  OUR WINTER SALE ENDS MIDNIGHT (GMT) SUNDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2023 USE THE CODE WINTER23 TO RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT ON ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE VIA OUR STORE ALL DOWNLOAD PATTERNS ARE DISCOUNTED BY 20% VIA ETSY AND RAVELRY    I adore my job as a crochet designer and enjoy making pretty much every stitch, but as crocheting is my job I tend not to have a crochet project to work on during my down time and opt to knit instead. I really enjoy the period between Christmas and New Year as we tend to be off work and at home more than usual, so there is more time to sit on the settee and craft.  I tend to plan a new project for the holiday period and have decided to start work on a sweater I have wanted to make for more than 20 years! It is a Kaffe Fassett sweater design called Dark Daisy which featured in an old Rowan Magazine. All of the yarn shades used in the design have been discontinued, but the yarn range itself is still current, so I have managed to create a colour palette very similar to the original. I am hoping to knit my tension square this weekend and have also lined up my existing knit and crochet down time projects in the hope of getting something finished - I like having a couple of projects on the go, but really need to complete something!  If you are also beginning to think about what project you want to work on over the festive period then you might want to consider embarking on a new blanket. We have Sandalwood kits back in stock after a bit of an absence and many others are still available, including kits for the Climbing Rose Wrap, Bohemian Blooms, Mystical Lanterns in the Avice colourway and Fields of Gold.   Tuesday 19th will be our last postage date for this year and the last Royal Mail postage date for the UK is Wednesday the 20th, so now really is the time to make those last minute gift decisions. Don't forget we have lots of lovely Emma Ball items in stock including some of the bundles we put together last week. Emma came up with the brilliant idea of using one of the tins from the Emma Ball and Janie Crow collection as the 'wrapping' and so Andy put together some bundle options on the web site, which you can see by following this link.   We think that the large Sandalwood tin would be perfect to hold a handmade gift for a friend. All you need to do is pop the gift inside, shut the lid and tie a ribbon around it and you have created a no waste present! Or maybe you fancy more than a tin and would like to take a look at some of the bundles in stock - all the bundles include a discount of around 15% compared to the price of the items bought individually.   Andy has been patiently waiting for a Della Q order to arrive from the US. We have been hoping to have the fabulous messenger bags and backpacks in stock for quite a while, especially as they make the best gifts, so being patient has not been particularly easy! In theory they should arrive next week but this is not set in stone. Andy will put them in stock as soon as they get here, so if there is something you've been waiting for then do take a look. If there is a particular item that you have been waiting for and it is out of stock, you can add your contact details on the web site so that you will receive a notification once it is back in.  Inside Crochet magazine will feature the final crochet block for the Spirit of Flora crochet along project in the next publication, which is due out on Thursday. The motif is called Bedford Daisy and it is the most complicated block in the project, but with all the skills that have been built over the year I am sure that you amazing crocheters will cope with it admirably!   The magazine will also feature the patterns for the 3 borders so that you can choose which one you think suits your project the most and you will also find images of another blanket layout, so it is a magazine full of loveliness once again!   I am really excited to reveal that I have been nominated in two different categories in the Yarn Industry awards for 2023. I am really proud that my name appears in the 'Best Independent Designer' section and within the 'Best Online Personality' category. I am up against some true giants of the yarn world, many of them with many more followers than me, so I am flattered simply to have been nominated, but if you do want to vote for me, or any of the other fabulous nominees, please follow this link.   I love projects that use up left overs or small amounts of yarn and I really adore adding beads to crochet stitches, so I am really excited that the pattern for the beaded pouches are available for all you eager crocheters who love stash busting projects and a bit of bling too - they would make a particularly nice accessory for a festive outfit! You can find the patterns available as downloads on Etsy and Ravelry and as paper copies (UK terms only for this one I'm afraid) by following this link to the Janie Crow store.   As I said already, we will be taking a break from work for a bit over the next couple of weeks, but we are already planning for 2024 and will be running some money saving offers over the 12 days of Christmas from the 25th December to the 5th of January on our social media platforms. So if you fancy a crafty bargain, do look out for our daily posts. It has been a fabulously busy year and I am so incredibly grateful for your support over the 12 months. I know that Christmas is not an easy time for some people and am mindful of all that is going on in the world around us, but I hope you at least manage to find time for a bit of rest and recuperation at some point over the next fortnight and that you will continue to find solace ion your crafty projects. Happy Christmas from us all at Janie Crow Janie x  I made a decision way back in the spring that I would spend December doing festive things as I’m usually horribly organised and the lead up to the big day goes by in a flash. I’ve got my wreath on the door and the tree and all the twinkly lights are up, but I am already feeling like my To Do list is getting inexplicably longer - could it be that the more time you dedicate to preparing for Christmas, the more and more things you find to do?  I had planned to spend this week making lovely decorations out of saved, and therefore recycled, paper and card and also had it in mind to do some little jobs in the house that have been crying out for attention all year, such as properly hemming the living room curtains and pulling the peeling paint off the bathroom ceiling! Once again, however, the week has run away with me and only one big job (sorting out all the old Christmas decorations in the loft) has been scrubbed off the list- Ugh! Never mind - all first world problems and hopefully next week will prove more productive! Anyhoo - I have a few things to tell you about this week so I hope you have a spare five minutes or so to catch up with all things Janie Crow.   Last week Emma came up with the brilliant idea of using one of the tins from the Emma Ball and Janie Crow collection as the 'wrapping' for a festive gift and this got us thinking about how many of the items in the collection would make great gifts. This thought process ultimately led to Andy spending time making up some bundle options on the web site, which you can see by following this link.   We think that the large Sandalwood tin would be perfect to hold a handmade gift for a friend. All you need to do is pop the gift inside, shut the lid and tie a ribbon around it and you have created a no waste present! Or maybe you fancy more than a tin and would like to take a look at some of the bundles in stock - all the bundles include a discount of around 15% compared to the price of the items bought individually. We now have the amazing 'Seams' hand cream back in stock. This luxury cream is specifically aimed at those of us who work with textiles and yarn and therefore suffer with ultra dry fingers and nails. It is non greasy and gets absorbed quickly, with 10 natural ingredients to help mend, moisturise, nourish, soften, & soothe hands and condition nails, fast! We stock it in 2 sizes so that you can chose a smaller trial size tube if you haven't tried it before. Click on the image below for more information.  We had such a fabulous workshop weekend in Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago when Debbie Abrahams and I tutored our annual festive workshop. We both designed a pair of beaded mitts so that participants could choose whether they wanted to knit or crochet. My mitts included a beaded pine tree and a glitzy snowflake design.   It was fabulous to see so many of our participants heading home with completed, or near finished projects. I will be working on the pattern over the next couple of months so that it includes a couple of sizes and a less complicated beading option, so keep an eye out for the pattern in Autumn 24.  