  It's already a really busy week here at Janie Crow and it's only Tuesday! I know I usually pop into your inbox on a Friday, but I am here today to let you know that my new pattern 'Twinkle Bunting' is now available. I love how decorating the house at Christmas time brings back so many family memories. We have some decorations that date back quite a few generations and I especially like these old pieces. When setting out to design this bunting I wanted to create some crochet motifs that echoed the shape of our precious vintage Christmas tree baubles.I have added beads, bells and little 'shisha' mirrors to add a touch of sparkle and I am so pleased with the results.  The pattern for the bunting is written with three classic shades in mind - Navy, Mustard and Grey, but you could raid your stash for multicoloured left overs to create a very different, vibrant look as in the image above. You can find more information by following this link and you can find the 8 page paper brochure pattern here. You can also find the download version of the pattern (which is in UK terms) on Ravelry and Etsy   I had a great time in France last week tutoring a workshop where the group focussed on making some festive decorations using a collection of my patterns, including the new Twinkle Bunting. The fabulous group of crocheters came up with some really lovely ideas, such as wreaths and hanging decorations. You can find a few images on my Instagram page by following this link.  If you fancy having a go at making your own decorations too, and want to use any of my patterns as the basis for your designs, just click on the images to be taken to the pattern pages. If you share your makes on Instagram please use the hashtag #janiecrow so that we can see what you've been up to - we just love seeing your makes out in the wild!    As I said already - it is a busy week here at Janie Crow and I have a big list of things to do, especially as I will be on Yarn Lane TV tomorrow morning at 9am and then again at 11am to celebrate the channel's birthday. I hope you will be able to tune in as I will be demonstrating some little crochet techniques and talking about some of my blankets, including my most recent blanket release Indigo Dreams. That's pretty much it from me for now, but I will be back in your inbox on Friday with a quick catch-up email that will include news of how you can join in our Advent CAL project the Glad Tidings Wrap.     We have had an amazing reaction to the patterns and kits for my Indigo and Crimson Dreams blanket, which originally featured as a crochet along project in Inside Crochet Magazine and I am so grateful to all of you who have shown so much positivity towards the design. This week we have added a couple of helpful videos that Emma has shot to help with a couple of the more tricky bits of the design. You can find these over on our YouTube channel.  You can find kits for both colour ways, (Indigo and Crimson) by following this link and the 24 page paper pattern brochure by following this link. Download patterns are available via Etsy and Ravelry. You can find more information about this project and all links on the website page here.  I had a great time at The Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace here in North London last week. It was great to see so many of you and be out once again amongst fabulous yarny folk. Big thanks to the team at Stylecraft for allowing me to have a place on their stand. The show was the final one of the year for Janie Crow but we are looking forward to being at the show in Harrogate with Andy's hook, needle and accessory stock, so I hope to see some of you there too.  This week I have been putting the finishing touches to the block a month project which will feature in Inside Magazine from January next year. I am incredibly pleased with the way this design has turned out and hope that you will love it too! We will be doing the photography shoot for the project at Emery Walker's House in Hammersmith next week. If you take a look at the location you will see it is another house with an amazing Arts and Crafts Movement interior, so it will be no surprise to hear that the CAL design is another one inspired by my love of William and May Morris's artistic companions of the time. I can't wait to show you some of the motifs and explain exactly how we envisage this project working - I am so excited about it!  (c) Knitting Holidays in France I will be doing my final spot of tutoring of the year during the last week of October when we will be in France with a group of lovely crocheters at Sue and Culli's 'Knitting Holidays in France' venue near Bordeaux. I haven't done a workshop for Sue for many years - this will be my first time back in France for more than 5 years, so I am really looking forward to the trip. Look out for images on my Instagram feed while we are away.  We have a few new projects coming soon. My Twinkle Bunting pattern (shown above) will be released during the first week of November ready for the festive season and we will be releasing the information about our Advent CAL, The Tidings Wrap (shown below), which will take place over the first couple of weeks of December. The project is a great stash buster project and the result could make a fabulous gift too!  We have seen a bit of a run of sales for Christmassy things. We have quite a choice now including the Festive Decorations, Beaded Decorations and mini stockings - link on the images below for more information. All are great stash busters!   We will have yarn and bead packs for the original colour way of the beaded decorations in stock next week.   We are so grateful to all those of you who follow our feed on Instagram. We have reached more than 75k followers this week, which is just incredible. To celebrate reaching the number we have added a code for a 10% discount on all sales via the Janie Crow web site this weekend. Please follow us over on Instagram to find the code which will be in place until midnight Sunday.  I have been joining a large pile of crochet motifs into a big blanket this week. It has been the perfect project to keep me warm as it is definitely getting cooler by the day here in North London. I read a news article recently that said that sales of blankets has soared over the last few weeks and it made me feel very proud to think that my blanket designs might be keeping some of you warm this winter. We have a Sandalwood and Royal Garden blanket at the ready year round in the living room, but I am going to have a root around to pull out a few more so that we can all snuggle up and get cosy.  When designing a new project I tend to choose to use yarns that have a wool content as they not only give the yarn a good drape but they also make the blanket warmer. Stylecraft's Life DK has 25% wool content and the fabulous ReCreate DK, which is 100% recycled, has 40% wool.  I can't quite believe that I have been invited to tutor a knitting workshop with Stitchtopia in Peru! The workshop went live on the Arena Tours site a couple of weeks ago and there are now just 4 places left, so if you fancy joining me you can follow this link for more information.   Peru has the longest continuous history of textile production in the world, going back almost 10,000 years. Invented long before pottery and just as humans started agriculture, Peruvian fibre manipulation began with simple spun fibres but by 500 AD this rudimentary craft had developed into complex techniques. On our travels we’ll explore the processes involved in the production of textiles, including the most characteristic garment, the chullo, a knitted hat with an earflap and a calendar waistband that depicts the annual cycles of ritual and agricultural life, and we'll meet local artisans whose traditions have been passed down through the centuries.  I am really excited by the prospect of this incredible trip to Peru, a country that has a rich history of intricate knitting traditions. When we think of Peru we imagine bright colours of lush vegetation, foliage and flowers and the incredible surface pattern of costumes, jewellery and artwork as well as the breathtaking scenery and archaeological sites. I am sure this will be a truly inspirational trip and I am really looking forward to all that we will see and experience on this journey of a lifetime.  The video that accompanies Part Six of my Sunshine and Showers blanket pattern will go live on our Youtube channel here over the next few days.  The videos for parts one through to six are available for free on my YouTube Channel already. The patterns for each part of the CAL, which are split into 12 pieces, are available for just 95p each with the 'Getting Ready' document available to download for free here. You can find more information about the project by following this link.  We managed to send out most of our Sandalwood kits last week, but have a small number left to put together. These will be added to the web site early next week all being well. We have sent another yarn order to Select Yarns in the US and expect another batch of yarn to arrive with us next week.  We will try to get the kits in stock next week before we go to the workshop in France, so if you are waiting for a kit please keep checking the website as they are likely to go quickly once they are added to our stock.  