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. 

We’ve been enjoying the run up to Granny Square day and we’ve all been looking back at our respective Granny Square histories – more on those soon!
 
We’ve also spent time looking back at Jane’s Granny Square from 2022  'A Flower For Alice' .  It’s a beautiful 3D floral block and was named for  Jane’s Great Grandmother.  You can find the original blog post by clicking here.

These flowers are so special to us: our grandfather grew them, our late father took seeds from those plants and grew them too.  I am hopeless with plants of any kind so I have not tried!  It is Julie who keeps these glorious blooms in my life!  They smell divine and they are delicate – and short lived – perhaps this is what makes them so special.
 

​Alice Martin, Jane’s Great Grandmother was a prolific crocheter and would use recycled yarns to make her blankets, buying old sweaters, unravelling and washing the yarn and reworking it into colourful squares.  Do go and read the original blog post as she sounds so interesting and it’s wonderful to hear how she influenced and inspired Jane.
 
Both Jane and I have been reworking this motif in new colourways – Jane’s progress photos look amazing.

​For my part, I had the most beautiful inspiration, also from a lovely family member: my sister Julie!  Even though we are both now in our 50s, I still very much hold the “little sister”  position in my sister’s mind – and indeed in my own: she is simply unrivalled when it comes to rebuilding me when I’m a bit broken.  Colds, heartbreak, stress  - she can soothe all of that and I’m very lucky!

​One of the things she spoils me with is Sweet Peas on my birthday!  Wherever I am they arrive – I’ve been in workshops, she has been away, doesn’t matter, there will be a knock on the door and the most beautiful flowers – my very favourite – will appear!  They are the best when she’s delivering them but this year the bunch she sent was spectacular, even though it was delivered by a florist.

​Anyway my Flower for Alice blocks have been inspired by this year’s glorious bouquet.  I have only managed to finish one so far due to the busiest – and happiest – summer ever but I look forward to adding to these beauties.  I will call them “Flowers for Julie” and if I possibly can, I’ll make my big sister a blanket. 

Hello fellow yarn lovers, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing this whilst cooling down in an air-conditioned hotel room in Granada, Spain, after the most amazing visit to the incredible Alhambra this morning. Andy and I have been away on our summer holidays for a little over a week so far and have visited Paris, Barcelona, Seville and Cordoba, all of which have been fabulous and have provided me with lots of design inspiration. We have been travelling on the train as much as possible, so I have even managed to keep up with my crochet projects and jot down some ideas in my sketch book! I am feeling incredibly lucky and full of ideas for new designs!
 
While we have been away, Emma and Gemma have been expertly holding the fort at Janie Crow and between us, we have some things to tell you about this month. We even have a healthy stock of kits at last, so there may be something of interest within this email for you.

A few weeks ago I had a fabulous time with a lovely group of knitters on a Stitchtopia holiday in West Yorkshire. During the trip we had the pleasure of visiting the amazing collection at the Knitting and Crochet Guild in Slaithwaite. 
 
They have a huge collection of knit and crochet related things - including wooden knitter’s sheaths for holding needles - something I had never seen before! They provide an incredible resource and their collection means that items that could have been lost over the years will be saved for future generations. You can see some of the items in the collection in the image below. Isn't that tiger sweater just fabulous?
 
The guild has members all over the UK and membership gives you access to their archive and regional groups. Check out @kcguild for more information. ❤️ 🧶

We certainly haven't been short of sunshine over the last few weeks here in North London and the project this time of year always makes me think of is the Sunshine & Showers blanket. ​

​Sunshine & Showers was a crochet along project released in parts in a magazine back in 2017. Since then it has been through a pattern refresh and a whole set of supporting videos have been uploaded to our YouTube channel. 
 
This would make a great next-step project after completing our Zero to Granny video course as it was designed with beginners in mind. The patterns include step by step images and the project gets more difficult as you go along so it's a great learning tool. You can read more about it and find yarn packs for sale over on the website (click on the images above and below). It's a great stash-busting project too though! 

I'm so excited to share the news that Stylecraft Yarns have chosen the Love is Enough Fruit Garden blanket as their Summer Make Along project! The MAL begins on 29th July and all patterns are 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 as a book 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 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. ​

I will look forward to seeing your progress popping up on the Stylecraft Make Along Group over on Facebook. If you aren't already a member of the group you can find it here.
 