Yesterday was Christmas Jumper Day here in the UK and as the festive movies are in full swing here the Janie Crow team had a chat about the lovely knitwear that pops up in them, often causing us to focus so much on pattern and 'could I make that?' that the storyline of the film becomes secondary! We discussed our favourite knitwear from the big screen and here’s what we came up with: Jane: 'My favourite sweater from a film is the cable sweater that Amanda (Cameron Diaz) wears in The Holiday. I love cream cable sweaters and one of the very first garments I ever hand knitted for myself was a cable sweater from Rowan Magazine 19 in 1995. I wore it over and over and still have it packed away somewhere. I love it when movies have definite wardrobe themes - The Holiday is all cream, brown and black and grey - for all characters - have you ever noticed that? No bright colours and lots of snowy scenes. I love it even though I am a real fan of colour.' Emma: 'Ok, so while we are on the theme of cables, can we stretch that to traditional Aran sweaters and look at the lovely example worn by Chris Evans in Knives Out. NOT just an excuse to look at Chris Evans as is evidenced by the fact that we’ve also discussed Steve McQueen wearing an Aran sweater in 'The Thomas Crown Affair'. Emma also felt it was important that we included Colin Firth's iconic Rudolph sweater from Bridget Jones's Diary.  Sarah's favourite is the knitwear in Heroes of Telemark: 'I used to knit little versions of this for my brother’s Action Man!'  Gemma is still open to persuasion on this subject, so we thought a couple of good strong women would be appropriate for inclusion in our list - we have added the jumper that launched a thousand copies, worn by Sarah Lund in The Killing, and that glorious creation worn by Katniss Everdean in the Hunger Games. We would love to know which film or TV knitwear you covet most, so do get in touch or join in the conversation over on our Instagram feed here.  I am really excited to have been nominated in two different categories in the Yarn Industry awards for 2023! I am really proud that my name appears in the Best Independent Designer section and within the Best Online Personality category. I am up against some true giants of the yarn world, many of them with many more followers than me, so I am flattered simply to have been nominated, but if you do want to vote for me, or any of the other fabulous nominees, please click the link here. Thank you to all of you who have supported and nominated me - I am delighted!    There's still time to make some stash busting festive crochet decorations and we have lots of patterns to choose from! You can find them here.   If you're a knitter rather than a crocheter how about some of our cushion designs - perfect for adding a touch of cosy to your sofa over the winter months.  Just a reminder that I will be participating in the Wool in Garden City Festival which will take place in January. The event is a week long pop-up yarn show in Welwyn Garden City. A few exhibitors, including myself, have already been revealed and there will be workshops and other yarn related events you can attend. The pop up is free to visit, but if you would like to come to the preview evening on Friday 19th January, you can purchase a ticket for £10. You can find more information by following this link.  On Instagram this week we took a look back over the Spirit of Flora Crochet Along, which has been running in Inside Crochet magazine over the last year. How time has flown! We have followed your progress through the Marlborough, Gillow and Evelyn motifs, as well as Double Carnations, Sunflower and Pair of Roses, amongst others. The latest issue of the magazine included cushion patterns and along the way there was the Dana bag too.   Over on Facebook we celebrated the joy of a cosy blanket when the temperature drops. Of course it's a great time of year to be making a blanket too, because it keeps you warm at the same time! Here are some of your favourites that you shared:  Bliss Butler's growing blanket pile!  Jancey Glynn's first Janie Crow project in the shape of Persian Tiles is coming in handy during a cold snap!  Tricia Badley made this gorgeous Imogen blanket, which now resides in the Philippines. Isn't it gorgeous!  This time last year saw the release of the Glad Tidings Wrap, a design just perfect for using those gorgeous little Advent calendar mini skeins. It's a lovely project for the festive period, with a repeat that can be picked up quickly, making it a relaxing and mindful make.   The pattern could also work well with leftovers from other projects, as a stash-busting exercise or with a colour changing yarn such as the Scheepjes Whirl. It does work up quite quickly, so could make a great Christmas gift too. Click on any of the images above for more information.  This week's recipe is a warming sweet potato and lentil bake from the Riverford website. Gemma tried this out on her family this week, expecting mixed reviews with her girls not liking lentils and sweet potato respectively, but it apparently went down really well.  Gemma didn't have tinned lentils in her store at home, so used dried red lentils and a couple of variations on the vegetables, but everyone asked that it be made again, so it sounds like a real success. If you'd like to give it a try you can find the recipe by clicking on the image above.  It's this time of year that Christmas post box toppers start appearing around the UK, so we did a quick Instagram search on #christmasyarnbombing and here are a few of our favourites.  Hertford/Ware  Faversham  West Sussex  Thirsk  As we head into December, the Crisis at Christmas services have started to open and the frontline staff are working hard across the country to support as many people as they can this winter.  Right now, things are urgent. Over 250,000 families and individuals in the UK are experiencing the worst forms of homelessness. People are forced onto the streets, into sofa surfing, or temporary accommodation. This can and must end. There’s still time to make this someone’s last Christmas without a home. Donate now by following this link.   We are looking forward to meeting my brother and his wife in town this evening. Andy and I went to see the London festive lights last Wednesday and had such a lovely time, so are hoping for nice dry weather again today in order to see all the decorations at their best. The Advent calendar at Fortnum and Mason was fabulous, as were all the window and store front displays in the high end stores on Bond Street. I love London at Christmas, but don't usually get time to visit, so I am trying to make the most of it this year.   We are hoping to spend the weekend doing some Christmas prep. We have 13 coming for dinner on Boxing Day, so will cook a few things that can go in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Vegetarian cooking can be particularly time consuming thanks to all the chopping involved, so it is always good to get an early start! I am still working on the new Marrakesh colourway of Persian Tiles, which should be ready in the new year. I am making the Granny Squares at the moment and finding them a particularly mindful make - the perfect accompaniment to Christmas movies! Janie x    The most recent crochet design to feature in Inside Crochet Magazine as part of the Spirit of Flora CAL is called 'Double Carnations'. It is another motif to feature two flowers sitting at opposite corners of the square motifs and it has been great to see them popping up 'out in the wild' over the last week or so. It amazes me how quickly some of you get them made!  As you know, this project was inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement and the work of ceramicist William De Morgan in particular. Botanical symbolism was widely adopted by members of the movement in their art work, and plants were often used as metaphors for virtue and vice. William used the carnation flower frequently in his designs and it was often depicted as a symbol of love. Spirit of Flora is drawing to a close now with the final block due to be released in December. It doesn't seem possible! The project was a HUGE undertaking - 13 individual block designs, 3 blanket layouts, a bag and shawl pattern, as well as 2 cushion design options and 3 borders - this was never going to be a small undertaking! From the outset we wanted the CAL to be a project where crocheters forged their own paths, either by making the motifs using yarns from their stashes, or by choosing completely different colour palettes. We also hoped that some of you would choose to make things other than a blanket and so have shown a bag design, a shawl, and most recently a pair of cushions.  The team at Inside Crochet always create such lovely images of my projects and we have come to expect a really high level of styling and photography from the dream team who are Claire Montgomerie and Leanne Jade. When I first saw the images of the cushions this week they really blew me away, so I am sharing a few here as they are just so stunning!   