Quick Catch Up with Janie Crow

So here we are, finally at the end of February and very much looking forward to what March has in store, especially as, in theory anyway, that should be longer days and a little more sunshine. I have to admit that the last week or so, where we have been tantalised with some higher temperatures, has made me long for the spring even more than before.
 
It has been a busy couple of weeks here at Janie Crow as usual and I have been working on the new CAL design as well as getting projects ready for some of this year's workshops - something that always takes far longer than I expect it to! 
 
I hope you have a few spare minutes to catch up with our news…

We have a healthy stock of kits at the moment such as the King Cole version of my Climbing Rose Wrap project that uses some natural fibres instead of pure acrylic. You can see in the images above how closely I have managed to match the yarn shades and I love the little nepp in the light pink King Cole yarns and the haze around the green. It really gives the project a luxury feel.
 
When reworking the project using yarns from the King Cole range, we also made a version using Yarnsmiths from Wool Warehouse. You can find that kit, as well as other projects that we have made using their Superwash Wool DK, by following this link.

I designed the Majorelle cushion and project pouch for last year's workshop trip to Morocco with Stitchtopia. The design was inspired by the giant cacti found in the exotic Jardins Majorelle, which once belonged to Yves Saint Laurent and are now an essential visit when in Marrakesh.
 
My project uses the fabulous little 25g balls of Rico Ricorumi 100% cotton yarn, which is just perfect for smaller projects. I have used ten shades of yarn and some fabulously colourful beads from the Debbie Abrahams range to add a decorative touch to the designs.
 
Thankfully, after a short delay caused by a series of unfortunate events, we have now been able to dispatch all the kits that were pre-ordered when we released this design back in January. Those of you who have not received your kits yet should get notification of dispatch today as all pre-ordered kits have now left us - finally! 
 
We have put another order in for yarn for the kits with Rico, but still have an issue with the stock of one or two shades, so we have decided to hold off releasing the kits again until we are one hundred percent sure that the order will arrive with us intact! We are so sorry for the wait that some of you have had and wish we could have better news in regard to new kits, but there we go, in the whole scheme of things it's not the end of the world and we would rather be in control of the situation than have stock waiting around for just one shade again.
 
We have already seen quite a few versions of the project made by people using yarns from their stash (you can find some of these lower down this email) and you can source the yarn and beads individually from other retailers, so if you fancy having a go at making Majorelle you can find the patterns in UK and US terms as paper copies via our shop and as downloads via Etsy and Ravelry. 

I am really excited to have been invited back to The Green Hotel in Mysore, India to tutor my fifth residential workshop with Knit For Peace.
 
The holiday will run from 22nd January through to February 4th/5th 2027. More information about the trip will be available soon, but if you want to be among the first to register your interest in joining me, you can do so by contacting the charity via this link. 
 
You can find more images taken on previous trips to Mysore with Knit For Peace on the Janie Crow Lifestyle instagram feed. 

The Stitch Festival will take place at London's Business Design Centre in March. We have secured a discount code that will enable you to get £2 off the price of standard admission tickets on each day of the show except Saturday. The offer code is JANIECROW26 and it is valid until 8th March. We won't be exhibiting at the show this year, but Sarah and I are going to visit on Saturday 21st. If you want to find more information about the show click here. 
 
My amazing friend and fellow designer, Jeanette Sloan will be exhibiting at the show and we just can't wait to see all of her fabulous beaded knitted projects from her new book in the flesh. 
 
You can find the book, Beaded Colourwork, published by Laine and featuring the most beautiful model and glorious photography, available to purchase on Jeanette's website here. If you are planning to go to the Stitch Festival then you can order the book through Jeanette's website and pick it up at the show if you wish.

There are now only two spaces left on my Northern Lights Yarn Cruise in December 2027. I know it is an age away, but it is always good to have something in the diary to look forward to, so if you want to nab one of the last places, head over the Stitchtopia site here for more information. 
 
There are four holidays to choose from, each with a different tutor, including Lucy of Attic 24 and Aleks Byrd. If you want to come on the trip with me the departure date is 12th December 2027.

