

In order to complete the Eastern Jewels project you would need the original Persian Tiles pattern, together with the Eastern Jewels colour substitution document (available directly from Lucia's website here). We do currently have kits in stock over on our webshop here. ​

An incredible crocheted model Spitfire has gone on display in the Town Hall Gardens in Southport, a UK town on the Lancashire coast. In collaboration with the Royal British Legion, the Southport Hookers have spent over 2,500 hours crocheting, sewing and assembling the model. 
 
You can read more about the project here and if you happen to be in the area, do go and take a look. The display will remain in place until the 7th November 2025. 

You can read Gemma's thoughts about the book within her Book of the Month blog post here. ​

This week Gemma has been very adventurous and tried out tofu for the first time! Stir fry is a regular meal in her house, with a variety of protein sources and it's always lovely and quick to make. Looking for something slightly different to the usual, she gave this recipe a try from the GoodFood website:
 
Sesame & spring onion stir-fried udon with crispy tofu. 

It was enjoyed by all the family, so will now be added to the ‘allowed to cook again’ list! ​

A few weeks ago I promised you some news of an exciting event, and so I am really pleased (after months of having to keep a big secret) to be able to say that Channel 4's new series, Game of Wool, presented by the fabulous Tom Daley, kicks off on Sunday 2nd November at 8pm. Week 3, which will be shown on 16th November, is crochet week, and I was really honoured to be invited along to filming as their guest judge! 
 
You can find more information about the show by following this link and by checking out The Game of Wool Instagram feed.

We are looking forward to a busy time when we get back from Morocco. We have our festive workshop in Bournemouth at the end of November and all that the festive season brings with it over the next couple of months! As Gemma has said already, it seems amazing to be hurtling through October and heading towards Christmas already! 
 
I will be back in a couple of weeks time with news of a couple of new kits and small projects and hope that whatever you get up to in the meantime, that you stay safe and well.

This is a shorter email than usual as things are incredibly busy here at Janie Crow. After four days exhibiting at The Knit + Stitch Show at Ally Pally last week, and with the Stitchtopia trip to Morocco leaving this Saturday, I am chasing my tail even more so than usual. I hope you will forgive the slightly tardy nature of this week's email too as I was unable to send it on Friday. I promise we will be back to usual service when we send our Quick Catch Up email in a couple of weeks time. By then I hope to be able to tell you about something really exciting that I have had to keep my mouth shut about for months on end, so do look out for more news soon!
 
I have a few things to tell you about, so I hope you can spare a couple of minutes to catch up with our news.

Emma is a big fan of Christmas, and although I am not totally on board with this yet, there is no denying that us knitters and crocheters need to get organised pretty soon if we want to make gifts or decorations for the festive season. Emma recently sneaked onto the Instagram feed to post a feature on our festive decorations, which were designed and released in 2020. You can find the links to our Christmas patterns here.
 
We are continuing to showcase our decade of design on our social media channels. Over the last couple of weeks we have featured the Indigo Dreams blanket and The Blue House one. Both these projects were released in 2021.

I am incredibly excited about our trip to Morocco. I loved Marrakesh when I was lucky enough to be there a couple of years ago, so I am really looking forward to seeing more of the country and getting inspired by their incredible design heritage. I will be posting images on my Instagram feed while I am away, so do check it out.
 
My workshops with Stitchtopia are all sold out for next year, but I will be giving a talk, and having a pop up stand at the Stitchtopia Festival in March - you can find more information by following this link.

We currently have a good stock of kits and yarn packs and paper patterns. You can find download patterns available via Etsy and Ravelry.
 
If you are a fan of natural yarns, you can also find kits made using Yarnsmith's Superwash Merino DK on the Wool Warehouse site here. We hope to have new kits for the Climbing Rose Wrap on there this week.

We are happy to report that US postage is back up and running nicely. We hope we have found a good way for the new process to work going forwards and have tried to make it as straight forward as possible for those of you in the US.
 
We will be putting the website into holiday mode on Thursday of this week for almost a fortnight while we are away on the workshop trip. If you wish to make an order, our advice is to do so as soon as possible to ensure despatch before we go away.

For me, the thrill of designing something new and coming up with interesting colourways and stitch combinations is one of the biggest perks of my work, but unfortunately there are always people who think it's ok to copy, rather than come up with their own designs.
 
Recently we have been made aware of more and more copies and copyright infringements, so I am really pleased that ACID (Anti copying in Design) are offering a free seminar to designers and makers which aims to give more information on how to protect your design work.
 
You do not have to be a member of ACID to join the free webinar, which is on Wednesday 26th November at 12.30pm, but you do need to register. You can find more information by following this link.

Having not had a day off for a couple of weeks I feel like a few days off would be a lovely treat, but as I have so much to do I am already looking forward to next weekend! 
 
We have a few plans this week, which include meeting up with our daughter and the lovely puppy on Wednesday evening and I am also looking forward to some time at the gym (never thought I would say that!). I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, which I hope will be made better by a walk through the woods to get there. I still hate going to the dentist, but am aways happy when my teeth are squeaky clean afterwards!
 
