I have finally had to admit that it is time for a few extra layers of clothing as the weather has taken a definite turn here over the last couple of weeks. I am still not ready to fully embrace the autumn vibe though and am definitely not buying into the pumpkins and spooky vibes just yet! As for the very premature references to Christmas that I am already seeing in my inbox and in the shops, all I can say is Bah Humbug! It is only September after all! 
 
As the days get shorter and the breeze is cooler, I cannot help but think about starting some cosy projects. I am still working on a couple of small cotton projects for my workshop trip to Morocco at the end of October, but am already looking forward to working on some bigger, woollier, projects that will keep me warm as I do so. Adding edgings onto blankets is the perfect project for me as the weather gets colder and I have a couple of new baskets in the pipeline, so that's all good!
 
As the Autumn equinox is still ten days away I am making the most of every last bit of summer that I can, in between the showers at least! The garden is looking better for the rain and we still have quite a lot of flowers and veg busy thriving, so I am a happy bunny this week!
 
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 - hopefully glitch free this time, unlike our the last email that went a bit wobbly in places! 

I frequently look at surface pattern traditions from other countries as the source of my designs and have been incredibly fortunate to visit quite a few. Tutoring workshops for Stitchtopia means that I have been able to travel more over the last few years and I am really proud of the relationship I have built with them, which means I get to work closely with them to plan new trips.
 
We already have the Turkey trip fully booked for next October, but I have also suggested a couple of workshop tours closer to home including the trip to Northern France which will take place next June and I am also looking forward to giving you more information about a UK crochet trip within the next few weeks.
 
There are still a couple of places left on the trip to France. We will be travelling by Eurostar to Paris and will then go on to Versailles and Rouen. We will also visit Monet's famous gardens at Giverny - a destination I have wanted to visit for many years.
 
The trip will be sponsored by West Yorkshire Spinners and you can find more information by following this link and you can look at all the other amazing trips that Stitchtopia have to offer 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 have been waiting for stock of our West Yorkshire Spinners kits, we now have both Persian Tiles Original and Peppercorn back in stock.
 
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. 

I felt very honoured to attend the UK Knitting & Crochet Guild Convention at the weekend, where I tutored a crochet with beads workshop and gave a keynote speech about my work and passion for crochet. I had a really fabulous time meeting new people and chatting to members.
 
If you want to know more about the guild you can find their website here and their Instagram feed here and, if you fancy having a go at adding beads to your crochet too, you can find free video tutorials on our YouTube channel by following this link.

Whilst at the convention I met Kelly Ferguson who has a company called Way Out Crafts. Kelly is an expert at making Yorkshire buttons, a skill I had not come across before, so she explained the process to me, whilst she also instructed others within a workshop who were busy making their own lovely buttons. I think the buttons are super cute and am planning on making some soon using Kelly's nifty templates.
 
I asked Kelly to send me some words about how she came to be such a Yorkshire Button expert and this is what she had to say:
 
'I first came across Yorkshire Buttons about 18 months ago when a small group of friends travelled to Northumberland for a yarn shop visiting weekend. Each group member was tasked with running an activity in between our trips out from the cottage. As soon as I started to weave the threads around the spokes we created on the button template, I knew I was hooked as the possibilities were endless. As well as decorative buttons, I was envisaging pin cushions, necklaces, Christmas decorations, brooches and so many more uses for these little sea urchin type buttons.

On return home I challenged my husband with making a template using his 3D printing design skills, which has led us to where we are today. We now have reusable templates available in seven sizes ranging from 3cm to 10cm, which are available to purchase individually. We sell the five smaller sized templates as boxed set that can also hold three needles, this is great for on-the-go projects. 
 
Our template design has a centre circle in a contrasting colour to show the size of the finished button, making the choice of template much simpler. The rule of thumb is that the button will be half the size of the template. Once complete, it can be filled with toy stuffing, an existing button, yarn ends or beads for example, depending on how you want the button to look.
 
Our template and storage box design are registered to our small business, Way Out Crafts and are available via our Web Shop and at yarn shows. I enjoy passing on this heritage skill at workshops across the North, having attended yarn shows such as Spring into Wool and Threads Festival, and I continue to support Knitting and Crochet Guild events, such as branch meetings and the conventions.

We are really looking forward to exhibiting at Yarndale again in a few weeks time. It is amazing how quickly the show comes round, year after year, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be getting ready to be there again in 2025. It really is a fabulous show and we love it! 
 
You can find more information about Yarndale, including the details of tickets still available, by following this link.

Emily Littlefair, of the Loopy Stitch has recently launched a new website called Made into Magnets, where you can turn your treasured photos into beautiful keepsakes. Each photo is carefully crafted into a high quality magnet – a simple, heartfelt way to capture memories and keep them close. Perfect for gifts, fridges, and craft spaces.
 
Emily is currently shipping within Australia only, so if you are there and fancy taking a look you can find a link to the new website here.

