Quick Catch Up with Janie Crow

I haven't been very well this week and finally succumbed to the lurgy that has been busy infecting (what feels like) the whole of North London since Christmas! I don't feel completely awful, but I have lost my voice at times, which a few people around here probably count as a blessing! 
 
Thankfully we have seen the sun a little more often as we finally head into the spring. The daffodils are in flower in the garden and the tulips are getting ready to burst into bloom. I just love it when the plants, shrubs and bulbs starts to perk up at this time of year and we finally get rewarded for making it through the winter by a garden full of colour! 
 
As usual, we have been busy here at Janie Crow over the last couple of weeks, so I have a few things to tell you about. I hope you have a bit of spare time to catch up with all things JANIE CROW! 

Traditionally I have aimed my crochet designs at the intermediate to advanced skill level, but we still get lots of beginners launching themselves into my projects because their love of the design is enough to spur them on through the learning process. We know, however, that not everyone is confident enough to embark on a big project, especially if they consider themselves to have a relatively low skill level.
 
So, as a result of the large number of comments and requests for simpler designs that we receive, we have decided that it was time that we create some more free resources for absolute beginners. Yay!
 
We will be starting with how to make a Granny Square - a rite of passage for all crocheters. Our Zero to Granny course will be free to access and will include videos and downloads, which we hope to have ready for release in a few weeks time. 
 
We are very excited about this project and hope that it will encourage even more newbies to jump on board and give the wonderful craft of crochet a try. If you are interested in learning, know someone else who might be, or simply want to check that you are working in the right way, keep an eye on our social media channels for more information…..

We have had a bit of a run on kit sales and have sold out of all the CAL yarn packs, but we hope to have lots of items back very soon. We still have stock of all the kits shown below and we now have kits for the Mystical Lanterns blanket in the original colourway and in the Avice version, which is made using Stylecraft Special DK. You can find more information and purchase kits by clicking on the images below.
 
If you are looking to make a blanket using natural fibres, we have the West Yorkshire Spinner's version of Persian Tiles in the original colourway back in stock. The blanket is made using Colour Lab DK, which is a 100% British Wool yarn. You can find the kits by following this link or by clicking on the image of the blanket a little lower down.

Some of you may remember that Andy used to run a company called Just Knots, which was a part of Janie Crow that specialised in knitting needles, crochet hooks and accessories. We always did well with the accessories, especially at shows, but when we moved back to working from home we decided to stop selling the additional items in order to concentrate on patterns, yarn packs and kits.
 
We still replenish our crochet hook stock for workshops and events, but we no longer sell knitting needles, so Andy has decided to sell them at a discounted price over on Ebay. Some of the items say CLEARANCE in the description, others don't due to lack of space within the Ebay system. All prices are discounted compared to RRP and include the postage cost. You can find the Just Knots store by following this link.
 
Clearance items currently includes Knit Pro Symfonie, Nova and Zing and there are also some lovely Lykke wooden needles on there too. Andy is adding to the store continuously, so if you don't see what you need this time, keep checking in case it appears in the future! 

Emma has been busy over on Instagram and has made some really nice posts over the last couple of weeks, including a real beauty on Wednesday, where she focused on celestial crochet projects, including my beaded Halley Pouch pattern. You can find a link to Instagram here and a link to the Halley project (shown below) here.

Andy has put some new Emma Ball bundles together and you can find them on the website now by following this link. The items included work out cheaper when purchased in bundles than singularly, and we have a couple of new items (mostly tins) in stock now too.

I know we are barely into 2025, but if you are already thinking about what events you might like to be a part of next year, then you might be interested to know that Stitchtopia have just launched the details of their residential Festival in March 2026.
 
I won't be tutoring next year, but will be at the event on the Saturday with a pop up shop and I will be giving an evening presentation too, so it would be great to see you there! 
 
There are lots of workshops to choose from and the list of these will go live within the next couple of weeks. You can reserve your place, and get first pick of the workshops, by paying a £50 deposit. 
 
The website currently says that this is a Patchwork and Quilting event, but I can confirm that this is a typo and that the event is also open to yarn lovers too, with workshops by eight fabulous tutors, including Emma Leith, Frederica Patmore and Anna Nikipirowicz.

It is nearly Oscar time again, so Emma came up with the bright idea of launching a competition to see who can come up with the best recreation of one of the images of Justin Bieber wearing a version of the Persian Tiles blanket to an after party event in 2023. You can find more information about the competition by following this link to our Instagram feed. 

Gemma has been busy perusing crochet books over the last couple of months and you can find her reviews of them over on the blog.
 
This month she has found a really pretty book, called 'Adorable Desserts to Crochet' to focus on. The book is by Marie Clesse and it features lots of sweet (!) designs for you to get your hook into. Gemma had a go at making a really scrummy looking macaroon. 
 