This month's Inside Crochet Magazine also features a supplement pattern for my beaded Glitzy Festive Stockings shown below:  When we were children my brother and I would place hessian sacks at the end of our beds for Father Christmas to fill with gifts overnight. The sacks felt huge back then and I remember how we would drag them into our parent’s room, probably at some ridiculously early hour, on Christmas Day to rummage through them, always finding satsumas and nuts at the bottom. These decorative crochet stockings are not large enough to hold lots of presents, but they would make the perfect addition to the fireplace none the less and are definitely large enough to fit a few small gifts in or would make a lovely gift in themselves. The sight of a festive stocking hanging ready by the fireplace for Santa to fill epitomises all things festive don’t you think? To me they symbolise the expectation of gifts and people arriving to celebrate with us, as well as creating a lovely decoration. Don't forget that we now have kits for a new version of my Bohemian Blooms Crochet Along Style project. The original pattern is written for yarns from the Rowan range, but as 3 of the shades are now discontinued we decided it was time to give the project a revamp. Our new kits include yarns from the Stylecraft range and we have chosen shades that almost exactly match those used in the original project.  The tension of the new yarn palette crochets up the same as the original, but we decided that the new version would not include beads so that crocheters can see what it looks like without them and have the choice of whether or not they want to add them - not everyone is a fan of bling like me!  We have created a quick video that shows the two versions of the blanket and you can find over on our Instagram feed. We have made a yarn substitution document, which also suggests alternative yarns for the discontinued yarns in the Rowan version should you wish to source yarns from their range. You can find it by following this link.  With a multitude of cut-price offers bombarding our in-boxes care of Black Friday this week, it is good to know that a growing number of consumers are opting to support smaller retailers over the big discounts and the start of the heavily promotional Christmas season, which can appear all consuming. At Janie Crow we are rarely able to offer bargain prices on our kits, but instead choose to do offers on patterns from time to time. This week however, we do have a sale offer for you in the shape of the Crimson Dreams yarn kits, which are discounted by 20%.   We only have limited stock available in our 'Crimson Friday' deal, so you might need to be quick! Kits are reduced from £74.50 to £59.60 - they will not be restocked at this price once our current stock has sold through. This blanket project was originally designed in a blue colourway and you can find more information by following this link.   I am really excited to reveal that I have been nominated in two different categories in the Yarn Industry awards for 2023. I am really proud that my name appears in the 'Best Independent Designer' section and within the 'Best Online Personality' category. I am up against some true giants of the yarn world, many of them with many more followers than me, so I am flattered simply to have been nominated, but if you do want to vote for me, or any of the other fabulous nominees, please follow this link.   I love projects that use up left overs or small amounts of yarn and I really adore adding beads to crochet stitches, so I am really excited that the pattern for the beaded pouches are available for all you eager crocheters who love stash busting projects and a bit of bling too - they would make a particularly nice accessory for a festive outfit! You can find the patterns available as downloads on Etsy and Ravelry and as paper copies (UK terms only for this one I'm afraid) by following this link to the Janie Crow store.  If you fancy a bit of stash-busting in the lead up to Christmas, and also want to make something to decorate your home, why not take a look at our festive patterns. We have mini stockings, bunting and hanging decorations.     Here at Janie Crow we all love the Mystical Lanterns pelmet/bunting that I first saw at Folklore Yarns in Belfast. It’s a lovely way to interpret the pattern and add mirrors to the centre of the motifs to add some extra sparkle!   I am really looking forward to taking part in the Wool in Garden City event in January. I will be taking part in a 'meet the designer' session on Saturday 20th and will also be at the Preview Evening event on Friday 19th. Both These events are ticketed -the preview tickets are £10 and are available now. A full list of workshops and events will be published soon. Click here for more information.  If you are looking for some little gifts that are perfect for popping in Advent Calendars or giving to a yarny friend as a Secret Santa present, how about checking out our Janie Crow & Emma Ball Collection.  The little tins, stitch markers and notebooks are incredibly popular and make ideal small gifts. For the festive season we have bauble cards that feature images of my crochet designs. The baubles detach from the cards and can be hung on the tree. We also have jigsaws and there are still some calendars left in stock if you want to get organised for 2024. You can find a little reel I made yesterday of the bauble cards and the jigsaws on our Instagram account.  This is a 'ta dah' moment as I want to show you the two self-seeded butternut squash that we have harvested from the garden. Aren't they fabulous! And utterly free! We will definitely be growing them again in 2024 and next time we will let them all grow rather than mistaking them for courgettes and eating them far too early!!!    Despite being big butternut squash fans, we haven't cooked either of the homegrown pair yet, but last week I did buy another squash and make the soup recipe that Emma found a few weeks ago. It was totally delicious so I really recommend it. I popped all the veg in to roast while I was cooking something else in the oven at the same time and even managed to make some focaccia bread to go with it. My pics don't do it justice as it was really yummy! You can find the recipe by following this link.   We are in Bournemouth this weekend for our Festive Inspired Minds workshop. The hotel is beautifully decorated for Christmas already and Debbie and I have designed a festive project for our workshop group to make over the weekend - I will reveal the design on my social media platforms next week. The weather forecast is good for the whole weekend so we are hoping to squeeze in some beach walks while we are away and maybe a little bit of Christmas shopping. I hope that you are also looking forward to a nice couple of days whatever you have planned. Janie x  It has been a fortnight of pretty much incessant rain here in North London. I have to admit that I have found the transition from summer to autumn to winter a bit tricky this year so I am particularly pleased to have my crochet to focus on now the clocks have changed and I can settle down on the settee in the evenings for a bit of 'me' time. I have a few things to tell you about this week so I hope you can spare 5 minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow...   Last Friday I spent the evening with Gemma at a charity fundraising event where I gave a talk about my design history and process. I think many of the audience members were surprised to hear just how many stages a design goes through and how long winded the process can be. As we near the end of the Spirit of Flora CAL in Inside Crochet magazine I thought you might also be interested to read about my process and see some 'behind the scenes' images so, with help from my fabulous assistant Emma, I have published a post about it on my blog. You can find it here.   I want to remind you about our new yarn kits for the Bohemian Blooms blanket project which I showcased a few weeks ago. The Stylecraft yarn shades in the new kits are almost identical in colour to the original Rowan branded yarns, but they come in at a more affordable retail price. The patterns are written in a crochet along style in UK terms and feature in the dedicated pattern book. You can find more information by following this link.  Mary Maxim have recently released a yam pack for my Summer Palace blanket in the Blue/Pink colourway. The pack includes their Mellowspun yarn and is particularly cost effective for those of you in the US and Canada. You can find more information here.   Many people probably feel that it is still too early to start using the word 'Festive' or any others linked to Christmas, but it is fair to say that us yarny folk need to start planning our holiday makes relatively early. I am hoping to create an Advent calendar using my Mini Festive Stockings pattern. I had planned to make a stocking pretty much every day for the duration of November, but so far I have only to managed to finish one, despite the fact that I have already bought all the chocolate treats to pop inside! At this rate I will be crocheting them right up until Christmas day!    Perhaps you can be more organised than me and have yours ready for December 1st? I am using a palette of mint, yellow and green shades to match our living room and would love to see them in more colourways, so do share your makes using #Janiecrow on social media platforms.   