I haven't been one hundred percent well this week with a bit of a lurgy making itself apparent at the beginning of the week. I went into battle with Vick's First Defence spray (which is full of zinc I think) and it has been a little better thankfully. Getting poorly when you are self employed is always a bit of a worry, but I haven't been unwell in a long time, so I guess it was my turn!
 
I am hoping to be back to normal by tomorrow evening when Andy and I are heading out to see the final show of Tina the Musical in London's West End. I have seen this show twice already in the last five weeks, so you could say I am a little obsessed! Having never seen Tina in concert when she was alive I feel that seeing Karis Anderson play her in this production is the closest I am ever going to get! The show is set to tour the UK and North America and you can find more information here. 

My talented niece is showing some of her excellent photographs as one of the artists featured in the Borough of Ealing Art Trail this weekend. If you want to find out more about this event and see which artists and venues are taking part, you can find more information here and you can find Helen's fabulous new Instagram account, where she show-cases her brilliant photography skills, by following this link or by clicking on her images above.
 
I am really hoping to find some time to sit and crochet this weekend, but I am also planning on finding some of the almost finished projects I put to one side in the spring! I am also hoping to rediscover some of the yarns and patterns I bought at yarn shows over the last six months or so too! I know I have the yarn for the Utility Two cowl, by The Knitting Shed somewhere and feel like this would be a great project to lead me into the colder season over the next few weeks, so I have my fingers crossed that I can find it in my stash! 
 
If you are a fan of adding beads to your knitting and fancy embarking on a good old stash busting project, especially one that you might complete over a weekend, you could take a look at Jeanette Sloan's fabulous new Rae Beaded Scarf project (shown below). The pattern is available via Ravelry here and Payhip here. I just love it and will definitely be trying to find some DK weight yarn that will work for this project in my stash.

As usual it has been a busy couple of weeks since I was last in your inbox. Sadly the weather has changed a little here this week after our amazing spell of summer sunshine, and it is a bit of a shock to the system to have to dig in the wardrobe for a cardigan in the evenings.
 
As a true sun lover I would never admit to looking forward to the colder weather, but there is no denying that it is a perfect time for crafting and we are definitely seeing an increase in crocheters taking on larger projects for the autumn months. Thankfully we have a good stock of kits to keep everyone happy! 
 
I have continued to work on my beaded decoration designs in preparation for Christmas. It's always a bit strange to be working on festive projects when the weather is good, but I have so enjoyed working on smaller projects for a while. I have three blanket designs vying for attention on my pin board above my desk, so there are some plans for bigger projects in the pipeline. There is a rarely a time when I am at a loss as to what to do - I am sure you all know the feeling! 
 
We have a few things to tell you about this week and Gemma has been busy creating a really nice Quick Catch Up email for you, so I hope you can spare a few moments to get bang up to date with our news.

We received a lovely email a while ago from Rene Panagiotelis, in Australia, in which she told us about her journey to completing the Mystical Lanterns blanket you can see in the images further down. 
 
"I purchased the pattern in November 2016 and then some Patons 8ply Cotton Blend compatible colours. It was not until around October 2024 that I finally found time to start the project. However, I was short of yarn and the original colours were no longer available. Fortunately I was able to blend in some different, but complementary, 4 Seasons Brighton 8ply Cotton Blend colours.
 
Making this blanket was so rewarding and relaxing and by now, my granddaughter was old enough to take an interest in the progress. She became my chief consultant when it came to laying out the lanterns in order to assemble.
 
I really wanted straight edges and was thrilled to find vertical, horizontal and corner patterns. As striking as the lanterns were, I felt the use of the cream colour to join the lanterns really added to the final effect. I wanted to continue using cream as a joining colour and after much thought and a bit of trial and error I decided to make a multi color double edge with the final row being a ‘cross stitch’ crochet row (Edging 93, Annie’s 101 Crochet Stitch Patterns & Edgings). The ‘cross stitch’ row really finishes off the border, which was beginning to curl before adding that last row.
 
Now after 8 ½ years and much bonding with my granddaughter, I was so happy to hand her the finished product. This was a complete surprise, and she was thrilled to say the least. Creating memories, as well as blankets, is completely up lifting."

If, like Rene, you would like to add straight edges to your Mystical Lanterns projects, you can find a free blog post showing how to make the Vertical Half Motif here, and the Corner Quarter motifs here. you can find the Mystical Lanterns blanket pattern information by following this link.
 
Thank you to Rene for sharing this lovely story with us.

​We have been assured by Royal Mail that the new system for sending parcels to America will be easy to manage and should have little impact on our US customer base, so long as all goes to plan. 
 
We are hoping to reinstate postage to the US next week. We will be treading carefully to begin with though, so that we are not caught out if things don't go quite as expected. There still seems to be quite a bit of conflicting information coming from courier companies, both here and in the US, so it seems prudent to be cautious to begin with.
 
We would like to thank our customers in the USA for their patience while we have been negotiating this change in procedure. 

For customers in the US who might be itching to get on with a Janie Crow project, don't forget that you can get yarn kits from Mary Maxim who are based there.
 