​In the next instalment of my seasonal journal, in the upcoming issue 187 of Inside Crochet magazine, I share tips on different ways of adding new yarn or changing colour as well as my thoughts on why ‘blanket stack’ images are so appealing. 
 
If you haven't had a look at the Inside Crochet website recently I recommend you do so as it has had a lovely revamp. As well as general information about the magazine and subscription options, there is also a great pattern search facility for each issue of the magazine so that you can see the designs that feature in each publication, whether it is a current one or a back copy.

We have been thrilled to see some of your Majorelle projects popping up over on Facebook. Here are some images that have been shared in the Janie Crow Crochet Help Group. Thank you, from top to bottom, to Di Hinton, Catherine Moores, Karen Langdon and Ellen Preston, for sharing their fabulous work. 

Gemma has taken a small break from her book review blog this month but for next month has chosen Rachele Carmona's new book ‘Crochet Modular Blankets’. Rachele is an incredibly talented crochet designer and you may be more familiar with the Cypress Textiles name she works under. We'll look forward to taking a peek inside the book with Gemma in March and if you want to find out a bit more about Rachele and her work do take a look at her website here.

Andy came across a short on YouTube called ‘Crochet (The Musical)’ by Wilma Westernberg and it will strike a chord with anyone who, while minding their own business crocheting, has been asked ‘What are you knitting? ​

Wilma is a blogger and crochet designer from the Netherlands, who has been crocheting since 2014 (and hasn't put the hook down since apparently!) There are more fun songs on her YouTube channel, several of them crochet and craft related, so if you feel in need of some light entertainment do take a look! ​

Do you find that February is the month when you start to long for the brighter, warmer days of spring and struggle a little more with the cold? It's definitely a month for comfort food and we think a delicious veggie lasagne fits that bill perfectly! With a side salad or some lovely bright green veg it's a meal that always goes down well. 
 
Gemma says that she thinks Lasagna is a bit like a food stash-buster in that the selection of veg can be altered depending on what you have in your fridge and you can always bulk it out with lentils if vegetable stocks are running low! This recipe on the BBC Food website is a great starting point if you haven't made a vegetable lasagne before and Jane recommends this one from Cook if you fancy something a bit more fancy! You can always roast the vegetables in advance when you have something else in the oven to save time and money! 

I have to admit that I have found it hard to feel motivated the last couple of days, especially on the crochet front and have wasted quite a lot of time faffing around, which in turn has made me feel even more fed up! It's been a silly cycle of negativity that I am putting down to the need for a break and a little too much over thinking in relation to some of the things that have happened lately. It's natural that we all hit a bit of a bump from time to time and I am determined to get myself out of it by the time we head into the weekend, especially as Sunday will herald the start of another new month! 
 
We are looking forward to dinner with an old friend tonight and are heading into Covent Garden to eat at Sagar, one of our favourite places. If you're a fan of dosas and true Indian cuisine then I really recommend this chain of small restaurants. You can find them here.
 
We are hoping for a dry weekend as we want to get into the garden. Andy has already started a new building project in the shape of an extension to the patio by the summer house. The spot that gets the most sun in the summer time has been a large plant bed up until now, but we decided it would be a great place to sit in the evenings to catch the last rays, so it is getting a revamp this year. It has been incredibly muddy, but the uprights for the gazebo that will sit over the patio are in place, so there is now more digging to do to get the footings of the walls in. If I think of it I will post some images on the Janie Crow Lifestyle Instagram page.
 
I recently had a bit of a clear up on Instagram in the hope of seeing accounts that I really like rather than having endless rubbish coming up on my feed. Going through the accounts I follow and giving them a few new likes has already made it a nicer platform to look at and I have been less prone to doom scrolling - which has to be a good thing. 
 
I have resisted clicking through to adverts and sponsored posts, but I did see one that took me to a really cool designer who makes items out of old knitting needles. I particularly like the customisable cuffs and thought you might like this store too - so take a look here if you fancy the sound of it! 
 
I think that is it from us for now - we will be back with more news in a fortnight's time with the March Newsletter. As usual, big thanks to Gemma for compiling many of the features in the week's Quick Catch Up and to you for reading it to the end and signing up in the first place! I hope that wherever you are and whatever you have planned for the next few days, that you are doing ok!