This time of year can bring gluts of fruit and vegetables and for Gemma that means a visit from a neighbour with marrows and large courgettes. The courgettes have been turned into soup and the marrow duly stuffed. If you have any suggestions for tasty marrow or courgette recipes do let us know! 

​It's just under a month until Granny Square Day is here. The date for your diary is 15th August so keep your eyes peeled for lots of colour and inspiration appearing on social media. The day is being hosted by Simply Crochet Magazine and I'm so proud to have been invited to be an Ambassador for the event this year! 
 
You can read more about what the team at Simply Crochet have in store here and to get you in the mood for making squares you can find a pattern I designed for Granny Square Day 2022 here, called a Flower for Alice. 

Gemma will be teaching a one day workshop on making a crochet hexi cardigan at Community Learning Partnership in South Oxhey (near Watford) on the 14th August and there are still a few places left. If you're local to Watford and fancy spending a day among like-minded companions, click on the image below for booking information. You'd be sure of a very warm welcome! ​

Working on a large project at this time of year can be a bit too warm so here are some of our suggestions for summertime projects. Click on the images for more information. ​

​With Granny Square day on the horizon and lots of ideas inspired by our trip to Spain, I am hopeful that the next few months will be full of crochet for me. I have been thinking a lot about creating more simplified crochet designs, so that my work can be accessible to beginners, and I have also been trying to think of smaller projects, so that not everything I create is blanket size! I get told a lot that crocheters don’t know what to do with all the blankets they make, so if you have an idea for smaller projects, do let us know.
 
During the summer months, when the garden is pretty and the light is good, I am better at posting on the Janie Crow Lifestyle Instagram account. I have been posting quite a bit while we have been away, (mostly food if I am honest!), so if you want to catch up with things other than crochet or are interested to see some of the places we have visited while away, you can find the account by following this link.
 
I hope that wherever you are, and whatever you have planned for the weekend, you have a lovely time, and I look forward to landing back in your inbox in a couple of weeks' time.

This is Gemma here, with a truly flying visit, to give you the July temperature recording chart! 

We've had some incredibly warm weather here in North London over the last few weeks and as a result of that I've found crochet a challenge. The yarn doesn't want to play nicely and the thought of a hot blanket laying on my lap has been unbearable! I know, I'm such a lightweight! As a result I'm a good few weeks behind on my blanket now but with some fresher weather on the way later this week I'm hoping to catch up. 

In the meantime I have been conscientiously recording temperatures each day and ready to continue doing so as we move in to July tomorrow. So with no further ado, please find the July temperature recording chart here! 

I have been away tutoring a workshop trip to West Yorkshire this week and so have been enjoying the company of a group of lovely knitters as we visited the Knit and Crochet Guild head quarters, Stylecraft's fabulous Mill, where we saw their yarn production first hand, and the amazing historical mill town of Saltaire. 
 
While I have been away, Gemma and Emma have been busy, brilliantly holding the fort on our social media platforms and Andy is back up to speed with sorting orders and answering your emails after a brief break, so it's nice to know that Janie Crow is in good hands.
 
It has been a busy fortnight since we were last here in your inbox and we have a few things to tell you about, including a nice stock update, so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with our news. 

​We have two new yarn packs to tell you about this week. Wool Warehouse have now released the Yarnsmiths Merino versions of the Mystical Lanterns and Sandalwood blankets. We know that many of you prefer to use natural fibres and are really pleased with how these colourways have come out. 
 
The Yarnsmiths palette is a little brighter than the original Sandalwood but close enough to keep the same name and the Mystical Lanterns colourway is bright and fun. You can see them both in the images below - click on any of the images to find the yarn packs. They are currently on offer at 40% off so if you prefer natural fibres it's a great time to snap up a pack. 

The itinerary for my trip to Turkey in October next year is live on the Stitchtopia website and you can find it by following this link. There are now only a couple of spots left on the trip, so do take a look if you think it might be your kind of holiday. 
 
I am really excited about this trip already, even though it is over a year away, and I have been busy thinking about the knit and crochet projects I can design for participants to work on while we are away. 