We have collaborated with the team at Mary Maxim for quite a while now and feel we have a great relationship with them. You can find kits for many of my original colourways, such as Persian Tiles and Mystical Lanterns, as well as some exclusive kits that the team in the US have developed themselves, such as the Rose version of Persian Tiles shown below and the blue Summer Palace blanket shown above.

It seems that many of you simply can't have enough stitch markers, so the lovely Emma Ball has been busy creating some new versions to add to the collection. You can find the new star and flower markers by clicking on the images above and below.
 
We also have a new crochet hook pouch that features the Mystical Lanterns design, which you can find by following this link.

We've been enjoying seeing your versions of Estella popping up on our social media platforms. Here are just a few that Gemma has found on Facebook. Thank you to Elaine Hogan Hanley, Valentina Hall, Hazera Belal and Gina Berry for sharing their work. ​

Over on Instagram Emma has been canvassing opinions on whether or not you like using charts when you are crocheting. Gemma prefers a written pattern, but appreciates having a chart available when a written instruction isn't quite making sense and taking a quick look at the chart can clarify what the words are trying to convey. Emma likes the visual guide that a chart provides when she can't quite work out what something should look like when following the written words. 
 
If you avoid charts at all costs because you're not sure how to read them, Emma has included a video in the Zero to Granny series on how to read a chart. It's a very useful skill to have and adds another tool to your crochet kit, so do have a look at the video. You can find it here. If you are the opposite and always use charts but struggle with written patterns, there's also a video to help you with that right here. 

Gemma will be popping on to the blog at the weekend to provide you with an update on her temperature blanket progress, but in the meantime, if you want to be super organised and ready for the 1st September, you can download the new temperature recording chart here. 
 
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! 

You can find a downloadable and print friendly version of the Estella motif over on our website here and over on our YouTube channel Emma has added a set of videos that take you through the pattern step by step. You can find the playlist here. 
 
We have had a few requests for a paper copy of the pattern so have printed some. They are available for £3.95 (in UK terms only) and you can find them by following this link.

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 ‘Random Acts of Crochet Kindness’ by Olivia Dieterich. The idea is that small crocheted items are left out in the community to spread a little joy when found by members of the public. There is a Facebook group of the same name with over 350k members, which you can find here.
 
The book contains twenty five patterns for small items, like those you can see on the cover of the book, together with tips on making message labels and ideas on places to leave them. They are great little projects for stash-busting too.

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 Andy made a really yummy dinner using a recipe from our Bold Beans cookbook. The dish included feta, peas and mint as a base to some crispy queen butter beans. It was simply delicious! 
 
The recipe isn't available online as far as I can tell, but there are some very similar versions on the Bold Bean website. This one, which includes beans, peas, charred lemons and pecorino, looks really good too! 

Do you already know that we have a Janie Crow Lifestyle Instagram account where I share everyday things that have got me inspired or excited? To be fair, it is mostly images of food, such as the plate of puris I made for dinner last weekend, but every now and again there are images of flowers, books, plants and architecture on there too. Basically anything that I have felt photo worthy during my everyday life.
 
For some reason Instagram users don't particularly like it when everyday things are mixed up with crochet, so having two accounts means I can share bit of non yarny stuff too, without upsetting anyone! 
 
The images below give you a bit of an idea of the kind of things I post. If you're interested, do pop over there by clicking on the link here or on the images below to take a look. 

Over the last month or so I have been trying to stick to a new routine, which involves setting my alarm for the same time everyday and going to bed on the dot too. I have also been spending my mornings going to the gym and doing my shopping and food prep so that by the time I sit down to my desk, my chores are pretty much done and all I have to think about is crochet and lovely yarny things! 
 
I start my working day at my desk by picking up my hook and working on my projects. I now don't touch my email inbox, or anything hugely clerical until the end of the day, once all the creative stuff is done. Working in this more regimented way, and going to bed on time, has already really helped my focus and I am feeling nicely energised by my new daily habits.

Last weekend we celebrated my father in law's birthday with a family party in their garden and this week it is our son in law's turn for a celebration as he turns 30! I have made him a chocolate fudge cake as it is his favourite and we are looking forward to catching up with them on Sunday to raise a glass to the August birthday boys! 
 
It has been quite rainy here today and it looks set to be similar over the weekend, so I am hoping that will be the perfect excuse to do a spot of weekend crafting. I have a few knitting projects that haven't been touched all summer, so maybe it's time to dig these out to finish off in the autumn. Whatever you have planned, I hope you have a nice weekend and are able to squeeze in a bit of time with your current project too.
 
I will be back in your inbox in a couple of weeks time with news of some new Climbing Rose Wrap yarn packs and some more dates for your diary. 

Hello all you fellow temperature blanket makers! I can't believe another month has almost passed since I was here last. 

How has your August been? I hope you've had lots of good weather and relaxing crochet time to keep on top of your blankets. I'm very proud to announce that I am completely up-to-date with mine! Bet you didn't expect to hear that. It was all thanks to a lovely week at the seaside - I couldn't resist sharing a photo a little bit further down. It was the most beautiful sunset captured on a late evening walk along the beach. I had decided that I could only take one knit and one crochet project with me and because I was a little way behind with the blanket, that was the project that won. There are of course numerous other wips that made it on to the shortlist but I was feeling conscientious and needed to catch up. 