I love green, leafy vegetables! I think kale, spinach, chard and cabbage are up there in my lists of favourite foods alongside cheese and chocolate, so I was really excited to try this recipe that accompanied our veg box last week.  I made this for lunch and cooked it on the hob, but I reckon it would be just as good done in the slow cooker, so will give that a go next time - it really was delicious!   I am pleased to be home for the weekend with not many plans after quite a few hectic weeks. Summer has already arrived with her lovely dog, Rocky and we are planning a weekend where we will not be venturing far from home. Tonight we are lining up an evening on the sofa after a rare take away treat from our local Thai restaurant. We will be scouring Netflix for a film perfect to accompany my knitting as I have set myself the challenge of completing a sweater in a month - the same amount of time that it will take participants to complete the Stephen West MKAL. I have started the Orchid Sweater by Georgia Farrell after seeing it on display at Black Sheep Wools a few weeks ago on our way to Blackpool.  I have a few crochet pieces to sort out ready for the shoot on Monday and will be scouring around the house for a few props to take along too. I really enjoy shoots and am so looking forward to seeing Emery Walker's House. Please send positive vibes for good weather so that we don't have too much trouble with the light! Next week is a little calmer for me now that my big crochet project is close to being completed. I am looking forward to formulating some new plans ready for the projects I have in mind to work on when I return from France. I really enjoy the buds of new design ideas and adore the early stages of a new design so I am really looking forward to the next few months as we lead up to Christmas. I hope that wherever you are and whatever you have planned, you are heading into a lovely few days over the weekend and into next week too. I will be back in your inbox in a couple of weeks time with a Quick Catch Up email. Sending yarny hugs.. Janie x    We finally have patterns and kits for my Indigo and Crimson Dreams blanket, which originally featured as a crochet along project in Inside Crochet Magazine.  You can find kits for both colour ways, Indigo (shown below) and Crimson (shown above) by following this link and the 24 page paper pattern brochure by following this link. Download patterns are available via Etsy and Ravelry.  Please note that due to the postal strikes over the forthcoming days, orders will not be dispatched until Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Parcels to customers who request the paper pattern in US terms will have their orders sent towards the end of next week as we are still waiting for patterns in US terms to arrive. You can find more information about this project and all links on the website page here.  It was so fantastic to see so many of you at Yarndale at the weekend. It was good to be out in the wild again alongside so many yarny folk and it was fabulous to hear all your crochet stories and to know just how many of you are enjoying working through my designs.  We had a really large stand at the show and I am so grateful to my Janie Crow team for the weekend (Sarah, Paul, Charlie and Andy) for their incredible support.   We sold lots of patterns and kits and the DellaQ bags and wallets were also incredibly popular. The bags are designed with knitters and crocheters in mind and they include yarn guides, yarn cutters and stitch markers incorporated within the design of the bag. Some of the bags also include pattern pouches and magnetic boards to make crafting on the go even easier. I have a messenger bag that has pretty much become my go-to everyday bag and Sarah is a big fan of her lovely saddle bag. Andy has been through the stock we brought back from the show so our listing on the website is up to date. You can find all the items in the DellaQ range here. You can also see more fabulous images of the range on the DellaQ Instagram page here.  As I said in my introduction, it is a strange time here in the UK with so much negative news and it can be hard to see the positive side to life at the mo, but I am trying my hardest to see the silver lining in everything that is going on. One positive thing, for customers in the US and Europe anyway, is that because our pound has taken such a tumble against other currencies this week, our prices look even better value than they did already. With the dollar and the pound pretty much level it might well be a good time for those of you who don't live in the UK to have a good browse of the website. Of course I am hopeful that things are going to get better for our financial market over the forthcoming weeks, but I am painfully aware that many of us are in for a struggle in regards to our energy costs this winter, so I have been having a think about the kind of projects that would make great stash busters so that you can use up some of the yarns you already have without having to invest in anything new. Many of my designs would look great using stash yarns, but here are a few suggestions and links to their hashtags on Instagram so that you can see them made in different colours.  Mystical Lanterns - Instagram colour ways here   As the evenings start to draw in and we begin to spend more time indoors I am looking forward to spending more time crocheting on the settee. I have a large blanket to put together over the next couple of weeks, so I am hoping that the process of joining the blocks with it all on my lap will be a good way of keeping cosy without having to crank up the heating! The design I am working on will be a crochet along project (with a slight twist) which will start in Inside Crochet Magazine in January - I am looking forward to revealing it to you soon!  The video that accompanies Part Five of my Sunshine and Showers blanket pattern is now live on the Youtube channel here.  The videos for parts one through to five are available for free on my YouTube Channel. The patterns for each part of the CAL, which are split into 12 pieces, are available for just 95p each with the 'Getting Ready' document available to download for free here. You can find more information about the project by following this link.  Some of the boxes that contain the Everyday DK that I have used to make my Sandalwood version of Persian Tiles arrived just as we were walking out the door to travel to Yarndale on Thursday. Unfortunately one shade was missing in the delivery we received and we are still waiting for three boxes of yarn to arrive. As a result there will be a bit of a delay in getting the next batch of kits for this project packed and dispatched.  We will be prioritising the kits that were ordered at Yarndale at the weekend and then, hopefully, we will be able to get the rest of our stock on the web site. If you are waiting for a kit please keep checking the website as they are likely to go quickly once they are added to our stock.  I am already looking forward to next Thursday (6th October) when I will be taking over the Knit Lounge at London's Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally. I will be showcasing the technique of adding beads to crochet and will have some kits for my beaded decorations in a festive colour way for sale on the day should anyone fancy getting stuck into a bit of crochet with me.  I will be on the Stylecraft stand on the Friday and Saturday too. It would be great if you can pop by to say hi if you are visiting on one of those days. Stylecraft will have kits for sale for my Fruit Garden and Indigo Dreams Blankets as well as Mystical Lanterns and Eastern Jewels.  I have dug my slow cooker out of the cupboard this week and have already used it to make a scrummy five bean chilli. Slow cookers are so economical to use so I am going to try to use it more over the winter. We have a few 'one pot' type cook books so I am wondering if some of the recipes in them might work in the slow cooker. I have been told that it is possible to do risotto this way too, so I might well give that a go over the next couple of weeks.  My Dad makes his rice pudding in his slow cooker and it is always delicious. There is a recipe here on the Slow Cooker Club website if you fancy having a go at making a similar one. My Dad uses milk and not cream and puts cardamon pods in his to give a it a lovely fragrant flavour. This recipe calls for vanilla essence but I think cinnamon or nutmeg would be lovely too. I am going to have a go at cooking some potatoes in the cooker at some point as there are instructions on how to get great jacket spuds on the same website.   