I have cut right back on teaching commitments for next year, in order to concentrate on my design work, but I am really looking forward to the Arena Travel, Stitchtopia trip to Peru in July. Textile expert Karin Hellaby is currently accompanying a group on a similar tour there, so if you're interested in seeing her images of the trip, which include pics of some super cute alpacas and some lovely squishy yarn, then head over to her Facebook page. There are still some spaces left on this incredible textile holiday, so if you are interested in finding out more take a look at The Arena Travel website here.   I will be participating in the Wool in Garden City Festival which will take place in January. The event is a week long pop-up yarn show in Welwyn Garden City. A few exhibitors, including myself have already been revealed and there will be workshops and other yarn related events you can attend. The pop up is free to visit, but if you would like to come to the preview evening on Friday 19th January, you can purchase a ticket for £10. You can find more information by following this link.   I launched my first crochet along project in 2011 after I was inspired by Debbie Abrahams's Mystery Blanket Club which she has been running for well over a decade. Debbie was instrumental in encouraging my crochet designs and she has been an incredible support to me over the years. Debbie has recently started the application process for her 2024 (knitted) Mystery Blanket Club and it has already nearly sold out. If you're interested in Debbie's club follow this link for more information.  Have you visited the Janie Crow YouTube channel lately? We are regularly adding new videos to help with basic techniques through to videos to support you with specific projects, such as Sunshine & Showers and Indigo Dreams.  You can see some examples below. Click on any of the images to be taken through to the video on the YouTube channel and if you subscribe to the channel you'll be notified when new videos are added.     If you're struggling with a particular section of any of our projects please let us know. If lots of you are finding the same thing tricky we will add it to our list of topics for future videos. Over on Facebook we reminded our followers of three crochet along projects for which the patterns remain free to download from the Stylecraft Yarns website here. Those projects are Lily Pond, Frida's Flowers and, of course, The Fruit Garden. Some of you shared photos of your projects with us: Here's Betsy Fruhling with her Lily Pond blanket:  Carol Baker also made Lily Pond but in the Cherry Blossom colourway - we don't see this one so often so it's lovely to see such a beautiful example.  Here's Joanna Whymark's Frida's Flowers in the Primavera colourway. Just gorgeous!  Thanks, as always, for sharing. We love a good show and tell!  Have you ever tried making pesto using parsley? Faced with a large bunch in the grocery box this week Gemma decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised with the results. It has a fresher, lighter taste than pesto made with basil, but was equally delicious stirred through a bowl of gnocchi!  There are plenty of recipes available, but you can find the one Gemma used by clicking on the image above.  Alzheimer's Research UK are currently running a fundraiser in which they are challenging those taking part to knit, sew or crochet every day in November to raise £100 for vital dementia research. If this is something you would be interested in taking part in you can find out more by clicking on this link or on the image below:   In the village of Stanley Common in Derbyshire a local crafter, Jilly Crofts, known locally as the 'Crochet Queen', has spent over 200 hours crocheting a life size World War 1 soldier to be ready in time for Remembrance Day. Isn't it incredible? You can read more about why Jilly decided to make the soldier here.   We have a quiet weekend planned after meeting some friends in London today for a walking tour. The forecast is for rain again, so I am sure to be snuggled on the sofa with my crochet hook at some point. I am still working on my granny hexagon cardigan and it is shaping up really nicely! I have been sent a book called 'The Lost Flock', by Jane Cooper and hope to find some time to start reading it over the next few days. It's described as a 'windswept love letter to Scotland's heritage sheep and to the Orkney farming community too!' and is all about the authors life as she cares for the UK's last remaining flock of Boreray sheep. If you would like to read it after me, reply to this email, quoting your address (UK only I'm afraid) and I will pick one of you to send it to - so long as you promise to pass it along to another reader once you're done. With big thanks to Chelsea Green Publishing for sending me the book. I will be back in your inbox in a fortnight's time with the November Newsletter. Don't forget that we love hearing from you and seeing your makes out in the wild, so do get in touch or tag us on social media so that we can see what you're up to. Janie x   Next week’s pattern release for the Spirit of Flora crochet along project, which has been running in Inside Crochet Magazine, will be the penultimate one and we simply can’t believe just how quickly the CAL has flown past over the course of 2023. I am incredibly proud of the design and could not have envisaged at the start of the year just how amazingly well the crochet community would embrace it.   Last week, I gave a presentation at a fundraising event and the audience was surprised to hear about how many jobs are involved in the process of taking a design from conception through to completion. With lots of designs on the go at the same time this is something that myself and the team here at Janie Crow are constantly working on, so I guess we have taken it for granted that you all know what goes into a design from start to finish.  Finding an inspiration source for a design can take ages, or it can come quickly. Sometimes it is as simple as seeing an image as a I flick through a magazine, but other times it can be something that formulates over the course of many months. Once I’ve got the idea for a design, I start by creating mood boards and then begin to try out a large colour palette. I start by 'doodling' with my crochet and the more crochet I do the more I can whittle down the colour palette - usually choosing somewhere between 8 and 11 shades for my final design. Usually I draw a design out on graph paper to scale using a pencil and then I start to crochet my motif to fit, adjusting and rethinking along the way. Some motifs won’t make it to the final design (The Blue House blanket for example came about after a block didn’t make it into the Frida’s Flowers crochet along project) and lots of crochet doodles get put to the side along the way.   The design process for the Spirit of Flora CAL was a long one. There are 13 individual block designs, 3 blanket layouts, a bag and shawl pattern, as well as 2 cushion design options and 3 borders - this was never going to be a small undertaking with many people involved along the way!  Once the crochet motifs start to look like something viable I remake and refine them and then start the pattern writing process. As a rule I write my patterns by hand first and then transfer them onto a word document, finally putting them into our house style. After that, I send them to my test crocheters to make and we refine them again. (Shout out to the people who pack and send the yarn to them to make this happen!) The test crocheters feedback any issues and then the pattern goes to a technical editor - who often finds things that the crocheters haven't - usually incorrect stitch counts and grammar errors.   Once we have a definitive pattern we photograph the steps and make more adjustments if needed. Finally the pattern is checked through once more by myself and Emma and (if time allows) another crocheter.  As this project was for Inside Crochet magazine, there were extra steps to consider: researching the shoot location, the styling and the photography - the image above was taken by the fabulous Leanne who managed to capture my joy at discovering a May Morris embroidered bed cover under the dust sheet at the Emery Walker House - what a total joy! Eventually the pattern and photos make it to magazine layout stage where it is worked on by a graphic designer with additional text added by the editorial team. At this stage, everything is checked again before heading out into the world! For the motifs in Spirit of Flora I have calculated that the blocks were looked over by at least 5 crocheters, myself and Emma, the magazine layout team and the editor, so maybe 9 people before it went off to print!  