My insistence on having a floral block after every four plain blocks has been a challenge as I'm using a join as you go method of construction but I did have a bit of a breakthrough this month where I have continued to join my blocks to the blanket, leaving a space where I need to fit in a floral block that hasn't yet been made. For the block that has to join on after the floral block I have finished crocheting the final round but then left additional yarn attached to ensure I have enough to add the slip stitch join once the floral block is added. I just need to pull back the side that needs joining and rework it, joining to the floral block that has been added as I go. By doing it that way I'm not falling behind as I wait for the end of the month and the info needed to make the floral block.  

We've had a very dry, warm August here in North London, and actually those colours in the photo above have been well represented in my blanket. There have been lots of rounds in Copper and Raspberry, Pale Rose and Cranberry. Now we're approaching the end of August the temperatures are falling and there is a slight chill in the air in the evenings. As I've been crocheting my rounds it occurred to me some of the colours won't be used again in the blanket. Raspberry and Cranberry are unlikely to put in another appearance unless we have another heatwave over the next couple of weeks, which is looking unlikely. They may well feature in my border though, as I really like those colours and I have plenty left. 

Here are a few pics of my blanket so far. KitKat seems to approve and is keen to test it out for me! 

Do let us know how your blankets are coming along, using the hashtag #janiecrowtempblanket25 so we can pick up your posts. You can download the temperature recording chart for September by clicking here. I'll be back in a month's time so until then, happy hooking :-)

I've taken a change of direction for this month's book, with a brand new publication full of tiny little projects...

Have you ever come across a small crochet object attached to a fence perhaps, or left on a park bench, with a little tag attached inviting you to take it home with you? If you have it may well have had its origins in the Facebook Group 'Random Acts of Crochet Kindness (RAOCK)', started in 2019 by Olivia Dieterich. The group now has over 350,000 members across the world and started out as Olivia putting little crocheted items around the town of Loughborough, here in the UK. 

The book of the same name is hot off the press, published by Search Press on the 19th August 2025 (ISBN 9781800923249).

The idea behind RAOCK is that you crochet a small item that you think might make someone smile or bring a stranger a moment of joy, attach a small label with a kind message written on it and then leave it somewhere out in the world to be found. The idea was borne from a tragic event when Olivia lost a friend to suicide in 2018. Her friend had spoken about wanting to learn to crochet and so Olivia crocheted lots of flowers for the funeral.

​Afterwards, feeling somewhat lost and unsure what to do with herself she challenged herself to crocheting a flower a day for 100 days, attached a message to each one and left them out for people to find. During the 100 day period the BBC found out about the project and asked to make a video, which once released got over 2 million views and sparked huge interest from people wanting to get involved and do something similar themselves. The Facebook group was born! 

The book contains 25 patterns for small items that can be created in under an hour and includes 5 'guest' patterns by among others, the designers Bella Coco and Sarah-Jane Hicks. The patterns include items such as flowers, hearts, stars, ice creams and cats. 

There's a how-to section with explanations of all the stitches used in the projects, with clear step-by-step illustrations. The book is written in US terms throughout but the UK terms are clearly referenced in this section. There is also guidance and templates for making tags, the kind of messages that are appropriate to use and a list of suggested locations for leaving makes. Four 'notes' pages provide space for recording which projects are left where. 

I love the sentiment behind this book and it will be great for dipping in and out of for quick and simple makes for gifting and perfect for stash-busting. It's a colourful book, full of fun and positivity and when I have a spare moment I will have a go at a random act of crochet kindness! 

If you'd like to take a closer look at the book and you're in the UK, you can get a 20% discount and free postage, by using the code DD88 over on the Search Press website here.  

While the UK has been sizzling in the heat of record temperatures I have been retreating to the relative cool of the summer house where I have been working on some small projects. Tackling a big project at this time of year is just a no go area, so rather than melt under the weight of a blanket that needs an edging, I have been working on smaller projects, using lighter weight yarns. 
 
The summer is usually a bit of a slow period for us, with many people taking holidays or finding it too warm to crochet, but this year has been unusually busy, thanks to the continued sharing of blanket drop-down reels on social media we think! It is so amazing to see my projects still creating such a buzz on social media platforms, so big thanks to those of you who are busy sharing pics of your projects.
 
We are particularly excited today as it is worldwide Granny Square Day and so social media channels are choc-a-block with lovely crochet pics! You can find the details of my new free crochet motif, especially designed for Granny Square Day, lower down this email, alongside some other news, including a note about the new US duty tariffs. 

I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow.

After much anticipation Granny Square Day 2025 has finally arrived and I am so excited to present you with my newest free motif pattern, which I have designed specifically for today.
The motif is called Estella and you can find the download pattern for free on our website via this link, or you can head over to the Simply Crochet Magazine feed on Instagram to find more details there.

I am really passionate about the importance of passing on our crochet skills to future generations and Granny Square Day is the perfect way to inspire new crocheters to get involved. It is fabulous to see social media platforms taken over by crochet images and witness the real sense of community that the day creates. 