We have a lot of kits back in stock this week and we've put a selection below, all of which can be found on the website. You can have a browse of all our stock by following this link.

Over on Instagram this month we celebrated the gorgeous Eastern Jewels version of Persian Tiles. Eastern Jewels was a collaboration between Lucia Dunn and Stylecraft and embodies the vibrant colourways Lucia is well known for as well as her way of embracing life in vivid technicolour! 
 
You can take a look at some of the wonderful makes we discovered using the tag #easternjewelsblanket by clicking here and we do currently have kits available over on our website here.

How are the temperature blankets coming along? Gemma has fallen a little bit behind, blaming the very hot weather that we've been having here in North London! We have found some great images of your work over on Instagram, which you can see below. The first photo from @soniams1 is tracking a Californian winter, while in the second photo @suelindt is showing off not one, but two blankets she has on the go! 
 
Do share your temperature blanket progress with us using the hashtag #janiecrowtempblanket25, so we can take a look at how your blankets are coming along. We'll pop it on the blog as well but in the meantime you can download the July temperature chart here. 

Over on Facebook we have been continuing with the Decade of Design series of posts and this time we focused on Frida's Flowers, which was a crochet along project released in collaboration with Stylecraft yarns in 2016. 
 
A lot of love has been shown for this design over the years and the patterns are still available to download free of charge from the Stylecraft Yarns website here. Lots of you told us that you loved making this blanket and for some of you it's your favourite JC project. 
 
Lucia Dunn worked her magic on this design too, with the incredibly pretty Primavera version of the blanket.

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! ​

There are lots of up and coming yarn shows around the country and UK Hand Knitting have complied a handy guide to what's on. Click on the image below or here to find out if there's a show near you. ​

Gemma's review this month was of Claire Montgomerie's Granny Square Flowers Card Deck, the hotly-awaited follow up to the Granny Square Card Deck. I have one of the sets too and it is fabulous! Gemma had a go at the Peony motif, using leftovers from her Bohemian Blooms project and you can see the results in the photos below. It's very pretty. 

You can read Gemma's thoughts over on the Book of the Month blog here and if you fancy getting your hands on this or the original card deck 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. ​

I'm very excited to let you know that my blanket is finished! Well, certainly most of the hard work, with just a little bit of finishing to be done. There are a couple of ends from the joining process left to be sewn in and the blanket needs blocking to smooth out a few slightly ‘lumpy’ areas. Here it is in all its glory, together with a few close-ups of the detail… ​

I have loved making this blanket, and writing about it each month has helped to keep me motivated. Now the next question of course is, what shall I make now? Is there another Janie Crow project you'd like to see me work on? If so hit reply to this email and let us know. ​

The weather has been really good over the last few weeks, but it has been a little cooler over the last couple of days, especially in Bradford where I have spent the week with my workshop group. The cooler weather makes it a little easier to crochet, so I have been working on some beaded festive decorations that will be available later on in the year. Small portable projects are perfect for this time of year and I have really been enjoying working with beads again. 

We had a lovely time away last weekend with our daughter Summer, her husband Chris and the puppy! We spent a few days down on the south coast and had a lovely time by the sea! Stoick (who is now six months old) enjoyed every minute, but was shattered by Sunday after all the beach based adventures! ​

As usual there has been quite a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on here, and not so much exciting design work, so I don't have a huge amount to show for the last couple of weeks. I am still going to the gym quite a bit and keeping up with my new exercise habit - it seems to have become a way of life now, which is quite a relief as I don't have to force myself out of the door and down to the gym in the mornings, but I guess it's always easier to feel motivated when the weather is good.
 
I hope that you have something nice planned for the weekend and that you are able to squeeze in a little crafting time. We will be back in your inbox in a couple of weeks with the July newsletter, so do look out for that, and in the mean time stay safe and enjoy your crafting! 

Looking through the images I have taken on my phone over the last couple of weeks I can see that the predominant shade in my life has been pink! I have gravitated towards pink flowers, pink yarns and pink clothes, in much the same way as butterflies are more likely to be drawn to pink and purple too! Having bursts of brightness around me at this time of year makes me feel so happy and calm, and even on the cloudier days, it is so affirming to see a shock of gorgeous colour, don't you think?
 