If you like the look of the book and want your own copy, you can get a 20% discount and free postage by using the code DD88 at check out on the Search Press website here. 

​Jenny Demkin sent us an image of her Spirit of Flora project this week. She used the Leaf Trellis, Tudor Rose and the free Floral Plain Motif to make her lovely blanket shown below. Jenny used the Floral Tile edging pattern as her border, which is also a free pattern that you can find on the Janie Crow website here.
 
I really love the simplicity of Jenny's project and I adore how just a couple of the motifs from the Spirit of Flora collection can be combined to make a really stunning project! 

Becci (Riverknits) and Sharon (Dragon Hill Studio) are getting together to put on a series of knitting and crochet classes. They met when both exhibiting at a yarn show and soon discovered a shared love of folk music. When they're not spending time knitting or crocheting, you can find them catching up to play tunes!
 
Becci is an experienced knitter and crocheter with a love of wool. In her job as a yarn dyer and co-owner of RiverKnits, she designs knitting patterns with a focus on colourwork and good fit. She has been teaching fellow crafters how to dye yarn for several years now, some of whom have gone on to start their own yarn dyeing businesses.
 
Sharon is a freelance technical editor, yarn dyer, designer and experienced tutor. She has had several patterns published in both Knit Now and Crochet Now magazines. Specialising in crochet, she particularly enjoys teaching and passing on her love of the craft.
Classes will be held at the RiverKnits studio, in Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire.

Both the Beginner Crochet Class and Beginner Knitting Class are a comprehensive 2-day course, comprising 12 hours total teaching time. Day 2 follows a week after Day 1, giving you chance to practise and solidify your progress in between classes. Because we will have two tutors at all times, the teaching will be flexible, and you are encouraged to work at your own pace.
 
The first classes are happening on March 20th (crochet) & 21st (knitting) and there are also dates available in May. Please visit the Riverknits website for more information and to book.

We won't be exhibiting at The Stitch Festival at the Business Design Centre in London in March as it will collide with our son's 30th Birthday celebrations, however, we are able to offer you a discount code that will give you £2 off the standard adult/concessions ticket price. The code to use at checkout is as follows: 
 
JANIECROW25 
 
The code expires at midnight (or there abouts) on the 6th of March and is not valid on afternoon or Sunday ticket sales.

My first workshop trip of the year will be the Stitchtopia trip to the Swiss Yarn Festival in early April, which I have realised this week, is not actually all that long away, and so, with just over four weeks left, I have started designing the project that participants will work on while we are away.
 
The concept of the design has been in my mind for ages and I have been looking at traditional Swiss chocolate box designs as the inspiration for the colours and theme of my project. You can find my mood board for the design over on Pinterest if you fancy taking a look!

There are still a few places on the trip to Zurich, where we will visit the yarn show and tour the city. We will also be visiting the Lindt factory, so if you are a chocolate and yarn fan this might sound like a perfect trip!
 
You can find more information about the workshop by following this link.

I caught up with my cousin Amy last weekend and (of course) the conversation inevitably turned to the subject of cake and she swears that this recipe from the Hummingbird Cafe, is the best carrot cake ever!
 
The online reviews appear to agree, so I am definitely going to give this scrummy looking cake a try. The Ocado site that features the recipe has the cake and the frosting listed separately. You can find the cake recipe here, and the frosting here. Both recipes are printable.
 
If you beat me to it and manage to make the cake over the next few weeks, do get in touch and let me know if Amy is right about it being the best carrot cake ever! 

We got a fabulous surprise a few weeks ago when our daughter Summer and her husband Chris presented us with the new addition to our family - Stoick the puppy! He is named after Hiccup's Dad, Stoick the Vast from How To Train Your Dragon. 
 
Look at that lovely face! We are so in love already and are looking forward to two days of puppy sitting next week! You can keep track of Stoick by following his Instagram account, which you can find here.

We have a busy weekend lined up with some of the family coming over to join us for some cocktails on Saturday evening. Weekly Margaritas became a habit during lockdown and we still try to enjoy a couple of drinks on a Saturday evening when we are home at the weekend, which is not all that often lately. Andy has been busy perfecting Espresso Martinis lately, so I am sure they will be on the menu too! 
 
We have some friends coming for lunch on Sunday so I am hoping the weather will be nice enough to enjoy a local walk. It has been so good to get out and about recently, so fingers crossed that can continue! 
 
Gemma has been taking a bit of a break over the last month or so, but she will be back to help me with the next Quick Catch Up in March, so don't worry if you are missing seeing her Bohemian Blooms Diary, or hearing her words from the web. Usual service is set to resume soon! 
 
Hoping you have a fabulously yarny weekend!