I am honoured to have been asked to be an ambassador this year and hope that either my motif, or one of the many that you will see on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok today, will inspire you to get making! 
 
I have written a blog post about my Granny Square memories and my first steps into the world of crochet, which you can find by following this link. 

Simply Crochet magazine are honouring Granny Square Day with an exclusive offer for you! By subscribing to receive either 3 print copies of the magazine, or by taking out a year's subscription, you can get a Rico yarn bundle worth over £50, plus the opportunity to download their Granny Square Day pattern booklet, which features 52 brand new designs. 
 
All this for only £19.99 for 3 issues (which is a saving of 30% on the magazine shop price), or £94.99 on the yearly subscription, which is a saving of 23%. Overseas readers can also get great discounts on the magazine shop price. Click this link to find out more. 

Over the last few months we have seen sales of our patterns increase substantially and we think this is down to video shares on both Instagram and TikTok. The Persian Tiles blanket design continues to dominate and we love seeing it made in alternative colour ways.
 
If you want some ideas on yarn palettes, a good place to start looking is by using the hashtag #persiantilesblanket on Instagram. There are some real beauties on there including this reel by Mipi The Label, which has had a whopping 62K likes. And this one, where Famke shows the blanket drop down in slow motion, has had 21k likes. 
 
You can also find lots of images of Persian Tiles blankets within the dedicated Facebook group, which you can find by following this link. The group has almost 20k members now, which is just incredible! 
 
If you are making Persian Tiles and need a bit of help, or just want to double check that you are working in the correct way, you can find a series of fabulous videos, made by Emma, on the Janie Crow YouTube Channel. 
 
For more information about this project and the official colourways I have designed, take a look at this link to kits and this one to paper patterns. Download versions are available via Etsy and Ravelry.
 
We have good stock of lots of other kits and patterns at the moment, so if you have been waiting for something specific to come back into stock, or just fancy having a little rummage around in our store, do take a look at this link.

​An important note for our customers in the US

New tariffs will apply to shipments that arrive in the US from 29th August. As a result, customers will be required to cover this import duty cost.
 
We are currently looking into how the new system is going to work and we have done lots of research into it already, but there seems to be a lot of conflicting information.
 
As a result we will be pausing shipments to the US from August the 20th for the duration of nine days. 
 
To be honest, there seems no way of ensuring that parcels sent to the US from now onwards will not qualify for the import duties, but if you are in the US and want to purchase items before the tariff officially comes into place then we suggest you make an order as soon as possible. 
 
Into the early part of next week, before we pause our dispatches to the US, we will do our upmost to get orders out as quickly as possible, but please be aware that you could still be charged import duty on delivery. 
 
You can find more information on the Royal Mail website here.
 
For customers who do not require shipping to the US, our prices will not increase.

Stylecraft Yarns have chosen the Love is Enough Fruit Garden blanket as their Summer Make Along project! The MAL started a couple of weeks ago on 29th July and all patterns are still available to download free of charge from the Stylecraft Yarns website here. You will need the original Fruit Garden patterns together with the Love is Enough yarn substitution documents for the project. 
 
The Fruit Garden pattern, including the details of Love is Enough, is also available in a book, which you can find by clicking here. The book includes crochet charts, clear step-by-step images, testimonials and more background information about my inspiration and design process as well as an additional colour way of the blanket project, called ‘Red House’.
 
All the supporting videos for the project remain available over on our YouTube channel too! If you fancy joining in with the make along you can find yarn packs on our website here or speak to your local Stylecraft Yarns stockist. 

We are really looking forward to exhibiting at Yarndale again in six weeks time. It is amazing how quickly the show comes round, year after year, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be getting ready to be there again in 2025. It really is a fabulous show and we love it! 
 
You can find more information about Yarndale, including the details of tickets still available, by following this link.
 
If you are already planning yarny events for the autumn, then you may like to know that I will be on the Stylecraft stand at the Knit & Stitch Show here in London in October. You can find more information about the show by following this link. 

Andy and I had the best day celebrating our Pearl Wedding Anniversary a couple of weeks ago at a party with friends and family. Of course I did my best to include as much crochet as possible, including the pearl edged doily I made for the cake and baskets of yarn and hooks on each table at our afternoon tea! 
 
You can find more images of our fabulous guests getting into the swing of all things yarn and crochet by following this link to our Instagram feed.

After a busy couple of weeks we are looking forward to a relatively quiet weekend at home. The weather forecast is good, so we are hoping to spend some time in the garden and have a date with some friends tomorrow for dinner, so its shaping up to be a nice couple of days.
 
I have been really busy with my crochet this week and have possibly over done it a little and my hands are a little creaky, so I will be resting them a little once Granny Square Day is over. I think it's really important to listen to your body when it is telling you that enough is enough and I'm finding more recently that even lots of typing and time on the PC aggravates my hands, so I think its time they had a bit of TLC…. maybe a home manicure will be on the cards too!