I hope that whatever your plans are for the next couple of weeks, that you stay safe and happy. Sending much yarny love.

Welcome back to the JC book of the month feature. Last month I promised you a radical change of direction for October's book review and so here I am to tell you all about a novel called 'Hooked' by Briony Marshall (TWH Publishing 2024 ISBN978-1-9998669-9-0)

Briony Marshall is an author from Wolverhampton, here in the UK and Hooked is her third novel published by The Writing Hall (TWH Publishing). Briony describes her books as ' cosy, crafty, romance books' and having just finished reading 'Hooked' I can definitely vouch for the cosy, crafty feel, although romance isn't the focus of the book for the main character Eve. 

Eve is encouraged by her best friends and flatmates to enter an online competition to win a year's employment contract with an online crochet personality and the novel takes you through the highs and lows of Eve's journey. Along the way there are fallings out, unexpected twists and turns, new friends and a glimpse of the darker side of social media. 

I like the way Briony has used a younger person's experience of crochet in this novel, as there is no getting around the fact that despite a continued increase in interest in yarn crafts, there is still a sense of it being a 'granny' hobby. The novel highlights the fact that a career in crochet can sometimes taint the pure enjoyment that crafting for yourself can bring. It reinforces how important the support of friends can be and how priorities can change through lived experience. 

This is a fun read and it will be passed around team JC now I have finished it. I will look forward to Briony's next novel and will have to have a read of her previous books 'Unravelled' and 'From Rags to Richie'. 

You can find out more about Briony over on her website here and if you fancy reading 'Hooked' you can find it on the publisher's website here. 

I have already chosen next month's book and here's a small clue: it's all about socks! 

 I don't know about you but I am finding it hard to believe we are now three quarters of the way through the year (and our temperature blankets)! I'm finding it quite enjoyable having the visual representation of the year growing alongside me and I'm managing to stay up to date with my squares. We won't talk about ends though. Emma will be pleased to see that the initial neatness of my temperature charts has long since fallen by the wayside too! 

I quickly snapped a few photos before I came out this morning. Copper and saffron have featured quite heavily over the month but now the temperatures are dropping off slightly, Buttermilk and Lime have been welcomed back into the mix. We had a very random 27 degrees in the middle of September which led to the round of Raspberry appearing somewhat randomly but I think it's likely that will be its last appearance for the year. 

I've just done a very quick search on our socials and found this gorgeous image of a blanket at the end of August, by @scotlimes over on Instagram. It's just lovely, those greens! Thank you for sharing, Fiona. 

So, without further ado, I should do what I came on here to do in the first place, and that is provide you with the link for the October temperature chart! Here you go:  October Temperature Recording Chart

See you next month! 

As we head into the autumn we have been busy getting ready for lots of shows and events as it is prime crafting season! The Knit & Stitch Show at Ally Pally in on the horizon in just a couple of weeks time and yesterday we travelled up to Yorkshire for this weekend's Yarndale festival, which is one of our favourite shows of the year. If you are coming to the show be sure to come and visit us on stand J21-24 to say hello!
 
Although I am usually the last to admit it, it is definitely sweater weather here now, so I have been rummaging around in the boxes from the loft to find warm clothes and boots! I have also done a marathon yarn winding session to get my projects ready for sofa knitting through the longer evenings - one of the good things to come as a result of the changing seasons I suppose! 
 
We have a few things to tell you about this week, including information about a new UK based workshop I will be tutoring with Stitchtopia next year, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news.

I'm very excited to tell you about a new Stitchtopia holiday that I will be leading in July 2026. It is a six day crochet retreat entitled ‘In the Footsteps of William Morris’ and, as well as including two full-day crochet workshops, we will also visit some of the places that shaped William's artistic vision. The Emery Walker house, where we photographed the Spirit of Flora project (shown above) and the National Trust Red House, where we shot the images for Climbing Rose Wrap (shown lower down), will be among those we will go to. 
 
I'm really looking forward to this trip and am particularly excited that West Yorkshire Spinners have agreed to collaborate on this one, which means we will be using their new range of Morris inspired yarn for the project.
 
There are just 4 places left on this workshop now, so click on the image below, or click here to find all the details on the Stitchtopia website. 

If you have been waiting to get your hands on the Sandalwood colourway of Persian Tiles, I'm pleased to report that the kits are now back in stock and you can find them here.  ​

​We have drawn one huge conclusion from our social media postings recently and that is that everyone loves a blanket drop! 
 
On both Instagram and Facebook our followers loved the reel of me dropping a wide selection of my blankets, with lots asking for the names of those they weren't familiar with and telling us their favourites. 
 
If you missed it you can find it here on Facebook and here on Instagram. 