Of course there are other things happening too: the team packing and sending out yarn kits, Sarah dealing with pattern queries and Andy heading up all other email related enquiries as well as Emma and Gemma, my ace social media team, monitoring and posting on our platforms and responding to queries of all sorts. In short, it is a BIG job, a mini-industry, with lots of people involved along the way. I am indebted to everyone involved in Spirit of Flora – and especially to you for being so welcoming of it and making it – what an amazing team effort to make this project such a success. Thank you all so much!    I am really excited to let you know that we now have kits for a new version of my Bohemian Blooms Crochet Along Style project. The original pattern is written for yarns from the Rowan range, but as 3 of the shades are now discontinued we decided it was time to give the project a revamp. Our new kits include yarns from the Stylecraft range and we have chosen shades that almost exactly match those used in the original project.  The tension of the new yarn palette crochets up the same as the original, but we decided that the new version would not include beads so that crocheters can see what it looks like without them and have the choice of whether or not they want to add them - not everyone is a fan of bling like me!   We have created a quick video that shows the two versions of the blanket and you can find over on our Instagram feed. We have made a yarn substitution document, which also suggests alternative yarns for the discontinued yarns in the Rowan version should you wish to source yarns from their range. You can find it by following this link.  After a long absence, my crochet techniques book, The Ultimate Crochet Bible, is now back in stock. You can find it by following this link.  Following the success of her last book 'Head to Toe Crochet', my lovely friend Gurinder Kaur Hatchard has created another amazing new book called 'Hooked on Shakespeare'. With 15 projects featuring more than 30 step-by-step designs inspired by the works of William Shakespeare, this fabulous collection of creations ranges from the iconic Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet and the Ghost, and from the Three Witches from Macbeth to Bottom and Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Not forgetting the one and only Woolliam Shakespeare himself.  Each project features an introduction to the play and its characters, followed by colourful step-by-step instructions. The easy-to-make designs include fully illustrated stitch basics, perfect for beginning crocheters as well as advanced crochet enthusiasts. Why not celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio, by picking up your crochet hook and creating your very own beloved characters from the plays! You can find the book and more information on Gurinder's Instagram page by following this link.  Over the last few weeks I have been dipping in and out of sampling for the new ‘Marrakesh’ inspired version of my Persian Tiles blanket. I have decided on my palette and have chosen the colour sequences for my crochet octagons. The yarn for the project has been sent to my lovely test crocheter. It is unlikely that it will be complete before Christmas, but as soon as it is ready we will release a free yarn substitution document to guide you on making it too. If you fancy having a play around with my palette of colours and would like to see my inspiration images, then head over to my blog where you will find a post about it. CHARITY DONATION As October has been Breast Cancer awareness month we donated 20% of the list price of our patterns sold over a 48 hour period a couple of weeks ago to Cancer Research UK. Thank you to everyone who bought a pattern within that period and helped us raise a donation of £100.   I love projects that use up left overs or small amounts of yarn and I really adore adding beads to crochet stitches, so I am really excited that the pattern for the beaded pouches are available for all you eager crocheters who love stash busting projects and a bit of bling too! The pattern includes instructions for two versions, which I have called Cafe au Lait (the brown coffee one) and French Linen (the pale flax coloured version). You can choose whether or not to add lots of beads and a pretty additional flower, which I have taken from The Fruit Garden Blanket project and revamped a little.  As I am no good at sewing I have used a ready made cotton zipped pouch from The Clever Baggers (details are in the pattern) as a lining. Working around existing bags is a trick I have been using for workshop projects for the last 5 years or so and it is a great alternative for those of us unable to sew a lining - although you do need to be a tad more careful about achieving the correct tension so that everything fits together. Using a padded lining bag means that your pouch would be perfect for storing precious, more delicate items. The projects are written for Stylecraft Organic Cotton DK and use Debbie Abrahams knitting beads. Of course you can choose to use exactly the yarns I have used, or pick your own lovely palettes - I am really looking forward to what you come up with. I hope that your crochet pouch will make a great addition to your cherished bag collection just like mine has, whatever you choose to use it for. You can find the patterns available as downloads on Etsy and Ravelry and as paper copies (UK terms only for this one I'm afraid) by following this link to the Janie Crow store.    Emma had a fabulous idea and revamped my Festive Decorations pattern using a fabulous Halloween inspired palette of yarns. You’ve still got plenty of time to make a few of these as they are such quick little makes and they really will put you in the Halloween spirit! If you want to REALLY go for the full experience, why not put on a little ghosty podcast? We love 'Uncanny' from Radio 4. (Available wherever you get your podcasts and it should be free). It’s hosted by Danny Robins – he wrote the fantastically spooky play, 2.22 which is touring the UK now and is definitely one for those who like a jump scare! The podcast features normal average people recounting experiences they’ve had that they can’t explain. There’s a good dose of debunking via sceptics as well so it shouldn’t scare you too much!  Emma also has a few suggestions for some light scares from the literary world. The brilliant classic Dracula is of course a slow-burn gothic feast. The recently released film 'A Haunting in Venice' was from the original 'Hallowe’en Party' by Agatha Christie and we’d love to hear whether you think the book was better! Finally, a great collection of short ghost stories 'Ghost - 100 stories to read with the lights on' chosen by Louise Welsh and featuring probably every famous writer of this genre that you could think of - Ray Bradbury, H.P.Lovecraft, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe to name a few! This is a fantastic anthology and the cover alone would add beautifully to your Halloween décor!    Here at Janie Crow we all love the Mystical Lanterns pelmet/bunting that I first saw at Folklore Yarns in Belfast. It’s a lovely way to interpret the pattern so I have made a new technique video to show you how to add mirrors to the centre of the motifs to add some extra sparkle.     (c) William De Morgan Tudor Rose Tile It’s been fantastic to see so many of you getting along brilliantly with the newest motif from the Spirit of Flora CAL. Huge thanks to all those of you who are sharing your images on social media so that we can see them. Some of the colourways you have created are amazing and I hope that those of you who are working through the project are enjoying the journey! Just 2 more motifs to go! This Pair of Roses motif was one of the first that I designed. It’s not an easy make, but it’s good to get those little grey cells working hard every now and again, especially when you’re a crochet pro!   I really love this motif and think it manages to reflect the beauty of Evelyn De Morgan’s painting of the Goddess Flora, surrounded by flowers and vines. This motif is the first one within the project that features two flowers at opposite corners. The stems are made first, then the flowers, followed by the leaves and the frame.  As always, enormous thanks to @insidecrochet @clairemontyknits and @leannejadephotography for the beautiful photos taken at the Emery Walker house. A dream photo shoot!  Dawn Thompson recently sent us some lovely pictures of a bag she has made using my Lily Pond design as inspiration. Dawn made it for her granddaughter whose name is Lily, so not only it it lovely to look at, but it is perfectly fitting too!  Do you know that the patterns for 3 of my crochet along projects are free to download via the Stylecraft website? The Lily Pond blanket was a CAL in 2015, followed by Frida’s Flowers in 2016 and The Fruit Garden in 2020. Being able to access and download the patterns for free means that it costs you nothing except a bit of time and a few balls of stash yarn to have a go at one of my patterns. We often get people commenting that they think my designs might be beyond them in terms of skill, so the free patterns give the perfect opportunity to test out that theory! All the crochet along projects start easy and get progressively harder and will add lots of techniques and tips to your own crochet tool box.  