The tree in our neighbour's garden is fit to burst with figs, so we have been enjoying a kindly donated supply of them over the last couple of weeks. They really are delicious and just so pretty too! 
 
We have a couple of compost heaps in the garden and put all our vegetable waste into them, so most summers we get surprise plants growing as a result. The last couple of years we have had an abundance of butternut squash, but this year we have pumpkins! You can see the massive plant and peer through its leaves to the growing pumpkins over on the Janie Crow Lifestyle Instagram feed here.
 
That's it from me for now. We will be back in your inbox in a few weeks time with a Quick Catch Up email, which will include the details of some great new Emma Ball items, including some pretty new stitch markers and a new crochet hook roll. I hope all is good with you in the meantime and that you get to enjoy some yarn based TLC!  

My Great Grandmother, Alice, had a love of yarn and colour and during her later years (she lived well into her 90s) she would make Granny Squares using yarn that she unravelled and reused from garments she found at jumble sales or in charity shops. She made hundreds of blankets which she donated to charities and gave away to friends and family. Pretty much everyone in our family still has one of her heirloom pieces. The blanket shown in the centre of the pile in the image below was made by her.

​I was very young when my Great Grandmother died, but I vividly remember her sitting with brightly coloured crochet squares arranged on her lap while she worked out the order in which she would put her project together. I am pretty sure that at some point she showed me how to make a chain, but I didn’t get any further with my crochet skills until much later on.

​When I finally learnt to crochet (probably about 20 years ago) I did it as if I was knitting, holding the hook in my right hand like a knitting needle and throwing the yarn around the hook to make the stitches. I had previously attended a learn to crochet workshop where the tutor was adamant that I should hold the hook in the ‘correct’ way, but I couldn’t get on with holding yarn in my left hand so I went away and improvised my own technique, learning the steps of the stitches as I did so. I finally taught my left hand to get involved once I had mastered all the stitches and I wanted to get faster. I hate it when proficient crocheters seek to shame others by talking about the ‘correct’ way to do things, don’t you? I feel like it can put people off and make them give up quickly. As far as I am concerned, if you can make stitches that look good, then you can crochet! 

​When I started designing crochet along projects in 2011 I was still relatively new to the craft, but I was very keen to get away from the idea of traditional Granny Squares and tried to create projects that’s pushed the boundaries of the craft a little. Since then, I feel a bit like I have made a rod for my own back, trying to create more and more complicated designs, with lots of layering and colour changes. I am very proud of my back catalogue of designs, but I think the complexity of many of them has started to hold me back in terms of new designs. 

​I have recently made a pact with myself to go back to simpler projects going forwards, especially as the reaction to our Zero to Granny series on YouTube, and its accompanying free download pattern, has been so good! It is heartening to know that there are still plenty of newbies out there, who are keen to get going.

Granny Square Day presents beginners and seasoned crocheters alike, with the best excuse to sit and crochet all day! I am incredibly proud to have been chosen as one of Simply Crochet Magazine’s GSD Ambassadors this year. Part of my commitment to them has involved designing a new free Granny pattern, which Emma has named Estella – inspired by the star shape that sits around the central flower. ​I am never totally sure what classes as a true Granny Square, but I like to think that the traditional clusters of stitch groups (usually 3tr) are part of the remit, so I have included them in this square. You can find the free pattern by following this link.

Happy Granny Square Day!

With just a few days to go until Granny Square Day 2025, I thought I'd drop in to share my granny square journey with you. Emma has already shown you her reworkings of Jane's very pretty 'A Flower for Alice' square, named after Jane's Great Grandmother and how bunches of sweet peas from her sister Jules have inspired her colour choices. 

I've been having a think back to when I learnt to crochet 8 or 9 years ago, and successfully completing a granny square seemed like the pinnacle of achievement and oh so exciting. So proud was I of that first square that I have always kept it in the box of samples I always take along when I teach beginners classes to show learners who are convinced they'll never be able to make one!  Here it is...

I'm fairly certain there were others that came before it that didn't have 4 corners and looked more like something the cat dragged in. They were pulled back fairly swiftly but this is the first one that seemed to have the right bits in the right places, more or less at least. I'm quite critical about it nowadays, the stitches are very uneven and a very expert eye could spot an extra stitch  and a missing chain here or there. However, at the time this was a huge achievement and brought with it an almost obsessive need to carry on crocheting! 

The next challenge after that square was the solid granny square and to this day it remains my favourite of the two basic squares. It also taught me a lot about crochet construction. I needed to understand that because there were more stitches along each of the four sides, effectively taking up space, the corners needed to have a reduced number of stitches in them so that the square didn't 'buckle'. I'm quite a 'technical' crocheter and it's important to me to understand the why of something as well as the how, so this knowledge has been useful, for example, when adding a border of my own design to a blanket and understanding that too many stitches will cause rippling. Here's one of my favourite solid granny squares from the current temperature blanket project. 

Certainly over the years since I'm been crocheting it seems like granny squares have grown hugely in popularity, particularly for garments and accessories. All the crochet magazines seem to feature at least one project using granny squares in every issue. I wonder if part of the appeal is the opportunity to play with colour so freely as well as the nature of construction i.e. putting smaller parts together feels less overwhelming than making larger pieces?