I am excited to be heading off to Blackpool today to spend the weekend with some yarn loving friends. I have never been to the town before so I am really excited about going. I will try to post some images of my trip on my Instagram feed. Since we got back from our summer break I feel like our feet have hardly touched the ground. With Yarndale last weekend, Blackpool this weekend and The Knitting and Stitching Show next week, I feel like I have been writing constant lists and prepping endlessly. To make me feel a little more in control at this busy time I have marked my next free weekend with a big red cross in my diary with hopes that it will be a relaxing 'homey' couple of days when I will finally get to potter around the garden and do some baking. I love to be busy, especially when it comes to yarny things, but it will be nice to have a slower pace for a few days when the time comes. As usual I would love to hear what you have planned for the weekend. Also - if you have any tips for energy saving recipes or money saving pass times please send them in so that I can share them in my next newsletter. If you fancy a bit of a laugh, then check out Billy Connolly's recollection of the way he kept warm in bed as a child - it's an ancient bit of film, but still funny! I look forward to seeing you here again in a few weeks time. In the mean time keep safe... Janie x   As a mark of respect following the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, we have been observing the official mourning period and so have been quiet on all of our social media platforms and have delayed sending emails like this one. We hope you understand the reason for our absence. Andy and I are back from our summer break and looking forward to all that we have in store for the autumn. Gemma, Emma and Sarah have done a great job holding the fort at Janie Crow and our lovely boy Charlie took care of the orders every few days. We are very grateful to them for doing such a great job while we were away. I hope you have five minutes to spare to catch up with all things Janie Crow...   We had an amazing trip travelling through Europe on the train for a few weeks through late August and early September and I am feeling really inspired by the places we visited and the things we have seen. It was a real joy to stare out of a train window and see the wonderful scenery pass by as we travelled down through France, Belgium, Austria and Italy, where we then took a ferry to Greece.  We visited some fabulous cities, including Brussels, Vienna, Venice, Patras and Athens. I have wanted to go to Vienna in particular for many years, especially as I focussed the designs for my final collection for my degree at art school on the work of Gustav Klimt, an artist who rarely left the city. We spent 3 full days there and filled our time visiting lots of galleries, finally getting to see The Kiss in ‘real life’ at The Belvedere Museum, but it was seeing the Beethoven Frieze at the Secession Building that was a real tick off the bucket list for me. It was just so beautiful.    For the last few years I have been thinking of revisiting the work of Klimt as a catalyst for a CAL. My degree focussed on machine knitting, so I have never crocheted using this inspiration. I have quite a lot of work left to do on a CAL project which will be released in the new year so I need to put that to bed first, but it is exciting to start thinking about another new project using many not the things I saw on my travels as the inspiration. The video for Part Five of my Sunshine and Showers blanket has gone live on our YouTube channel today. This is the part where a new pair of panels are started. You can find videos for the previous parts by following this link and you can find more information about the project here.  I know I have told you this so many times - but we are almost ready to launch the Indigo Dreams project as a pattern with accompanying kits in two colour ways. These are the original blue (Indigo) version and a new red and cream one. Kits are being packed now and they will be available from next week along with the pattern, which you will be able to choose to download or have a paper copy of. The kits will go on the website this time next week when we return from Yarndale.  We will be travelling up to Skipton for the Yarndale on Thursday and setting up our pen on Friday ready for the show on Saturday and Sunday. This year is the 10th anniversary of the show so we are planning a few special things to celebrate. We hope you will drop by our stand if you are planning to visit the show. You will find us in our usual spot, stand I14.   We had hoped to have kits in stock for the Sandalwood version of my Persian Tiles blanket by now, but we had a bit of a hiccup with the yarn arriving from the US and are still waiting for it! If we receive the yarn in time, then we hope to have the kits with us at Yarndale this weekend and will put them in stock on the website as soon as we get back this time next week if we have any left over.  I am incredibly excited that Arena Travel have asked me to accompany a knitting traditions and culture of Peru tour of Peru next year. I can hardly believe that I might get to visit such an extraordinary country, famous for its textile traditions for centuries. The itinerary for the trip looks amazing and so I hope that you might be able to consider coming along with me. I appreciate that the price point is high and that I am incredibly privileged to have been asked to tutor this once in a lifetime trip. You can find more information by following this link.  There is still time to vote for your favourite shops, websites, yarns and designers in the British Knitting & Crochet Awards. You can find the link here. Voting closes on the 30th September and simply by casting your votes you can be in line to win some great prizes.  Sometimes our most popular posts on Facebook are those where we simply change the page's cover photo and this month has been no exception, with the two photos below receiving a particularly warm reception.   Photos where blankets and throws, or scarves and wraps, are folded and placed in piles somehow give off a kind of warmth that really appeals, I think.  We came across this great little video on YouTube with lots of fabulous ideas for bags. We do love bags here at Janie Crow and they are also a great way to get some of that stash yarn used up!  The Knitting & Crochet Guild held its annual convention in Derbyshire this past weekend. You can join the guild for quite a small donation and members enjoy the benefit of a members area on the guild website and also receive the quarterly publication 'Slipknot'. The September 2022 issue includes an article I wrote for them on the wonderful Korsnäs sweaters I was lucky enough to see when I visited Finland earlier this year. You can find out more by taking at look at the Guild website here.   Gemma has been baking again and recently tried a new cornbread recipe. A big bag of cornmeal has been sitting in the cupboard for ages after the last recipe she tried just wasn't quite right, but I am pleased to report success this time.  Cornbread is a comforting kind of treat and with the addition of a little honey in this recipe it definitely appeals to a sweet tooth, whilst at the same time being quite filling.  Over the next few days we will be getting used to being back at work after our lovely summer break. With Yarndale in the mix we have quite a lot to sort out this week, so it will be back to work with a bang for us, but I am really looking forward to getting into the swing of working life here at Janie Crow again over the next few weeks. I will be sending the September Newsletter on Friday 30th September, so do look out for that. After our short absence from social media we will be posting again from today onwards so I hope you will join us on our Instagram and Facebook feeds too. It's good to be back! Janie x   Hello lovely crafters! I hope this email finds you all well. I should have sent you my August Newsletter yesterday, but the last couple of weeks have been so incredibly busy that I was unable to find the time to do it! Instead I am writing you this email today as there are a couple of things I want to tell you about, so I hope you have a few minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow.... I have been working flat out to finish the motif designs for my new CAL project, which will launch in Inside Crochet magazine in January. This CAL will be a little different to those I have presented previously with the emphasis on crocheters making a few more decisions about colour palettes and layouts than usual. I am really excited about the project and can't wait to reveal it to you later in the year. I have already posted a few sneaky pics on my Instagram feed and have posted them below too!   Working on the designs for the last 6 weeks or so has left little room for anything else, but I have also been working with a fabulous group of test crocheters to finalise the patterns for my Tidings Wrap, which we will be launching as an Advent CAL in December. We will be launching this in late October, so I will bring you more information about that soon too. We took some lovely images of the project at our recent photography shoot, so I hope the pic below will whet your appetite for this design, which was previously released as an Advent CAL by Jimmy Beans US.  I know I have told you this so many times - but we are almost ready to launch the Indigo Dreams project as a pattern with accompanying kits in two colour ways. These are the original blue (Indigo) version and a new red and cream one. Kits are being packed now and they will be available in mid September along with the pattern, which you will be able to choose to download or have a paper copy of.  