Lucy Chaplin sent in some images of her lovely Mystical Lanterns cowl, which she made using the Highland Heather yarn shades. Isn't it lovely!  Lucy made half motifs along the top of the cowl, which has a triangular shape, with the half motifs folded down inside. You can find other projects made by Lucy on her Facebook page Loop De Loop Studio by following this link.  Crochet retreat alert! Have you heard of Stitchtopia? If not then you may wish to look them up! They create wonderful crafting holidays and retreats for crocheters (and knitters, and quilters and textile lovers of all kinds!) with Arena Travel - a company I have worked with for the last couple of decades!!!   One of their most popular retreats - The Stitchtopia Festival - is back in March 2024 and is a brilliant weekend with access to workshops from 8 different experts - including me! I shall be teaching beaded flowers and also how to achieve the perfect crochet finish. There are plenty of other workshops to choose from including knitting techniques with Anna Nikipirowicz and quilting and sewing too. It's a lovely weekend and loads of fun. You can follow this link to view the details of the weekend event, which will take place in March next year, and you can also have a look at some of the other workshop trips on offer, including a rather spectacular Knitting Traditions of Peru holiday next year! I am cutting back on workshops and events next year to make time for more design work. The remaining places on the Peru trip and those on the Stitchtopia weekend are pretty much the only dates I have on offer for next year other than the Festive Workshop I always run with Debbie Abrahams in November.  We love growing vegetables in the garden through the summer and Andy is really good at planning his little vegetable patch. We didn't harvest as much this year as last, thanks to the rain and lack of warmth this summer, but we still did reasonably well with peppers and aubergines and baby tomatoes. Towards the end of the summer a large vine started to make its way across the vegetable bed and into the grass. At first we thought it was a pumpkin vine and then decided it was courgettes, but as time went on we realised it was a butternut squash vine - something that must have self seeded from seeds placed in the compost bin at some point!  Unfortunately, because we weren't aware we had scrummy squash growing, we picked quite a few of them too early and ate them like courgettes in stir fry! We even gave a couple to an older friend believing them to be marrows because at that point they were covered in green and yellow stripes - who knew that they look like courgettes and then marrow before turning golden yellow? We now have 2 left and are really looking forward to harvesting them, especially since Emma sent me this amazing looking recipe for a really great roasted butternut squash soup that is accompanied by a fried cheese sandwich - sounds amazing right? I will take pics when I make it and will try to remember to share them here within the next month or so.  If you are looking for a tasty supper we recently tried a macaroni cheese recipe that included sweet potato and it was really delicious! Probably the yummiest mac and cheese I have ever had. You can find a similar recipe by Nigella here.   I am heading off to spend some time with my amazing daughter Summer, who is treating me to an evening pot painting session with a few glasses of bubbly thrown in! It has been ages since we spent any time together, just the two of us, so I am really looking forward to it. I haven't held a paint brush for a very long time, so the outcome of the painting (especially if there is wine involved) might not be a masterpiece, but I am sure it is going to be great fun! We don't have much else planned for the weekend, except a family lunch here on Sunday. The house is once again in need of a bit of TLC, so I imagine there will be vacuuming and dusting involved - I'm living the dream here in North London! A bit of knitting and crochet will definitely be on the cards, especially with the clocks changing on Saturday which means an extra hour in bed! Hoping you all stay well and happily hooking until next time! Janie x   Over the last few weeks I have been playing around with a new palette of colours to make my Persian Tiles blanket. the shades have been inspired by my trip to Marrakesh back in July. I absolutely loved it there and found so much inspiration for colours and designs, so I am hoping that this recolour of an old design will not be the only project to come out as a result of my trip. One of my first steps when I am creating a new colour palette or design idea is to make a Pinterest board. I love the way I can search images by topic and quickly put together a board, adding images in as I find them and moving things around until I can start to see clear inspiration. You can link to my Pinterest board by clicking on the image below:  I have chosen my yarn shades from the Stylecraft range of Special DK and and Life DK. Life DK is my preferred choice as it contains a percentage of wool which creates a nicer drape, but the shade palette is not vast, so to get the exact colour combo that I wanted I have mixed some of the pure acrylic yarns in too. I have listed the colours I have used below in case you want to have a play around with them too. I am going to send the project to one of my ace team of crocheters to make, so I don't yet know the total yarn amounts used. Once the blanket is complete we will create a free yarn substitution document for you to download from the website - this is likely to be January rather than pre Christmas, so don't hold your breath!  Yarn shade palette: Stylecraft Life DK: Caramel (2446) Cardinal (2306) French Blue (2447) Special DK: Cornish Blue (1841) Empire (1829) Gold (1709) Gingerbread (1806) Raspberry (1023) Sage (1725) Vintage Peach (1836)     I have whittled my sampling down to 3 octagon motifs that I am happy with and will probably do a blanket layout similar to my Sandalwood one, but I haven't totally dismissed doing a more random layout, with each octagon different like Lucia's Eastern Jewels version.
If you fancy having a play around with any of my choice of yarn shades, or are inspired by my palette and images to find your own, do remember to tag us on social media so that we can see what you're up to! #persiantilesblanket #janiecrow #janiecrowpattern I had a great time on the Stylecraft stand at the Knitting and Stitching show here in North London last week and it was lovely to catch up with so many of you and hear your crochet stories. It is always so wonderful to know that your crochet brings you solace and so much joy and I was really humbled by the fact that so many of you took the time to come and speak to me.   We showcased a few new colour ways and revamped versions of some existing blanket designs at the show and I will share the details of these with you over the next couple of weeks once we get the colour substitution documents sorted. It has been really great to be back at my desk this week and I have finally been able to settle down with my hook, which has been so fantastic after weeks of dipping in and out of design work. I always have a few projects on the go as I find my focus can drift if I spend too long on one thing and so I have been continuing to work on the new colour way of Persian Tiles and on sampling some beaded designs for our festive workshop in Bournemouth. I have a few things to tell you about this week including a new pattern release for some pretty 'stash busting' crochet pouches. I hope you can spare five minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow!    I am a huge lover of project bags and pouches to put all my bits and bobs in. I have countless make up bags and travel bags, all of which have specific uses and contain particular things. I am the same with my crochet and knit project bags. I have them in all shapes and sizes, some with zippers, others with buttons, some with extra pockets and some with dividers. I love the fact that I can identify my WIPs by the bags they are in, especially as I often find myself switching between ongoing projects. I love projects that use up left overs or small amounts of yarn and I really adore adding beads to crochet stitches, so I am really excited that the pattern for the beaded pouches (that we showed you a few weeks ago) are now available for all you eager crocheters who love stash busting projects and a bit of bling too! The pattern includes instructions for two versions, which I have called Cafe au Lait (the brown coffee one) and French Linen (the pale flax coloured version). You can choose whether or not to add lots of beads and a pretty additional flower, which I have taken from The Fruit Garden Blanket project and revamped a little.   