At Jane and Andy's 30th wedding anniversary party recently the table centrepieces were bowls of small balls of yarn, crochet hooks, scissors and darning needles, together with patterns for those who needed them. So many of the guests joined in to have a go at a square, from those with experience to those who had never even picked up a crochet hook before. It was great fun. You can see Emma & I below, proudly showing off our handiwork - I even sewed the ends in, I don't know what came over me! 

So fast forward to today and as part of our preparations for Granny Square Day 2025, Jane suggested that if we fancied we could have a go at designing a square ourselves. I had a ponder to myself and wondered if I could create a representation of a double chrysanthemum flower by using small loops of chains to create the petals. So here is 'Cassandra'. A little work on the design is still needed, particularly to refine the leaves, but as a first attempt I'm quite pleased with it! 

We're all looking forward to Granny Square Day on Friday. Do check out the Simply Crochet Magazine socials to join in the fun and there will be a new square to look forward to from Jane. Until then, enjoy your crochet! 

Here at JANIE CROW, we have been busy getting ready for this year's Granny Square Day, which will take place in a fortnight's time on August 15th. Emma and Gemma have been very industrious making videos and social media content and I have designed a free motif, called Estella, which will be released on the day. If you want to find out more about Granny Square Day, make sure to have a look at Simply Crochet Magazine's Instagram account by following this link. 
 
We have a few other things to tell you about this week and I am very grateful to Gemma for helping me collate this Quick Catch Up email. I hope that between us, we have something that will interest you! 

Andy and I got back from our holiday in Spain last Thursday morning. We had the most amazing time travelling down through the country on the train, stopping off in some amazing cities on our way. We travelled via Paris and Barcelona to get down to the south, with our ultimate aim to visit Spain's Golden Triangle - the three Andalusian cities of Seville, Granada and Cordoba. 
 
We had the most amazing time away and I am feeling full of inspiration having visited so many incredible places, including the Alhambra in Granada, which was on my bucket list. 
 
We also visited a few smaller towns while we were away to find some of the crochet sun awnings. The mandalas shown in the image below were in Algarrobo and we found the filet crochet in the second pic in Alhurin de la Torre. Our friend Matt, lives in the picturesque town of Casares up in the hills near Malaga and he showed us all the lovely crochet that had popped up there. I adore the purple and lilac awning in the third pic and would love to do something like this at home, although I am not sure it will have the same kind of impact here in North London! 
 
You can see more images of the crochet I found on holiday on the Janie Crow Instagram account by following this link.

Our kit stock is fairly healthy at the moment and although a couple of colourways of Persian Tiles have gone out of stock, there are still plenty of kits available, all of which can be found on the website. You can have a browse of all our stock by following this link.

Over on the Stylecraft Yarns Make Along Group this week the Love is Enough make along began and already there are lots of fabulous images of motifs appearing in the group's posts. 
 
If you would like to join in but aren't sure how click here for all the info on how to find the patterns and the video tutorials. We do currently have kits in stock for the Fruit Garden Love is Enough colourway over on our website here. 

Over on the blog Gemma popped in briefly to share her progress on the Temperature Blanket project and to provide the August temperature recording chart. You can also find it by clicking right here. There have been some lovely rich colours appearing in the blanket over the last month or so. ​

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! ​

My good friend Juliet Bernard is leading a fabulous Stitchtopia city break to New York in October 2026. The break includes, among other things, two days at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival and a Hudson River Cruise so it promises to be a wonderful experience. You can find out more on the Stitchtopia website here or by clicking on the image below. You can find out more about Juliet over on Instagram here. ​

If you enjoy listening to podcasts you might enjoy some of the most recent episodes of the Craft Talkin' podcast. On the 18th July Jamie and Merion chatted with the knitwear designer Jeanette Sloan and on the 20th July it was Emma Varnam's turn in the hotseat. Click on the images below to be taken straight to the respective episodes. 

Gemma's chosen book this month was ‘Crochet Journey’ by Mark Roseboom, also known as ‘The Guy with the Hook’. It's not a bang up-to-date publication but one that Gemma has wanted to look at for a while. There are 12 projects in the book, all inspired one way or another by Mark's travels around the world and the photography is a real treat. ​

​You can read Gemma's thoughts over on the Book of the Month blog 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. 
 
In the image below you can see the Santa Maria Maggiore Rug project from the book, one of Gemma's shortlisted patterns to have a go at making. 

We found some really good food while we were away, so this week I am suggesting a few ideas for meals rather than a specific recipe. 
 
In Barcelona we had the most amazing Poke Bowl experience. Mine included soft boiled eggs and toasted pumpkin seeds and was truly delicious. Andy's scrambled eggs were good too, but I think he was a little disappointed that he hadn't ordered the poke bowl as well! 
 
Poke bowls are like a deconstructed sushi, that traditionally include rice and fish, but veggie options are always good and we often make them for dinner this time of year, chopping up vegetables and salad from the fridge and adding lentils, tofu and feta. They are always so yummy and making a poke bowl is such a quick and easy meal!
 