I have had a busy couple of weeks and was even lucky enough to have a short break away with one of my oldest friends, so life is all good here at Janie Crow. I hope that it is treating you well too and that you have a few minutes to catch up with all my news.

I ordered this gorgeous box of sixty mini balls of Ricorumi cotton from Wool Warehouse last week, along with a couple of balls of the super cute ‘Nilli Nilli’ chenille (which you can find by following this link), and I got really inspired when I opened it on Tuesday morning! The colours are just so cheery and the little balls are perfect for smaller projects.
 
I am going to use the yarns to create some more beaded festive decorations and, whilst it does feel a bit strange working on a Christmas project in the relative heat of June, I am really enjoying playing with beads and this lovely yarn.

Emma and I have been a little out of love with Instagram lately, partly because we were very engrossed in our Zero to Granny project for quite a while, but also because the algorithms on there now seem to be throwing up a lot of stuff we don't actually want to see.
 
That said, we have always loved the way our feed looks and the way that you guys interact with us on there, so we are determined to give the platform more attention going forwards, starting from next week. You can find our feed by following this link, or by clicking on the image above.

Andy made this lovely crochet basket using a kit from The Left Hookery. 
It was the perfect vessel for displaying my gorgeous peonies from the garden recently and I am really proud of him for picking up his crochet hook again after a long break. The kits from the Left Hookery are perfect for those who want to make a relatively quick project and the leather accessories and high end yarns mean that the projects turn out so lovely.  
 
Andy has lined up the fabulous Glastonbury basket kit as his next project, but Tamsin has plenty more projects to choose from over on her website. You can find it by following this link. 

We have stock of quite a few yarn packs still, but as one of the shades that I tend to use a lot in my designs has been out of stock for a while, we are beginning to run low on some. You can find kits by following this link.
 
The warmer weather always makes me want to work on smaller projects that won't create extra warmth as I make them. This is a perfect time of year to work on shawls, cushions or bags, or even get well ahead of the game and start thinking about your Christmas decorations like me! 
 
Don't forget that you can also get Janie Crow project kits that contain natural fibres via Wool Warehouse, who currently have kits in stock for my Marrakesh version of Persian Tiles.
 
Within the next couple of weeks they will also have kits for a brand new version of Mystical Lanterns (shown below) that has been made using their Superwash Merino range of DK yarns. Of course it includes quite a few shades of pink and purple and the colours are so bright and scrummy that I am smitten by the palette.
 
I have created a copy of my Sandalwood version of Persian Tiles using the Yarnsmiths yarn range too and that should be in stock soon, so do keep an eye on the Jane Crowfoot area of their store for stock updates.

Emma and I recently spent a huge amount of time creating our Zero to Granny, Learn to Crochet Course and so we are incredibly pleased with the fabulous response it has received since we launched it in early May.
 
There is something so special about the humble Granny Square and I am really proud to have been asked to support Simply Crochet Magazine as a Granny Square Day Ambassador later on in the summer. The date is 15th August, so I am busy coming up with a new crochet design for the day. 

Due to a cancellation there is one last spot available on my West Yorkshire Workshop trip with Stitchtopia at the end of the month. You can find more information by following this link.
 
Although it is more than a year away, there are also now only a couple of places left on my workshop trip to Turkey in 2026. I am already incredibly excited about this tour, which has an amazing itinerary, jam packed with yarn and textile inspiration. You can find more information by following this link or by clicking on the images below.

I have been reading about the importance of protein in our diets and how we should be trying to have a good amount in all our meals. Evidence appears to show that it is particularly important during menopause and as we get older, so I have been more conscious of getting my daily amount. 
 
Our lovely Sarah, the clever brain behind our pattern query service, recently sent me a fabulous recipe book by Dr Rupy Aujla and I have already made quite a few things from it. Last weekend I made the daily bread using a recipe that is very similar to this one and it was delicious! Incredibly quick and easy to make, and packed to the max with protein filled seeds, nuts and oats, it is a bit high in calories, but you don't need much to feel full and the nut content means you don't need to add butter or a topping, so it's a total win!
 
On Wednesday I made the red bean stew with chocolate and spices from the same book and it was really good too. I used sugar free dark chocolate, which gave it a really rich taste and texture without adding a ton of sweetness. I did go a bit heavy on the jalapeños, but I do love them and the kale on the side gave the perfect combinations of flavours.
 