As I am no good at sewing I have used a ready made cotton zipped pouch from The Clever Baggers (details are in the pattern) as a lining. Working around existing bags is a trick I have been using for workshop projects for the last 5 years or so and it is a great alternative for those of us unable to sew a lining - although you do need to be a tad more careful about achieving the correct tension so that everything fits together. Using a padded lining bag means that your pouch would be perfect for storing precious, more delicate items. The projects are written for Stylecraft Organic Cotton DK and use Debbie Abrahams knitting beads. Of course you can choose to use exactly the yarns I have used, or pick your own lovely palettes - I am really looking forward to what you come up with. I hope that your crochet pouch will make a great addition to your cherished bag collection just like mine has, whatever you choose to use it for. You can find the patterns available as downloads on Etsy and Ravelry and as paper copies (UK terms only for this one I'm afraid) by following this link to the Janie Crow store.  Don't forget that we have Janie Crow and Emma Ball calendars in stock for those of you who like to get ultra organised ahead of the new year.  Andy has forgotten to take the 'EARLY BIRD' discount offer off from the last time I mentioned them, so if you want to nab yourself a 13% discount (on Friday the 13th!) then head over to the web store and pop one in your basket - they are ready to dispatch! You can find a little reel on Instagram that shows the blankets that Emma chose to feature within the calendar and don't forget to look out for some more new Emma Ball and Janie Crow items coming soon!  A couple of weeks ago Emma asked members of the Janie Crow team to send her photos of our essential crochet kit and this is what we came up with!  Jane: "I couldn't live without my magnetic Della Q buddy case for beading and my sewing needles. Love pouches. The embroidered one was made by my friend Juliet. HAVE TO HAVE a really sharp pencil hence the sharpener and eraser. 2 pairs of scissors as tend to loose a pair every time I settle on the settee. Usually find them down the side or they fall off my lap when I stand up!"  Gemma: "This is what I take with me when I teach workshops, so I suppose these are my essentials. There are several of most things as I often end up lending bits and bobs! At home I have a similar set in my Janie Crow hook roll along with a zipped make up bag of many spare hooks in all sorts of sizes"  Sarah: "The 'post -it' notes are for marking or highlighting parts of a pattern or writing a note to myself on something like a tip that someone has mentioned. Can’t live without stitch markers- use them all the time to mark corners and the beginning of a round. Bit of yarn in case I need to demo or test something. Safety pins - you never know when they might come in handy! The Seams hand cream is perfect for soothing tired hands!"  Emma: "Am never this organised. Normally I am pulling hooks and most other things from down the sofa cushions! I can never ever find a tape measure even though I must have at least 20, so am delighted to have found one to photograph here. Scissors - usually more than one pair but again, they go missing a lot. I love the bent-ended darning needles for sewing in ends and the little bulb safety pins are fantastic as stitch markers. I scribble all over my patterns so always have a pen and the last thing I couldn't photograph was my phone as I always have an audiobook on the go while I crochet." Do you have anything in your kit of crochet essentials that none of us have? If you do we'd love to know what it is and why you can't do without it!   Now that its October we thought we'd give our Festive Crochet Decorations a Halloween make-over. It's a lot of fun to go a bit bananas with colours we'd not usually use together. Emma has thrown everything at these: beads, mirrors, alternating yarn colours, and the good news is that we have technique videos to show you how to do all of those things. This pattern is so versatile: switch the colours to match any event or holiday and they instantly fit! Also, they're a fantastic "one-hit" project for when you need a little fix but don't have a lot of time. This little collection is a work in progress. There are plans afoot to make it into a.....no, no, we'll keep that a secret and show you soon! For now, if you fancy making some of these lovelies for yourself, there is a link here to the pattern. Be warned though, they're VERY addictive! 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃 👻 🎃  Okra has a reputation for being a bit slimy and not very appealing when cooked, but this super simple recipe for Garlic Roasted Okra that Gemma tried out after coming across a bag of fresh okra in a groceries box won everyone in the family over. The pointy ends of the okra were particularly crispy and delicious!  Gemma has been trying out the 'Too Good to Go' app over the last few months, where local cafes, restaurants, shops and supermarkets offer leftover food at vastly reduced prices at the end of the day to help combat food waste. Gemma says: "Every Saturday after our swimming club we pick up a Too Good to Go box from our local Morrisons supermarket on the way home. If we're lucky there are a few bags of crisps to snack on on our way home, but we all enjoy rummaging in the box when we get back to see what's in it. It helps if you are a flexible cook and sometimes things need using up quickly, but as a result of getting the boxes we have been having more home made soups, eating lots more salad and creating some truly interesting meal variations over the week! It feels good to know that perfectly good food isn't simply going into the bin at the end of day too."  It has been a busy few weeks for yarn shows with Yarndale at the end of September and the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace last week. We love exhibiting at shows, but also really enjoy taking a wander round them as customers. Gemma has found this really useful blog post by Being Knitterly, which has been recently updated with lots of yarn show dates from now through into 2024 - definitely time to get that 2024 calendar sorted!  Like so many others we were shocked to read about the felling of the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland recently. Two women who live in a town close to the site where the tree stood felt that they needed to do something to commemorate the tree and together created a postbox topper for the town centre in Hexham. You can read more about it by clicking on the image below.   Knit For Peace are delighted to announce that they will be returning to the much-loved Green Hotel in Mysore, India in January 2024.   The Knit for Peace holiday to Mysore is the perfect way to discover India in comfortable surroundings and friendly company. Esteemed crochet and knitwear designer Carol Meldrum will lead daily crochet and knitting workshops and all skill levels are welcome. Guests will knit and crochet under a shaded pergola in the prize-winning historic gardens, with Carol on hand to teach and inspire. There is a coffee shop and home bakery on site for those who enjoy afternoon tea.   During the afternoons and on weekends, guests have the chance to shop and sightsee local temples, palaces and wildlife, and can take the opportunity to visit charitable projects supported by the Charities Advisory Trust and The Green Hotel. The Green Hotel was set up by the Charities Advisory Trust over 25 years ago as a model of sustainable tourism, and profits are distributed to charitable and environmental projects in India.    You can find more information about this wonderful trip (which I would thoroughly recommend, having been three times myself) by following this link.   We are heading away to the seaside this weekend and I am so looking forward to some time with our family. I have only seen the sea once this year and, as we haven't had a holiday away from home for longer than 3 days, I am hoping it might be a weekend of rest and recuperation. I think the weather is due to cool down over the next few days after our lovely warm start to the autumn, so I will be digging out some cosy knitwear to take with me.  I have started to make a Granny Hexagon cardigan (I am using pattern number 9965 from Stylecraft as the basis for it) and have really been enjoying the mindfulness of working repeated groups of treble crochet. I have raided my stash and have pulled out all my red and pink yarns that I have decent amounts of and will definitely be taking this project away with me. I found a lovely TikTok that shows a fabulous version made big and baggy in a similar colourway to what I am hoping to achieve - you can find it by following this link - I love this! I hope that whatever you have planned for this weekend that you will have lovely time. I will be back in your inbox in 2 weeks time with the October newsletter. If you fancy catching up with what we are up to in the mean time, be sure to take a look at the JANIE CROW Instagram feed or head over to our Facebook page. Sending yarny hugs! Janie x    A couple of weeks ago I spent 2 days on the Stylecraft stand at a trade show in Harrogate. It was really great to chat to yarn stockists and craft enthusiasts and to hear about what is going on out in the market place. Many people told me about the rise in the number of teenagers and young adults wanting to learn to crochet, which is just such a positive thing to hear! I think the prevalence of crochet in the fashion this summer has encouraged many young people to take to making things themselves and it seems that they are more than happy to create things without patterns or very much guidance, taking to Youtube and Instagram for video help - how cool is that!  