Thank you for the incredible reaction to the Sandalwood version of my Persian Tiles blanket. Kits sold within about 2 hours of release a couple of weeks ago, so we have ordered more yarn. Unfortunately the yarn company are now out of stock of one of the shades used in the design, so this is another case where the kits will not be back in stock until September I'm afraid.  I feel like I have been teasing you with the promise of new stuff for ages and I am so sorry that the release of Sandalwood did not go quite to plan - clearly we should have ordered more yarn, but it is so hard to judge how a project will be received, especially as this one has a higher price point than usual.  Last weekend I designed a granny square and posted the pattern on my blog for Granny Square Day. My block is called 'A Flower for Alice' and you can find the free pattern by following this link. It has been really lovely seeing some of these popping up on social media over the last week. A couple of days ago Emily of The Loopy Stitch started a conversation on Instagram about how much the social media platform has changed recently and how she longs for the old style Instagram to return. You can see Emily's post here. I totally agree with Emily and so we decided to continue the conversation on the Janie Crow feed. It seems many of you agree that the reels, adverts and general noisiness of Instagram, as well as how the algorithm thing seems to mess with what you actually get to see, is putting you off the platform. Quite a few people have suggested using hashtags in an attempt to make a point about what we do and don't want to see. I think it's a really interesting topic, so go and take a look if you have something to say about this or want to see what other people say. *** Andy and I will be taking a break from Janie Crow for the next few weeks. We are really excited about a bit of time out after the madness that has been 2022 so far. I will be packing some crochet to take away with me and am looking forward to some hooking at a slightly slower pace than I have been used to lately. The website will be open for orders of most kits and paper patterns and of course download patterns will continue to be available via Etsy and Ravelry while we are away. As we may have restricted internet access at times over the next few weeks it might be that orders are dispatched a little less regularly than usual. We have disabled first class postage as a result. We will be back at our desks mid September and will be at Yarndale on the 24th and 25th. We are really looking forward to the show already and hope that many of you will be able to join us there. I will be back here in your inbox in about a month's time and hope that you all keep well in the mean time. Emma, Gemma and Sarah will be holding the fort brilliantly here at Janie Crow while we are away and Charlie will be stepping in to sort out any orders. We will continue to monitor emails, so if you have any queries or want to get in touch about anything, please feel free to so do. Big yarny hugs   I am really honoured to have been nominated in the Iconic Crochet Designer category of this year's Knit & Crochet awards. It goes without saying that I would love it if you would vote for me. You can find the Let's Knit website here and you can click on the different categories to find out more and to vote.    I am excited to present you to my contribution to Granny Square Day 2022 - a floral granny that I hope you will like. You can find that pattern lower down this post. I have always considered a granny square to be a piece of crochet that is built by making repeated blocks of treble stitches (US dc), but it seems the term can be used in relation to any square crochet block these days and I am sure we are going to see a wonderful variety posted on social media to celebrate the day. According to Edie Eckman in The Crochet Answer Book a granny square is: '.......a special form of square motif. Although there are many variations on the granny square, the traditional one is a double-crocheted (UK tr) square made with a series of chain and double-crocheted (UK treble) blocks - a kind of filet crochet in the round.' The earliest recorded example of a granny square as we know it was designed by Mrs Phelps and the pattern was published in The Prairie Farmer, a publication that featured agricultural and rural news for the State of Illinois, in 1885. My Great Grandmother, Alice, learnt to crochet when she was young and made the most intricate traditional lace crochet. She was taught how to make a granny square in the 1970s and from that time onwards, until she passed away in the 1980s, she made hundreds of granny square blankets, often buying sweaters from jumble sales to unravel and reuse the yarn. She donated her blankets to raffles and to charities for fundraising and many of her fabulous blankets still exist as cherished items throughout our family members. I have called my floral granny 'A Flower For Alice' in honour of my Nanna Martin. Scroll down to find the pattern and some step-by-step images.   A Flower for AliceYou will need 6 shades of DK weight yarn and a 4mm hook. Stylecraft Organic Cotton DK 100% Organic Cotton - 105m (115yds) per 50g ball Artichoke (7193) Buttermilk (7174) Papaya (7178) Peach (7176) Plum (7186) Stylecraft ReCreate 100% Recycled Polyester - 350m (382yds) per 100g ball Avocado (3189) Note: All rounds are RS facing. Using Buttermilk and 4mm hook make a magic loop. Foundation Round: 1ch (does not count as a st), 8dc into ring, ss to join, fasten off. (8sts) Round 1: Using Avocado join yarn into any st by working 1ch (does not count as a st), 1dc into same st, 1ch, [1dc into next st, 1ch] to end, ss to join, fasten off. (8sts & 8 ch-sps) Round 2: Using Plum join yarn into any ch-sp by working 1ch + 2ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr into same ch-sp, 3tr into each ch-sp to end, ss to join, fasten off. (24sts) Pre-Blocked Measurement: Approximately 4.5cm wide.  Round 3: Using Avocado join yarn into st-sp between any group of 3tr by working 1ch (does not count as a st), 1dc into same st-sp, 4ch, skip 3sts, [1dc into next st-sp, 4ch, skip 3sts] to end, ss to join, fasten off. (8sts & 8 ch-sps)  Round 4: Using Papaya and working in front of ch made on previous round throughout, join yarn into top of first tr of any 3tr group made on Round 2 (Plum) by working 1ch + 2ch (counts as 1tr), 3tr into next st, 1tr into next st, skip next dc, 1tr into next st; repeat from * to end omitting 1tr on final repeat, ss to join, fasten off. (40sts) Make sure you still have 8 ch-sps left at the back of the work as you are going to use these to create your square later on. Pre-Blocked Measurement: Approximately 7.5cm wide.  Round 5: Using Peach join yarn into top of first tr of any 5tr group by working 1ch + 2ch (counts as 1tr), * 2tr into each next 3sts, 2ch, ss into next st, 1tr around front post of next dc made on Round 3 (Avocado) (I placed my hook through the tunnel created by the dc so that I wasn’t around the whole of the post), ss into first tr on next petal, 3ch; repeat from * to end omitting 3ch on final repeat, ss to join, fasten off. (8 petals made) Pre-Blocked Measurement: Approximately 10cm wide.  Round 5: Using Artichoke and keeping RS facing but working behind the petals throughout, join yarn into any ch-sp made on Round 3 (Avocado) by working 1ch + 2ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr into same ch-sp, 3ch, 3tr into same ch-sp, 1ch, [3tr into next ch-sp, 1ch, [3tr, 3ch, 3tr] into next ch-sp, 1ch] 3 times, 3tr into next ch-sp, 1ch, ss to join, do not fasten off. (36sts & 12 ch-sps) Round 6: ss into each next 2sts, ss into next ch-sp, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr into same ch-sp, * 1tr into 4th st on petal made on Round 5 (Peach) and same ch-sp at the same time, 3ch, 1tr into next st on petal and same ch sp at the same time, 2tr into same ch-sp, 1ch, [3tr into next ch-sp, 1ch] twice, 2tr into next ch-sp; repeat from * to end omitting 2tr on final repeat, ss to join, do not fasten off. (48sts & 16 ch-sps)  Round 7: ss into each next 2sts, ss into next ch-sp, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr into same ch-sp, 3ch, 3tr into same ch-sp, * 1ch, 3tr into next ch-sp, 1ch, 1tr into next ch-sp, skip 4sts on petal made on round 5 (Peach), 1tr into next st-sp and same ch-sp at the same time, 1tr into same ch-sp, 1ch, 3tr into next ch-sp, 1ch, ** [3tr, 3ch, 3tr] into next ch-sp; repeat from * to end finishing last repeat at **, ss to join, fasten off. (60sts & 20 ch-sps) Pre-Blocked Measurement: Approximately 12cm wide.  Sew in your yarn ends and block if it's curling. I used cotton to make my granny so it has stayed pretty flat and doesn't need blocking. I sewed an orange bead at the centre of my flower using a fine sewing needle and thread. I hope you like my floral granny and that you might fancy making a couple. If you do, and would like to share them on social media, please tag me in using #janiecrow @janiecrow Granny Square Day is organised by Simply Crochet Magazine and this year they are supporting Operation Orphan, so if you are able to make a donation please do so. #grannysquareday2022 Thank You!   