Quick Catch Up with Janie Crow

Hurrah! We have very nearly made it through January and to celebrate here we are with a little bit of Janie Crow chat!
 
I have been feeling very motivated to crochet lately (which is a bit of a relief if I am honest) and have been dipping in and out of a few projects. With deadlines still a way off on a couple of projects I am finding that this is a nice time to be working a little ‘under the radar’. I like January for that reason - it always feels like most people are not quite on top of their game after the Christmas holidays and that big deadlines tend to be best left for February, or even March!  
 
Gemma has been busy collating some lovely images of Temperature Blankets, which you can find in today's email and she has also found a couple of other great things to mention, including crocheted oysters and a yummy recipe (don't get the two muddled up!), so I hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up with all things Janie Crow!

Thank you for the fabulous response to my new design Majorelle, which we launched last week. The kits sold out in a very short space of time, so we are hoping to sort some more very soon. Unfortunately we are currently unable to get enough beads as the Indigo shade is sold out, but as soon as they are back in stock with Debbie we will be sure to get kit building. For those of you who pre-paid for a kit, we are hoping to get these posted out mid February. ​

I love seeing alternative colour ways of my designs, so perhaps our lack of kit stock will mean that more of you are tempted to create your own versions of this design. You can find the paper patterns in UK and US terms here and download versions on Etsy and Ravelry.
 
I am currently working on a blanket version of this project using an alternative colour palette, so I am looking forward to being able to show you that soon! 

​This time of year is when many of us start to think about holidays. The thought or warmer weather and a bit of a break really kicks in by the end of January when it is so dull and dismal here in the UK. 
 
I am really looking forward to all the workshop trips I have in my diary for this year, but as they are all fully booked I have already started to discuss trips for 2027. It seems a bit crazy to be planning so far ahead, but with time flying by so incredibly fast, I am sure it will feel like the next year will pass as quickly as all the others! 
 
With lots of ideas for new designs and my wish to continue teaching a few residential workshops I am trying not to over think the speed at which time goes past, but it is always good to have things to look forward to in the future. I read a book once called ‘Live Life in Crescendo’ and it was all about how positive it is to always be making new plans, so here we go:
 
I will be returning to Mysore, India with Knit For Peace, this time next year (mid to late January 2027), to tutor a knit and crochet workshop based at the amazing Green Hotel. Dates and prices are not fixed yet and further information is not available, but if you have ever fancied a workshop trip to India and like the idea of supporting a great charity at the same time, then you might want to keep this in mind. I will give you more info as soon as I have it.

I will also be tutoring on a Northern Lights yarn cruise with Sitchtopia in December 2027. This trip is now live and ready to book on their website. You can find more information by following this link. 
 
There are quite a few dates to choose from on this trip, including a knit holiday with Aleks Byrd in 2027, which I am sure will be fabulous! There are also still spaces on the trips that go this year, one is tutored by Lucy of Attic 24 and another by Julie Dubreux. If you want to come on the crochet one with me, the departure date is December 12th 2027!

Over the last year, we have been working with the lovely team at Wool Warehouse to produce yarn kits using some of their fabulous Yarnsmiths yarn. Creating projects using their Superwash DK has been a joy for me as their colour palettes are so huge and I am able to perfectly match colours used in my original designs. 
 
The latest addition to the collaboration between us here at Janie Crow and Yarnsmiths is the original Persian Tile blanket in navy, orange and red. You can find the kits by clicking on the image above or here.

This month we are focusing on the Temperature Blanket project. It's very hard to believe that it was over a year ago that we embarked on something slightly new and unusual for Janie Crow. 
 
Twelve months later and we have been so happy to see some beautiful finished temperature blankets appearing on social media. Gemma is currently hiding as she hasn't got around to sewing her ends in yet and therefore hasn't started work on the border, despite finishing and joining all her squares. Gemma says she is hoping to turn her mind to it in February and promises to keep you posted!
 
In the photos below, from top to bottom you can see blankets made by:
Scarlett Reynolds
Fiona Dobson
Melinda Hall
Terri Hayes (Kansas, USA)
Ruth French (Scottish Highlands)
 
We know there are more out there, so thank you to everyone who has been sharing photos of their completed blankets. We will put together a blog post with more of your photos in the coming weeks. 

For this month's book review Gemma chose ‘A Crochet Year’ by ​Zoë Curtis and really enjoyed it. This book is hot off the press, published this month by Quadrille, and features homewares, garments and accessories, all linked to the four seasons of the year. You can read Gemma's full review here.

Have you ever considered adopting an oyster? No, us neither, but now that we have seen these crochet versions, produced to support the Wild Oysters Project, we think we need to have a couple!  
 
The North East & Cumbria branch of the UK charity, Groundwork, are asking people to adopt a crocheted oyster as a way of supporting the Wild Oysters Project, which is aiming to restore native oysters to the north-east England coastline. 
 
There has been a decline of more than 95% in native oyster numbers across the UK since the 1800s and it is important that we don't loose them completely as they are a valuable inhabitant of our coastlines. Oysters are natural water filters, and can clean up to 200 litres of water a day - that's equivalent to a bathtub full! An abundance of oysters will not only clean the water and prevent algal blooms, but their reefs also provide a home in which other marine life can thrive.

​You can join the waiting list to be in with a chance of having one of the four thousand oysters currently being crocheted by the nation's fabulous volunteers by following this link, where you will also find more information about the project.

​Since the start of the new year, Gemma has been making a concerted effort to add a bit more variety to her diet. She believes that it's very easy to get stuck in a rut of eating the same half-dozen favourite dishes time and again, and I agree, so for this month's recipe Gemma is recommending something she hasn't made before - Kimchi Bubble & Squeak Cakes, served with fried eggs. 
 
In case you don't know already, Kimchi is a Korean fermented vegetable dish, most commonly made with cabbage in the West. It does have quite a kick, as it is full of garlic and chilli, so it really livens up the bubble & squeak and, as it is also a fermented food, it is really good for your tummy! So it's a win win! You can find a recipe on the Olive website here. 

​We are heading to Hove to visit some friends today and I am really looking forward to seeing the sea, despite the weather forecast for endless rain! There is something about the pull of the ocean isn't there? I think we all feel it. Of course I am really looking forward to spending time with friends too, especially as we all go way back to our secondary school days, but they have mentioned the idea of having a dip in the sea while we are there - something I am definitely planning to avoid despite my love for it! 
 
As I said in my introduction, I have been doing a lot of crochet this week so I am going to give my hands a bit of a rest, so will resist the allure of my hook for a few days over the weekend. I find I can only crochet for a couple of hours a day otherwise my hands get incredibly sore and clunky. Thankfully there are always lots of other jobs to do besides crochet! 
 
As we take our first steps into February in a couple of days time, I hope this email has found you healthy, happy, safe and warm. 
 
Until next time….