I often sit and fiddle about with yarn and hook to see what I can come up with. It’s a little bit like doodling with a pencil on paper, but using some yarn and a hook instead. It’s nice to work with no real intention or vision in my head as to what the end product is going to look like. It’s purely the enjoyment of playing around and seeing what happens. I guess this links to one of our previous posts on Instagram about the process of crochet being the thing we enjoy rather than the outcome of the crochet itself and I love the fact that every now and then a yarny doodle will throw up something incredibly exciting that shouts at me to become a ‘proper’ design. It’s been a busy couple of weeks where I have found very little time to sit and crochet, but I’m hoping that will change as we head into a new week as I am itching to get back to working on my new version of Persian Tiles, which has been inspired by my trip to Marrakesh back in early July.  I love making Pinterest boards to get a feeling for a colour palette and a couple of weeks ago I made a new one based on the colours I found in Marrakesh. I had thought that I would use cream, blues and greens with a touch of gold to create a new version of #persiantilesblanket but now I’m going down a more vibrant route. I would love to know what you think.  The Persian Tiles blanket draws its inspiration from the beautiful and intricate geometric patterns found in Persian and Islamic art and architecture. These patterns often include complex motifs and vibrant colours. I have chosen a new palette to create the detailed tile-like crochet octagons, which I hope will eventually result in a visually striking version of this favourite design. I have chosen a colour palette based on the colours I saw while I was away and have referred to the distinctive palette and visual elements associated with this incredible city. Rich, earthy tones alongside bright red, blue, green and yellow are an integral part of the city’s identity and culture. They can be seen in its architecture, textiles, pottery, and overall aesthetic. This vibrant and eclectic colour scheme is a source of inspiration for many artists, designers, and travellers who visit the city. While Morocco heals itself from the recent earthquake I am holding the people of this wonderful country in my heart along with those in Libya affected by the floods. You can donate to Unicef to help children affected by both of these natural disasters by following this link.  I always find that I am at my most organised this time of year. It is almost as if the years of going back to school in September have conditioned me to sort out my paper work and stationery and I have even purchased and marked up my 2024 diary with dates for next year, so I am feeling ultra smug!  Despite being organised with a new diary, I tend to think of calendars as a Christmas thing and am invariably disappointed to find that the one I had my eye on is out of stock in the shops once Christmas is over. This year, however, I don't need to worry about picking up my new calendar in time, as Emma Ball has added a Janie Crow Crochet Blanket Calendar to her fabulous range. If you fancy being ultra organised too, we have an EARLY BIRD OFFER on the calendars which will reduce the price from £10.95 each to just £9.50. The offer runs out soon, so you might need to be quick! If you're curious about which blankets Emma chose to feature on the Calendar you can find a little reel on Instagram that shows the pages.  Here at Janie Crow we all love the Mystical Lanterns pelmet/bunting that I first saw at Folklore Yarns in Belfast. It’s a lovely way to interpret the pattern so I have made a new technique video to show you how to add mirrors to the centre of the motifs to add some extra sparkle.     Among the other lovely projects in this month's issue of Inside Crochet Magazine is part 8 of the Spirit of Flora CAL - a glorious sunflower! William De Morgan often used sunflowers in his tile designs. I love all that sunflowers symbolise; summertime, warm weather, and sunshine, and so, from the outset, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the project would include a crochet motif based on one of William’s sunflower tiles. This motif is the first one in the CAL to feature an offset flower. It is quite a complicated piece to make, but take it slow and you'll be fine! I love this block and hope you do too. It will be a particular delight to see your photos of this one, so do remember to use the #janiecrow and #spiritofflora hashtags when you post on Instagram! As always, enormous thanks to @insidecrochet @clairemontyknits and @leannejadephotography for the beautiful photos taken at the Emery Walker house. A dream photo shoot!  Crochet retreat alert! Have you heard of Stitchtopia? If not then you may wish to look them up! They create wonderful crafting holidays and retreats for crocheters (and knitters, and quilters and textile lovers of all kinds!) with Arena Travel - a company I have worked with for the last couple of decades!!!   One of their most popular retreats - The Stitchtopia Festival - is back in March 2024 and is a brilliant weekend with access to workshops from 8 different experts - including me! I shall be teaching beaded flowers and also how to achieve the perfect crochet finish. There are plenty of other workshops to choose from including knitting techniques with Anna Nikipirowicz and quilting and sewing too. It's a lovely weekend and loads of fun. You can follow this link to view the details of the weekend event, which will take place in March next year, and you can also have a look at some of the other workshop trips on offer, including a rather spectacular Knitting Traditions of Peru holiday next year! I am cutting back on workshops and events next year to make time for more design work. The remaining places on the Peru trip and those on the Stitchtopia weekend are pretty much the only dates I have on offer for next year other than the Festive Workshop I always run with Debbie Abrahams in November.  We cannot believe that Yarndale wool show has been and gone in a flash for another year! We really love Yarndale and had the best time there last weekend, despite it feeling like a crazy whirlwind! We were completely wiped out for a couple of days earlier on this week after driving home and unpacking, but we are back up to speed now and can focus on all the positive experiences the show brought.   I was so pleased to be able to chat to lots of you about the positive effects of crochet and craft as a whole and it was really lovely to hear your stories about how crochet has helped you and how pleased you are with projects you have made - honestly it was so humbling to be able to catch up with so many of you and I am already looking forward to doing it all again in 2024!  Huge thanks too to my amazing team, Andy, Paul and Sarah, who did an incredible job and make me very proud! Take a closer look at Paul's tank top for a clue to a pattern that could be coming along soon!  Our son, Charlie has been away on holiday for the last couple of weeks and as he really dislikes cauliflower we had intended to eat it at every meal while he was away as Andy and I both LOVE it! In reality we have only managed it a couple of times, making roast cauliflower with garlic and fennel in the oven last Sunday and Creamy Cauliflower Korma by the Happy Foodie one mid week evening.   I have a feeling I have shared the recipe for the korma before, but as it is one of my favourite veggie recipes I thought I would feature it again along with a link to the Sag Aloo Shepherds Pie recipe from One Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones. Both of these recipes are delicious and the Shepherds Pie would be particularly good on a chilly autumn evening.   We are home for the first weekend for a while and are looking forward to some time with friends and family. The weather has most definitely turned more autumnal this week so there are some leaves to clear up in the garden and some tidying to do. I have started to pick the pears from the tree as I was concerned that storm Agnes might knock them off so they are looking good piled up in the kitchen ripening! Next week I will be on the Stylecraft stand at The Knitting and Stitching Show here in North London, so do come along and say hello if you are visiting. The stand will be in the main hall by the theatre. Hoping you all stay well and happily hooking until next time Janie x  |
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AuthorWelcome to my blog. Here you will find my email newsletter archive alongside any other general musings or information about events or new pattern releases that I wish to share with you! Archives
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