I hope this email finds you all well and that you are looking forward to your weekend. It has been a busy week here, with quite a few exciting things finally coming to life! You can find more information about a new kit and a few other newbies below, so I hope you have a few minutes to spare for a quick catch up!   I am really excited to tell you that from the end of next week we hope to have kits in stock for my Sandalwood version of Persian Tiles, which until now has only been available via Mary Maxim in the US and Canada. I am incredibly grateful that we have been allowed to stock this kit exclusively in the UK and am especially pleased with the lovely images that photographer Leanne Jade and stylist Claire Montgomerie created with the blanket on our shoot a few weeks ago.   So long as all goes to plan we should have kits in stock towards the end of next week. The yarn is on its way from the US as I type and the kits will include 13x 100g balls. We do not have a price for the kit yet as we are waiting to find out what export charges we will be given. We will only have a limited number of these kits as the first batch is a bit of a test to see what demand is like and to see how the process of ordering at trade from the US goes for us. We will not be putting the kits on sale on a pre-order basis, or operating a waiting list, so it will definitely be a case of first come first served in regards to getting your hands on one of these kits once the stock goes live. Please note that the colour chart for this version of the blanket is not available separately to the kit, so please don't email asking for it. More information about the kit will be on the website next week, so do keep an eye out if you're interested.  I am really honoured to have been nominated in the Iconic Crochet Designer category of this year's Knit & Crochet awards. It goes without saying that I would love it if you would vote for me. You can find the Let's Knit website here and you can click on the different categories to find out more and to vote. Last weekend we posted a few polls on Instagram to try to find out what kind of smaller crochet projects you would like to see me design. Bags came out as a clear favourite, as did rectangular wraps and cushion covers. This week I have started to look at colour palettes for these new projects and I am looking forward to getting stuck into the designs soon. The likelihood is that these new projects will not be available until next year as I am working with Stylecraft to create something really special, so I am afraid there will be a bit of a wait. I will try and keep you in the loop in regards to the design process in the mean time. I am going to post a few images about colour palettes on Instagram today that you might be interested in. I am currently working on a new project that will feature in Inside Crochet Magazine next year. I am REALLY excited about this new design and have thoroughly enjoyed the process so far. Again - I will try to post some sneaky peeks from time to time so that you can keep track of what I am up to!  Our most popular post over on the Facebook group this month was a cover photo change to this beautiful image of the Imogen blanket:  Imogen is a smaller, kind of cot size blanket, which was inspired by traditional Victorian crochet designs. It is made in pure cotton yarn so it makes a lovely project for the summer months.  We came across this inspiring article about a Facebook group called Knit for a unique fit! What a fantastic service they are providing for individuals with limb differences. The Facebook group was started in October 2020 by Rena Rosen, a Chicago teacher born with craniofacial differences. A friend whose daughter was born with Apert syndrome (which can cause unique bone structure or webbing of the hands) was looking for someone to create gloves that fit the girl’s hands just like her sister’s did. We're wondering if a similar group or organisation exists in the UK?  It has never occurred to us that there might be disadvantages to the crafts of knitting or crochet, but this article actually makes an interesting comparison between the two and sites pros and cons of each craft. We know from our recent questions about 'What Does Crochet Mean To You?' that crochet creates many positives for you, but I wonder if you can think of any cons. I find that I can only crochet for a few hours at a time as I get a really achy neck if I am hunched over my hooks for too long. I am not a big TV viewer, which is a good job as I find it almost impossible to crochet and watch TV at the same time, so I prefer to knit on the sofa in front of a good movie! I find knitting a bit of a chore though when there are lots of stitches on the needles and it gets heavy. I have to disagree with the comment that you can only crochet a few projects compared to knitting - I think my bag(s) of WIPS prove this not to be the case! We would love to know what you think...  ink turnips have been a regular in Gemma's veg box over recent weeks. Not being a huge lover of such things, but determined not to let them go to waste she tried this recipe for turnip gratin from the BBC Good Food website. Apparently it was delicious but very rich and definitely benefitted from a longer cooking time than the recipe suggested. It looks yummy doesn't it!  I have been busy baking this week as we are hosting an 80th birthday party for my father-in-law tomorrow. I have made my 3 favourite cakes - Chocolate Fudge (I double this recipe and cook it in 3 x 20cm tins), Carrot Cake (I cook this at 170 degrees (fan) not 160 as suggested) and Mary Berry's Victoria Sponge (I add another egg to this recipe and put whipped cream and fresh strawberries in the middle and on top). I could really do with expanding my cake repertoire, but I know these 3 work so well. I have put links in for the recipes I use in case you fancy having a go - the Victoria sponge is a game changer as it is so quick and easy. No faffing involved, but you need an electric whisk, which is a total game changer when it comes to cakes!   I am really looking forward to the weekend as we will be seeing the family tomorrow for the party, some of whom we haven't spent time with for quite for a while. Marina has been busy making lots of Julie's bunting for me to decorate the garden with, so I am hoping the weather will be good - it is a little chillier here today than it has been recently.   That's it from me for another week. Do join us on Instagram over the weekend as we have a few more things planned for our stories - we love picking your brains! I will see you back here in 2 weeks time when I will hit your inbox with the August Newsletter - I can't believe I just wrote 'August', the time is flying by! Yarny love... Janie x    A couple of months ago Gemma asked the question 'What does crochet mean to you?' on our Facebook page. We received lots of replies, with many contributors saying that crochet had come to mean more to them than simply being a pleasant pass-time. We found many of the answers to be really insightful and moving. Emma asked the same question on our Instagram feed a few weeks ago. Once again we were inundated with amazing responses, so we thought it would be good to put together a short piece that encapsulates what crochet means to so many of you. The replies we received fell broadly into 5 categories. These were mental health, relaxation, joy of creating, community spirit and heritage, with many people siting all of these things.  Mental Health/Relaxation By far the biggest response was in regards to relaxation and the positive effect that crochet has on mental health. There were many gentle words used to describe crochet: calm, tranquil, relaxing, escapism and soothing, for example. Many people said it was their escape into 'me-time'. There were also some very strong stories of much more intense mental health challenges and issues and at least 3 people said that crochet has saved their life. One lady said that her crochet gives her purpose to get up in the morning. There were several people who found it helped to get through the pandemic - something I have heard a lot over the last couple of years. We received stories of grief and physical challenges as well as relationship and family struggles: all from people who have used crochet as an outlet to stop their minds running away with them. There were a few good stories of physical rehabilitation after injury too. We had quite a few comments saying that you work on easy projects to keep calm and more difficult projects to help distract and focus. Joy at Creating Lots of responses expressed joy at colour and texture, at choosing new yarns and new projects and the feeling of achievement that crochet created. Gifting to friends, family and charities also featured heavily in the responses. No one said “this is a hobby” but plenty said it was more than that and stated that their crochet was more about lifestyle and featured in their everyday routines as a priority. Many crocheters expressed their delight at conquering tricky patterns and getting stitch counts right! Community Lots of people mentioned the sense of community they feel. Emma was really touched by one lady who commented “it gives a window to this small town girl with no passport”. Lots of people mentioned community through the pandemic and there were many nice stories of friends, co-workers and YouTubers teaching people to crochet. Heritage Lots of people mentioned being taught by a mother or grandmother who had since passed away. Many felt that crochet created a sense of connection to those who have now gone and lots of people expressed regret that they didn’t have more time or interest to learn from family members. Overwhelmingly, the feelings that are connected with learning from a family member were incredibly positive. Many people mentioned this connection and the passing down of knowledge through the generations as a 'gift'. Many responses said that they were hoping to pass along their knowledge in the hope that the craft skills continue through the generations.  