Quick catch up with Janie Crow

I hope this email finds you all well and that you are looking forward to your weekend. It has been a busy week here, with quite a few exciting things finally coming to life! You can find more information about a new kit and a few other newbies below, so I hope you have a few minutes to spare for a quick catch up!

I am really excited to tell you that from the end of next week we hope to have kits in stock for my Sandalwood version of Persian Tiles, which until now has only been available via Mary Maxim in the US and Canada. I am incredibly grateful that we have been allowed to stock this kit exclusively in the UK and am especially pleased with the lovely images that photographer Leanne Jade and stylist Claire Montgomerie created with the blanket on our shoot a few weeks ago.

So long as all goes to plan we should have kits in stock towards the end of next week. The yarn is on its way from the US as I type and the kits will include 13x 100g balls. We do not have a price for the kit yet as we are waiting to find out what export charges we will be given. We will only have a limited number of these kits as the first batch is a bit of a test to see what demand is like and to see how the process of ordering at trade from the US goes for us.

We will not be putting the kits on sale on a pre-order basis, or operating a waiting list, so it will definitely be a case of first come first served in regards to getting your hands on one of these kits once the stock goes live. Please note that the colour chart for this version of the blanket is not available separately to the kit, so please don't email asking for it. More information about the kit will be on the website next week, so do keep an eye out if you're interested.

I am really honoured to have been nominated in the Iconic Crochet Designer category of this year's Knit & Crochet awards. It goes without saying that I would love it if you would vote for me. You can find the Let's Knit website here and you can click on the different categories to find out more and to vote.
 
Last weekend we posted a few polls on Instagram to try to find out what kind of smaller crochet projects you would like to see me design. Bags came out as a clear favourite, as did rectangular wraps and cushion covers. This week I have started to look at colour palettes for these new projects and I am looking forward to getting stuck into the designs soon. The likelihood is that these new projects will not be available until next year as I am working with Stylecraft to create something really special, so I am afraid there will be a bit of a wait. I will try and keep you in the loop in regards to the design process in the mean time. I am going to post a few images about colour palettes on Instagram today that you might be interested in.

I am currently working on a new project that will feature in Inside Crochet Magazine next year. I am REALLY excited about this new design and have thoroughly enjoyed the process so far. Again - I will try to post some sneaky peeks from time to time so that you can keep track of what I am up to! ​

Our most popular post over on the Facebook group this month was a cover photo change to this beautiful image of the Imogen blanket:

Imogen is a smaller, kind of cot size blanket, which was inspired by traditional Victorian crochet designs. It is made in pure cotton yarn so it makes a lovely project for the summer months.

We came across this inspiring article about a Facebook group called Knit for a unique fit! What a fantastic service they are providing for individuals with limb differences. The Facebook group was started in October 2020 by Rena Rosen, a Chicago teacher born with craniofacial differences. A friend whose daughter was born with Apert syndrome (which can cause unique bone structure or webbing of the hands) was looking for someone to create gloves that fit the girl’s hands just like her sister’s did. We're wondering if a similar group or organisation exists in the UK?

It has never occurred to us that there might be disadvantages to the crafts of knitting or crochet, but this article actually makes an interesting comparison between the two and sites pros and cons of each craft. We know from our recent questions about 'What Does Crochet Mean To You?' that crochet creates many positives for you, but I wonder if you can think of any cons. I find that I can only crochet for a few hours at a time as I get a really achy neck if I am hunched over my hooks for too long. I am not a big TV viewer, which is a good job as I find it almost impossible to crochet and watch TV at the same time, so I prefer to knit on the sofa in front of a good movie! I find knitting a bit of a chore though when there are lots of stitches on the needles and it gets heavy.

I have to disagree with the comment that you can only crochet a few projects compared to knitting - I think my bag(s) of WIPS prove this not to be the case! We would love to know what you think...

ink turnips have been a regular in Gemma's veg box over recent weeks. Not being a huge lover of such things, but determined not to let them go to waste she tried this recipe for turnip gratin from the BBC Good Food website. Apparently it was delicious but very rich and definitely benefitted from a longer cooking time than the recipe suggested. It looks yummy doesn't it!

I have been busy baking this week as we are hosting an 80th birthday party for my father-in-law tomorrow. I have made my 3 favourite cakes - Chocolate Fudge (I double this recipe and cook it in 3 x 20cm tins), Carrot Cake (I cook this at 170 degrees (fan) not 160 as suggested) and Mary Berry's Victoria Sponge (I add another egg to this recipe and put whipped cream and fresh strawberries in the middle and on top). I could really do with expanding my cake repertoire, but I know these 3 work so well. I have put links in for the recipes I use in case you fancy having a go - the Victoria sponge is a game changer as it is so quick and easy. No faffing involved, but you need an electric whisk, which is a total game changer when it comes to cakes!

I am really looking forward to the weekend as we will be seeing the family tomorrow for the party, some of whom we haven't spent time with for quite for a while. Marina has been busy making lots of Julie's bunting for me to decorate the garden with, so I am hoping the weather will be good - it is a little chillier here today than it has been recently. ​

That's it from me for another week. Do join us on Instagram over the weekend as we have a few more things planned for our stories - we love picking your brains! I will see you back here in 2 weeks time when I will hit your inbox with the August Newsletter - I can't believe I just wrote 'August', the time is flying by! Yarny love...

​Janie x