You can sign up to Dr Aujla's mailing list via his website or just peruse his recipes - I have lined a few up for next week already!

​Tomorrow is World Wide Knit in Public Day, which I like to think also makes it a great day to crochet out in the wild! I often have a ball of yarn and a hook in my bag, so crocheting in public is nothing different for me, but I am hoping that I might see others out and about tomorrow. I would love to know what you have planned for the day. I might take my project to the pub garden as the weather is forecast to be good for most of the day after a little rain early on. 
 
Talking of knitting, did you see this incredible lace wedding dress knitted by Marii over on Instagram? It is amazing! 

​I am signed up to try a Zumba class tomorrow morning. My strength training sessions have proved that I have terrible co-ordination, so I am hopeful that the class might help me with this. I am assured that it is really hard work, but great fun too, so I am really looking forward to it, even though I will undoubtedly be the hot sweaty mess at the back of the class, out of time and out of energy very early on! 
 
I have volunteered to puppy sit on Sunday, so I am looking forward to a day in the garden with some toys and a few games of fetch with the lovely boy. Andy is away this week, so I the pup will be my sole responsibility - I will need to have my wits about me, so not too many drinks in that pub garden tomorrow!
 
I had a lovely birthday a few weeks ago and I am really thankful for all your lovely messages. I really can't believe how fast the years are starting to pass, but it is really good to know that I am in much better shape this year than I have been in the past and that 56 feels better on me than most of the last decade! 
 
I hope that wherever you are, and whatever you have planned for the weekend, that you are in good place too and I look forward to being back in your inboxes in a fortnight with the Janie Crow Quick Update.

For May & June (running late for May and early for June!) I have chosen to take a closer look at the Granny Square Flowers Deck of Cards by Claire Montgomerie (Search Press 9th May 2025 ISBN9781800923065). The question is, is it a book? I'm not sure if it quite fits that description but let's live dangerously!   

This beautiful set of 50 pattern cards is the follow-up to the sell-out (and much-copied) set 'The Granny Square Card Deck', also published by Search Press in August last year. Having purchased an official original set and having seen a cheaper copy that one of my students had bought, I can very definitely say the difference in quality is huge, so it is worth spending that little bit extra and not supporting the copycats (and copyright infringers). 

Each card measures 10cm x 10cm (I've just realised as I typed that that they could make a great visual tension square size guide!) and on the front there is a close-up full colour photograph of the finished motif. On the back of the card is the charted instructions together with any other relevant information needed to make the motif. There is also a 32 page booklet in the box, with a step-by-step guide on how to read and understand crochet charts, some joining suggestions and advice on choosing colours for your motifs.

I'm not a seasoned chart reader. I like a chart to help clarify something I don't quite understand in a written pattern, but I would ultimately always prefer to use a written pattern. So, I quite liked the idea of challenging myself to make a motif using a chart only, just to see how I would get on. I decided to use card number 16, the Peony, for my sample. There are seven pages in the user guide dedicated to explaining in excellent detail how to read a chart so I made sure to read this through before starting. 

The charts are printed very clearly, with different colours used to differentiate the rounds, making it clear to pick out the stitches you are making on your current round. The card tells you any special stitches that are included in the motif and where to find the explanations of those stitches in the user guide and includes written notes on the pattern where needed. US terms are used where stitches are written on the cards.

I had a few leftovers from my Bohemian Blooms blanket in some lovely pastel shades so decided to use this for the pattern. I had no trouble following the chart, despite its relatively small size, as the clarity of print was good (far superior to the fake version of the cards I've had sight of). I would recommend taking the time to have a really good look at the round you are starting to make sure you fully understand what is happening before you get going. 

I'm quite pleased with my little square and quite like the idea of continuing with the granny rounds to make it a little bit bigger and then potentially using it as part of a larger project, perhaps a cushion cover. That's one of the things I really like about these lovely boxes of cards, that they serve as a starting point for creating a project that has your own stamp on it. 

So it's definitely a thumbs-up from me for this publication. If you are in the UK and would like to purchase one of these sets you can get a 20% discount and free postage on the Search Press website here, by using the code DD88 when checking out.

​I'll be back in July with another review but until then, happy hooking!