There were lots of common themes within the replies we received. So many of you sited your mental health as an incentive to crochet, with lots of you saying you use it to create a space for quiet contemplation and concentration and find the repetitive, mindful process of creating stitches rhythmic and even hypnotising. Many of you used the word 'calming' in relation to the craft and said that the distraction created helps with anxiety and depression. We had this amazing response from Gigi: 'A new family member taught me the very basics of crochet. I was interested after watching her. I am a person who likes a challenge (to a point!) so I set about watching YouTube tutorials and slowly learning. What I didn’t know was that a complete mental breakdown was headed my way. For a good 18 months I wasn’t capable of anything creative at all. There was nothing inside of me. Time went on and I had various therapies and I wondered whether crochet would act as therapy- it is a form of mindfulness which helps with anxiety and depression. My head was always out of control. I desperately needed quiet and calm in there. So I took up my hook again to see what would happen and it worked. For me the familiar stitches were repetitive,rhythmic, hypnotising- they created calm. The harder or more intricate stitches and patterns had to wait as I couldn’t concentrate enough to follow anything but eventually my mental state began to improve and I found that following patterns and having to focus deeply gave me respite from the feelings of despair. Over three years down the line I am much better. Now I am battling with enjoying and valuing crochet for its process. Most days my head will tell me I have no real purpose in life and I feel if I am not crocheting something that has a purpose for someone else then there is no point to it. It is a work in progress tied up into deeply held beliefs about myself. So! To cut a long story short- I agree that crochet helped to save me and continues to help me. I believe it always will.'  One of the comments we received recommended the book 'HOOKED - How crochet saved my life' by actress Sutton Foster, who says she turned to crochet as a way of coping with stress and anxiety caused by huge events in her life, such as the death of her mother and a divorce. The book dives deep into the Broadway and TV star’s poignant moments punctuated by her love for crafting and how it helped her stay sane. There is a really good video interview with Sutton here in which she talks about how crochet has helped her to process the things that have happened in her life. I really agree with her when she says that her crochet items are a visual reminder of times in her life and it was really interesting to hear her say that the towers of crochet squares she produces help remind her that she is making progress in her healing process.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Emma for helping me put together this piece and to all those of you who have contributed to this discussion. I really hope that there might be things of interest to you here. We continue to monitor replies to the question 'What does crochet mean to you?' on our Instagram feed and there are also some more comments on the post from yesterday which quoted one of the messages. Take a look at our Instagram feed if you want to read more.  This time last week I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days in the company of some of the Stylecraft Blogstars at the first 'in person' meeting for a couple of years. It was really good to catch up in the flesh and chat about all things crochet and yarn. It was a real treat to be shown the new yarns and pattern collections that Stylecraft have ready for release over the forthcoming months too.  I have had such a great week since the meeting and have been working on some new motif designs. It feels so good to finally be getting stuck into a new design and I feel like I am on a real mission to create new things. For the first time in a while I am bouncing out of bed in the morning and can't wait to get to my desk to continue my crochet! As a general rule I try to limit the amount of crochet I do in a day, because I find my hands and neck can get sore as a result of too much hunched hooking, but this week I have spent lots of time crocheting and have loved every minute of it!  At the beginning of the week I rummaged through my stash to create the outline of my first yarn palette for my new project. I get asked about choosing palettes a lot, so you might want to take a look at my Instagram post which explains my process for whittling down the colours.   A couple of weeks ago I did a shoot with Leanne and Claire so that I could have some new images for my website and patterns. It was a really hot day and we were melting by the end of it, but as usual we had a really great time and I am incredibly pleased with the images that Claire styled and Leanne shot - I call them my dream team for a reason! In the images above you can see my Sandalwood version of Persian Tiles (which I will have some exciting news about soon) and the Tidings Wrap, which I have fallen right back in love with as a result of the shoot. The pattern for the wrap will be released as an advent CAL in December.  I am really looking forward to showing you my new colourway of Indigo Dreams very soon. Now that we have images and all the patterns have been amended to include the new colours I am getting really excited about the release of this pattern. I have been working with graphic designer, Steve, to create a lovely layout plan for the pattern. I have posted an image of what he has created above - isn't it fabulous? We now have stock of the new print run of The Fruit Garden Blanket book, but those of you who live in the US in particular might be interested to know that I have been working with publishers Charles and James to create a copy specifically for distribution in the US and ROW market. The book will have a slightly different format, but is pretty much identical. The first print run will be 500 copies and they should hit the market within the next couple of months, so if you have a local store they might have it. Working with a new publisher and distributor will cut down on the postage costs from the UK, so I see this as a really good move.  As you know I love to see my blankets 'out in the wild' and really enjoy seeing how other crocheters interpret my designs, so it was really good to see that the guys at Toft have put a new spin on my Mystical Lanterns granny motif to create their new 'Leaf' blanket. You can find out about it here or by clicking on the image above. I need to apologise to those of you who may have made a pre-order for the Caramel and Parchment yarn kit for my Fruit Garden blanket. We had hoped that these kits would be dispatched this week, but after a problem with sickness at the mill, and because of disruptions caused to the postal service by the hot weather, we have not been able to get all the kits dispatched. Hopefully this situation will be sorted very soon. If you are looking for a kit we have good stock of quite a few projects at the moment. Check out the website for more information.  We are revisiting my Sunshine and Showers blanket design over the course of this year and into 2023. The CAL was released 5 years ago and features a new stitch for every month of the year, based on typical weather here in the UK. The pattern is available in parts as downloads, but we have never had videos to accompany the design, so Emma has been creating some to help anyone who wants to work through the project.  The videos for parts one, two and three are now available and you can find them on my YouTube Channel. The patterns for each part of the CAL, which are split into 12 pieces, are available for just 95p each with the 'Getting Ready' document available to download for free here. You can find more information about the project by following this link.  A few weeks ago I told you about a lovey new book by Gurinder Kaur Hatchard called 'Head To Toe Crochet'. Today I am really pleased to tell you that we have a copy of the book to give away - how great is that! To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is head over to Gurinder's Instagram feed, like her post and then tag someone in the comments. If you do the same on the Janie Crow feed then you will be put in the hat and be in with a chance to win a copy of this super cute book. You have until midnight Sunday (BST) to enter.   