One of the salad options we saw on almost every menu while we were away was warm goat's cheese with dark honey and nuts. We had a really good one, which also contained preserved morello cherries and crispy onions, while we were in Seville. Definitely an idea we are planning on copying at some point as it was so good. 

Andy and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary this week. We are looking forward to a party with friends and family tomorrow, so I have been busy cake making and sorting out a few decorations over the last few days. The day we got married was particularly warm, but I don't think we are in line for such a good day tomorrow - whatever the weather, I am sure we will have a lovely time! ​

I have been working on some beaded decoration designs and had hoped to get more done while I was away, but with all the travelling it wasn't easy to work on anything complicated, so I made a beaded doily for our anniversary cake instead. 
 
I have made beaded doilies for my daughter's and niece's wedding cakes over the last couple of years and used an image of a traditional one I found on Ravelry as the basis for the design. There are hundreds of doily patterns on there, and most of them are easy to adapt by using different yarn. I have added pearl beads to the fan edging on this one.

With the holiday and party prep in the mix I have been avoiding the gym a little, but I am looking forward to getting back to training next week. We did a lot of walking while we were away, but I can already feel that my strength is waning a little after almost a month away from exercise. 
 
It is lovely to be away and have events in the diary, but I really like routine too, so I am looking forward to getting back to ‘normal service’ next week and settling down to some new design work too. 

Thanks so much to those of you who sent messages in response to my call out for project ideas a couple of weeks ago. I am working through my inbox and will reply next week. We had a couple of suggestions for table runners and mats, bags and even a waistcoat, so lots to think about! 
 
We will be back in your inbox in a couple of weeks time when we will be revealing my new Granny Square design and showcasing lots of others. It is always such a globally positive day for crochet, so I am really looking forward to it.  

July has been a really busy month so I'm scraping in on the last day with my recommended book. It's not a very recent publication, but a book that has been on my list to have a better look at for some time. Here at Janie Crow we always like to cheer on fellow crochet designers and Mark Roseboom (perhaps better known as The Guy with the Hook) creates beautiful designs through his use of texture and choice of rich colours. So the book I have chosen to highlight this month is Mark's  'Crochet Journey' (ISBN-13:9781446309568 David & Charles 2022).

As the cover suggests this book is full of patterns inspired by Mark's travels around the world, with 12 patterns each inspired by a different destination. There is a feeling of opulence to the photos in the book, with rich background colours and for each pattern a full page of text explaining the inspiration behind the design. I always like reading where a design has 'come from' so this really appeals to me. 

There is a wide variety of patterns, from shawls to blankets, a rug, mandalas, a cushion cover, and for a fantastic stash-busting project, a pin cushion! So if you're looking for a quick make or a longer term project there should be something in the book to suit everyone. 

I haven't started a project from the book yet so I'm not able to comment on how the patterns are written but there is a comprehensive page of abbreviations, including symbols and each pattern does include a chart as well as written instructions. The patterns are written in US terminology throughout. 

I've shortlisted a couple of the patterns to make. The Rivendell Shawl, inspired by a trip to New Zealand, uses a Scheepjes Whirl yarn cake and as I have two of those in my stash I think this would be a very worthy use of one of them. The other pattern that really caught my eye was the Santa Maria Maggiore Rug, inspired by the cathedral of that name in Rome. That particular pattern uses a Scheepjes Stone Washed/River Washed colour pack so a great pattern for anyone looking for a project to use that colour pack with. 

One comment about the layout of the patterns is that on most of them the yarn/hook information and pattern notes appear in a text box that isn't at the start of the pattern. It's clear that this has been done to make best use of the space on the pages but I like to see all of that information right at the beginning of the pattern and that way I'm much less likely to miss something important that I need to know before getting started. 

The Rivendell Shawl

The Santa Maria Maggiore Rug

This book really is a feast for the eyes and the range of projects appealing. If you think it might be a worthy addition to your craft book collection you can find it on the Search Press website here. If you are in the UK you can get a 20% discount and free postage by quoting the code DD88 at checkout. 

I'll be back with my next book recommendation towards the end of August. Until then, happy crafting! 

Hi Fellow Temperature Blanket Makers!

It's Gemma here, with a very quick update on progress and to give you the August temperature recording chart. How can it be almost August already? I can't believe that we're already halfway through our blankets. I had managed to get myself back up to date a couple of weeks ago but have fallen back a little bit with the start of the school holidays, which means much less time to myself. 

Up to the middle of July we had some very warm weather and I've loved seeing all the warm colours appearing in my blanket squares and, as I'm joining as I go, the fifth row has been started so visually it is over the halfway point. I wish I could say that I am up to date with sewing in ends but of course all good intentions have gone by the wayside on that front! 

Do keep sharing your photos using the hashtag #janiecrowtempblanket25 (just rolls off the tongue that, doesn't it?). We do love seeing your progress.

In the meantime click here for the August temperature recording chart and I'll be back in a month's time.