If you don't already follow our social media channels, you can find links at the bottom of this email. Do come and join us! ​

The wonderful crafting charity Woolly Hugs is looking for craft contributions for their Christmas Craft Sale 2025. This year, as well as raising funds for Woolly Hugs' own projects, the sale will be supporting The Christmas Dinner Project, a charity founded by the poet Lemn Sissay OBE, which brings communities together to provide a Christmas Day for care leavers, aged between 18 and 25. For many young people leaving care they may be facing their first Christmas Day living independently, and alone and the charity aims to give them a day they will never forget. 
 
You can find out lots more information here including a list of suggested items to make. The last posting deadline for donations to the sale is the 31st October. 
 
You can find out more about all the different projects that Woolly Hugs are currently running by clicking on their logo below. 

Yarnstravaganza, the celebration of yarn shops, is taking place across the UK from the 27th September to the 4th October. It's a great way of showing support for your local yarn shop and it's well worth getting in touch with them to see if they have any special events planned. you can check on the UK Hand Knitting website here to see if they are taking part. ​

Gemma's chosen book this month was ‘Gnomes to Crochet’ by Val Pierce. This book contains 20 colourful gnome characters, with almost every occasion covered. There is a bridge & groom, a baby gnome and a birthday gnome among others. If you are a fan of amigurumi (and gnomes) this is the book for you! ​

You can read Gemma's thoughts about the book within her Book of the Month blog post here and if you the look of this book too, head on over to the Search Press website. If you're in the UK you can get a 20% discount and free delivery by entering the code DD88 at checkout. ​

This week Gemma recommends a recipe from Dale Pinnock, aka The Medicinal Chef. It popped up on her Facebook feed and it was a welcome suggestion among all the unwanted stuff that appears on a daily basis! The recipe is a White Bean and Aubergine Bake, which you can view by following the link to Facebook. You can see it here on Instagram too. 
 
Gemma reports that it was absolutely delicious! All the family enjoyed it and asked for seconds, so it comes highly recommended. As with all dishes involving aubergine, the prep time takes a while in order to make sure the aubergine slices are well cooked before assembling the dish, but other than that it is straightforward and most of the ingredients are store cupboard staples.

​As usual I really don't know where the time has gone since I was last writing an email update. The weeks fly by so fast and it is amazing to think that some of our autumn celebrations, are not actually that far away. We now have seven fairly good sized pumpkins growing in the garden (as a result of surprise seeds from our compost bin), so we will have a nice display (and some tasty soup) come Halloween! 
 
We will be travelling back from Yarndale on Monday and then next week is all about preparing for the next workshop trip, which is to Morocco in just over three weeks time. I have designed a knit and a crochet project for the trip, but liked the crochet one so much that I went a bit overboard and made an extra project with the motifs. this means that I am now playing catch up a little to get all the projects finished in time, but that really isn't a bad situation to be in given that in means I have to allow even more time to do that extra crochet and knitting! Living the dream…..
 
I hope that wherever you are, and whatever you have planned for the next couple of days, that you are safe and well. 

Welcome back to our monthly book feature. I've decided to stick with the fun side of crochet this month as I know how popular amigurumi is. I find it tricky but would love to be more comfortable making those tiny parts as some of the patterns available now are just amazing. 

Without any further ado, I can reveal that my chosen book for September is 'Gnomes to Crochet' by Val Pierce (Search Press 2025 ISBN: 978-1-80092-217-4). 

There are 20 patterns in the book, for an eclectic mix of characters, from a mini Daffodil Keyring Gnome, to a Scandi Shelf-Sitter Gnome. There's even a gorgeous little fluffy Lamb Gnome made from lace weight mohair and silk yarn. There's almost a gnome for every occasion, with a bride and groom, a Valentine's Gnome, Santa and Mrs Santa, among many others. 

The book is laid out in a very clear way. There is a short section at the beginning with a list of all the equipment you might need and some helpful suggestions of yarns that work well. Although these are, once again, great projects for stash-busting. The book uses UK terms throughout but there is a key showing the equivalent US terms in the info section.

Each pattern chapter lists yarn, equipment and notions needed at the top of the first page. The written instructions are in a simple font, that is easy to read, and are laid out in a logical, neat way on the pages. There is nothing superfluous on the pages and the photos are large and clear, and provide a great visual guide to how the item should look from different angles and in close up. 

I'm determined to have a go at one of these patterns and given the time of year coming up, I think it might well be the Halloween Gnome. I just love his stripes. Despite having an extensive stash of yarn, I realise that eyelash yarn is something I don't have any of, so I will be paying my local yarn store a visit to see what I can find. I know, any excuse! 

I adore the fun mix of characters in this book. They would make great gifts and, needing only tiny amounts of yarn, would fit well with stash-busting (although of course if a trip to a yarn-store is a necessity that's fine too). 

If you would like to welcome some of these adorable characters into your home you can find the book on the Search Press website here and if you are in the UK you can get a 20% discount and free postage by using the code DD88 at checkout. 

Next month be prepared for a complete change of direction as my book of the month is a work of fiction! 

Until then, I wish you many happy hours of crafting.