Gurinder is a really talented designer whose work often appears in Inside Crochet Magazine. She works under her company name of Yay For Crochet and I really recommend you take a look at her feed on Instagram too. You can find a link to order this lovely book via Gurinder's website here.  As time seems to be speeding past me these days I am already beginning to plan the workshop I will be tutoring for Knit For Peace in Mysore in January. The workshop is entitled 'Improve your knit and crochet skills' and so I will aim to teach lots of techniques, which hopefully means that participants will come away from the trip with an improved 'toolbox' of techniques to pick from in the future.  The Knit for Peace holiday in Mysore is the perfect way to discover India in comfortable surroundings and friendly company. Whatever your level of knitting or crochet, the beautiful setting of the Green Hotel will provide a starting place for a wonderful adventure. The heritage hotel was set up over 25 years ago by UK charity, the Charities Advisory Trust, to save a royal palace and a historic garden; it now provides employment to those from poor communities. Time Magazine (Asia edition) has even described it as the ‘best place in Asia to improve your karma’. The hotel gives all profits to charities in India. On weekday mornings guests will knit and crochet, under the pergola in the prize-winning gardens. During the afternoons, and on weekends, guests have the chance to shop and sightsee - there are so many wonderful temples, palaces & wildlife to see. They can also take the opportunity to visit local charitable projects supported by the charity and the Green Hotel.   Knit for Peace distributes hundreds of thousands of knitted items to those in need at home and abroad. They also raise funds to support knitting groups in disadvantaged communities both in the UK and overseas. The price of the holiday includes a donation to the charity. You can find more information by contacting the charity via their website here. the holiday runs from 12th to 26th January and the cost of the trip includes all meals, accommodation and workshops  It has been all about cauliflower in our house these last couple of weeks - and it has been totally yummy!  This week Andy made the one pot Creamy Cauliflower Korma recipe from Happy Foodie. Made on the hob in about half an hour, it really was delicious and will definitely become a favourite!  I made Whole Roasted Cauliflower Katsu a fortnight ago and this was also delicious. The recipe comes from the same 'one pot meal' book by Happy Foodie, but you can find the recipe on line too. The roasted cauliflower recipe involved a lot of prep, but I find peeling and chopping vegetables very relaxing, so I would really recommend it as both a nice experience to prepare and a scrummy meal!  Emma has been very busy preparing videos for our YouTube channel. We now have videos for Sunshine and Showers, parts one, two and three and we also have a new video for joining Magic Circles here.   Emma has created a great technique video for Fields of Gold too, that shows how to work some of the more complex aspects of the design and in particular how to join the motifs as you go. Within the video Emma also shows how to work the two colour crochet method that Lucia used in her Fiori version of the design. You can find the video here.   Do you remember this time last year me showing you some pics from our garden of Andy starting to build a lean-to on the back of our summer house? Well, over the last few months he has been incredibly busy finishing it off and also working on other projects in the garden, so I thought I would share a couple of progress shots so that you can see where we are up to. The lean-to is not quite finished yet, but we are getting there and already enjoy the larger amount of space we have to sit in the sun!   Working on the house has used up quite a lot of our weekend time lately so we decided that this weekend we should take a break from our DIY projects. We have ended up having a bit of a change of plan and so have made a last minute decision to go to a music festival which will take place on some local playing fields pretty close to home. If you are also in North London and looking for something to do over the next 2 days, then why not take a look at the fun line up!  It will be our daughter Summer's first wedding anniversary on Sunday. I can't believe just how fast the time has sped by since she married the lovely Chris. Memories of this time last year when we were getting ready for their big day are really special and it makes me feel so proud looking back on the lovely pics. The image above of Sum, where I am fastening her Great Grandmother's necklace (old and blue) around her neck, is one of my favourites and I am hoping to find some time this weekend to go through all the pics and videos from the wedding. I found a couple of things online that I thought I would leave you with this week. The first is a link to the Create Academy who are hosting video lessons with Annie Sloan entitled 'How to fill your home with colour', which look really great. The other thing is this fabulous music video from Florence and The Machine that I am addicted to watching. That's it from me for another couple of weeks. I will be back with a Quick Catch Up in couple of weeks time so I look forward to being back in your inbox then. I hope you have a great weekend wherever you are and whatever you will be doing. Janie x   It's a lovely afternoon here in North London. The sun is shining and the garden is calling, so I am looking forward to spending this evening outside, maybe with a glass of something cold and bubbly! I hope that wherever you are things are looking lovely too as we head into the weekend. I am here with a very quick email just to bring you up to speed with all that has been going on here at Janie Crow. We have quite a few kits in stock and I have a couple of new projects to tell you about so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up....   Emma has made a great video tutorial for joining my Magic Circles motifs. Making the crochet circles used in this project are easy to make, but the joining can be a little tricky so we thought a clear video might help some of you. You can find the video here.   While I am on the subject of Magic Circles, it reminds me that Victoria at Eden Cottage has put a new kit together for the scarf version, which means that she now has the choice of three lovely colourways. You can find more information by following this link. We have seen on Instagram that lots of people are making the blanket version of this project using Attic 24's Meadow yarn pack, which you can find on the Wool Warehouse website. You can find the pattern here.  My friends at Mary Maxim have put together a lovely new colourway of my Persian Tiles blanket, which they have called Rose Garden. I collaborate with Mary Maxim in order to bring my designs to the American and Canadian markets and I am really proud of my association with them. For customers in the UK the price of postage on these kits possibly makes them too expensive to afford, but those of you in the US and Canada might be interested to know that there is currently a reduction on the kit price and a standard flat rate postage charge for domestic parcels through until 11th July. For those of you in the UK - I know it can be frustrating not being able to source alternatives to the yarn used in some of my projects that are available on Mary Maxim, but please do not email us to ask for a yarn shade list for this project as it is not something we can provide you with. We are looking into whether or not we might be able to stock the yarns used in some of the projects that are available on the US and Canadian sites, so please be patient and look out for more information soon.  Emma has filmed the video for Part Three of my Sunshine and Showers blanket. This will go live on our YouTube channel next Friday, so make a note in your diary if you are waiting for it. You can find videos for parts one and two by following this link and you can find more information about the project here.  We have pretty much sold out of the first print run of The Fruit Garden Blanket books. We have had a new print run made, but unfortunately due to the increased costs of paper and printing we have had to up the retail price off the book to £14.95. If you want to grab one of the last copies left at the lower price of £12.95 you can do so by following this link. If you have been waiting for Fruit Garden yarn packs we are expecting to be able to send out packs for the Love Is Enough and the Parchment and Caramel versions from July 15th - these are available to purchase on a presale basis now.  This week I have been working on a Christmas bunting design, which I will release later on in the year. It has been a bit strange crocheting a festive project when the weather has been so summery, but I have really enjoyed making a stash-busting version using lots of brightly coloured beads and fabulous 'disco' bright colours. I know that it might be little warm for a 'woolly' crochet project, but we do have good stock levels of some our kits that you might be interested in, especially if you are beginning to plan a project for later on in the year. These include crochet along packs for Lily Pond, Climbing Rose and Sunshine and Showers. We also have good stock of kits for Mexican Diamonds in red, The Blue House and Sussex Gardens and limited stock of quite a few other projects. The easiest way to browse the kits is to follow this link.  Photos from my recent teaching trip to Finland, in particular those of the Korsnäs sweaters, were very popular on Facebook. This is a traditional sweater from the municipality Korsnäs, close to Vaasa in Ostrobothnia, on the west coast of Finland. The design dates back to the 1870’s. These beautiful garments combine the skills of both knitting and crochet colourwork. If you'd like to find out more, take a look at the website of the Korsnäs museum by clicking on the image below.   There has been a fascinating series on the BBC called Art That Made Us. Each episode focuses on artworks from periods of history, right back to the Dark Ages up to the 20th century. One of the episodes looks at the Industrial Revolution and includes an interesting commentary on the work of William Morris. The series is available on BBC iPlayer for over a year so it's well worth catching up on if you have a chance.  Kathryn, creator of the Crafternoon Treats blog, has been indulging an urge to paint by creating colour swatches. We think they are fabulous and you can read all about how she went about it in her blog post from earlier this year by clicking on the image below.   My regular newsletter readers may remember this from a couple of years ago, but as it's coming up to blackberrying season I thought I'd share Gemma's blackberry vinegar recipe with you again. It makes a lovely salad dressing and more traditionally drizzled on Yorkshire Pudding. "Blackberry vinegar is not difficult to make and only needs three ingredients: blackberries, vinegar and sugar. I like to use a raw organic cider vinegar (such as that produced by Aspalls) but any cider vinegar or wine vinegar will do just as well. Quantities are not an exact science here but as a rough guide, a pound of blackberries will need about a pint of vinegar. The first step in the process is to put your blackberries in a dish or bowl. I use a pyrex bowl as it won’t be affected by the acidity of the vinegar. Pour on the vinegar to cover the blackberries, cover the bowl, and then leave them for around a week, stirring occasionally. The longer you leave the berries to steep in the vinegar the stronger the final flavour will be but if it's very warm it's worth popping it in the fridge to stop it turning musty.  After the steeping time is up, strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug or bowl so that you end up with just the liquid. Press the berries on the sieve as you strain them so that every last drop of juice and flavour is squeezed out. You will need to measure the liquid you end up with before pouring it into a saucepan and for every pint of liquid you will need a pound of sugar. I prefer to use unrefined sugar, simply because it less processed. Bring the liquid and sugar to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and simmer for around 15 minutes. If you get a scum forming on the top just skim it off using a metal spoon. Once simmered pour into sterilized bottles. I use the bottles from the vinegar used in the recipe. You just need to remove the little plastic insert in the neck in order to fill them, before popping it back in and putting the lid on. Allow to mature for a few months before starting to enjoy your blackberry vinegar."   Yesterday I met up with a few friends and visited the Fashion and Textile Museum near London Bridge to see the Royal School of Needlework exhibition and specifically the Red Dress project.  We had a lovely time and if you are interested in knowing more you can find out about the exhibition and the Red Dress by following this link. You can find some images from the exhibition on my Instagram page here. While we sat at a table outside a coffee shop prior to going into the exhibition I spotted this tiny little scene at the side of the pavement. It was the knotted sheet that first drew my eye and it made us laugh when we saw a teeny weeny escapee at the top of the sheet! You can find a piece about similar London street art by following this link.   With thanks to my pal Suraya for taking the image! We don't have huge plans for the weekend. After all the travelling I have done lately I am happy to just be at home, pottering around. I have a busy week coming up as we will be doing a photo shoot on Monday and I will be away from Thursday next week for a couple of meetings, so I am going to make the most of some downtime with no particular plans. I hope that whatever you have going on over the next couple of days that you have a great time and that you stay safe and well. I will be back in a fortnight with my July newsletter, so I look forward to meeting you here again in 2 weeks time. Sending yarny hugs..... Janie x   The spring and early summer time has been a really busy period for me this year, with three residential workshops happening in a short space of time. This weekend we will be running our final workshop of the season in Bournemouth. I have designed a project based on my Indigo Dreams blanket, so if you look on my Instagram account over the weekend you might find a few sneaky peeks of my new colour way of the project, which will be released in the autumn.  I love workshops, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to next week when I can start to think about some new projects and finally get my designing hat on. I have a few really exciting things in the pipeline that I have had to put on a back burner for the last few months, so it will be really good to be working on something new and I look forward to showing you what I am up to. Thank you for all the lovely feedback from last week's 'Quick Catch Up' email and for your continued support. It really does mean so much to know you are all out there enjoying my designs. This week's newsletter is a little bit of a repeat performance as I have mentioned quite a few of the things I talked about last week, but hopefully there will still be something that interests you..   Thank you so much to all those of you who have purchased a copy of Julie's Bunting pattern. The project was designed in memory of my sister-in-law, with a percentage of the profit going to Bowel Cancer UK. I am so happy to reveal that we have raised a fabulous total of £393.75 over the last month, which we will donate to the charity within the next couple of days.   Emma has done a new video to accompany Part Two of my Sunshine and Showers Blanket. The second pattern features pretty puff flowers and a textural stitch which is made by working into the back loop of one stitch and then the front loop of the next. You can find Emma's brilliant video by following this link to our Youtube channel.  We still have a good stock level for the following kits, so if you are looking for a new project, do take a look on the website by clicking on the images below:    The Fruit Garden - Love is Enough & Night & Dusk kits in stock.      Persian Tiles - original and light blue version.  Other kits are available, so if the one you are looking for is not listed above please do take a look at the website to check our stock holding.  Last week I received an email from Michele Dillon who has made a garment using my Mystical Lanterns design - isn't it lovely! Marie says: 'In response to your 'what are we up to?' request, I am enclosing pictures of my latest f.o. I call it "Marie Wallin meets Janie Crow." I purchased yarn to make Marie's "Ninian" cardigan, & I knit the back, but thought it looked like a muddy mess. I fell in love with your "Mystical Lanterns" blanket on the Fruity Knitting episode in which you were interviewed. I immediately purchased the pattern, but hadn't gotten around to making it. So instead of knitting "Ninian," I decided to rip out what I had done so far, & try to turn your amazing blanket into a sweater. I am quite pleased with the results. It was a fun brain challenge to figure it all out. I loved working with the your design and I thank you for the instructions of all the partial motifs......I am also enclosing photos of it during a blocking as this gives you an idea of how it all came together'.   It was fantastic to see this fabulous new sculpture unveiled at Waterloo Station this week. Designed by renowned Jamaican artist Basil Watson and delivered with £1 million funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Monument symbolises the courage, commitment and resilience of the thousands of men, women and children who travelled to the UK to start new lives from 1948 to 1971.  I found this lovely account by India Rose Crawford on Instagram and thought it might create a calming moment to lead you into your weekend. I think the little movie showing Frog's morning routine is really cute and you can find lots of lovely images on there too.  As usual we cannot rely on the great British weather to give us a nice sunny weekend, but I hope that whatever you have planned you have great time regardless! As usual - if you want to get in touch and let us know what you are up to do hit reply and let us know what is on your mind. Sending yarny hugs from the seaside... Janie x  |
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