Quick Catch Up with Janie!

Janie's Quick Update
 

Boy is it hot here in North London! Not that I am complaining as I love it warm, but the heat does make it a bit tough when you've got stuff to do. Andy and I have been busy building kits this morning, which is a body warming task at the best of times, but today we are very thankful to be able to head home for a shower and some time in the shade of garden later on! I hope that wherever you are you are managing to keep safe and well and that, for those of you in the UK anyway, you are able to keep cool too!

I was chatting on the phone last night to the wonderful Dedri from Look At What I Made and she was telling me that she and her boys have been enjoying the delights of a large paddling pool in the garden and it made me think about getting one. We have a toy shop on the local High Street, so I am tempted to pop in and see what they have - its has been many years since we had a paddling pool in the garden, so that could be fun! 

Dedri was also telling me about the recent competition she ran to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of her iconic Sophie's Universe blanket design. You can find more information about it on Dedri's blog here and by clicking on the images below.
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The competition has now finished, but you can find some great ideas on how to decorate and embellish the special Tote Bags on Dedri's site and by using this hashtag on Instagram.

I have a couple of other things to tell you about this week, so if you have 5 minutes to spare, why not put your feet up and take a read though my quick catch up.....
 

Climbing Rose Wrap

The pattern for my Climbing Rose Wrap is now available as a paper brochure version via the Janie Crow web site, or as a download version via Ravelry and Etsy*.
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The project has previously been published as a crochet along (CAL) in Inside Crochet Magazine and you can find a very busy and inspirational dedicated Facebook Group for the project by following this link or by clicking on the image above.
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​As you know, I have always been a fan of the work of the Arts and Crafts Movement and, having worked in a home decorating store part time as a student, I am very familiar with William Morris’s wallpaper designs in particular. I started off thinking that my design inspiration would be Morris’s very well known design ‘The Strawberry Thief’, which is one of my favourites, but I was concerned about how I could produce the idea of strawberries and birds in crochet and so I was relieved and inspired further when I came across another design based on those of William Morris called 'Molly Blue', which not only had the floral elements I was looking for, but also totally summed up the colour palette I wanted to use.
 

​Some of my designs have taken me months to design and make, whilst others, have been quite quick. T
the design for the Climbing Rose Wrap was a really speedy one once I set to crocheting and I really enjoyed interpreting elements of Morris’s fabric design in my crochet. The flowers within the original design are not easy to identify exactly, so I looked at traditional Victorian garden flowers and used these as the basis for my motifs, hence the fact that they are called Day Lily, Rambling Rose and Anemone.

You can find yarn kits for the project on Janie Crow or Just Knots. The yarn kits on Janie Crow are £44.50 and include the pattern. On Just Knots there are kits available either with or without the pattern in case you already have the magazines. Kits without the patterns are £39.50.

The information in my last email in regards to the price of the kits was incorrect - please note that the patterns will not be included within yarn kits for free. 

Unfortunately we have already had to substitute one of the shades used in the original project as kit is out of stock at Stylecraft. Any kits ordered before yesterday will include a 50g ball of Batik Rose, as in the original pattern, but newer packs will include a 100g ball of Life DK Rose instead. We feel the colour substitution is incredibly close and the price of the kit will remain the same.
 
Images with thanks to Inside Crochet Magazine & Leanne Dixon.

* Please note that patterns on Etsy are subject to VAT, so the price is higher than on Ravelry. We have alerted Etsy to the fact that UK downloads should no longer be subject to VAT, but have not yet heard back from them.

The Final Part - Fruit Garden CAL

​I am finding it hard to believe that this week has seen the publication of the last set of patterns for The Fruit Garden CAL. It has been an amazing journey over the last few months and, at a time when we have all struggled with the adverse effects that lockdown has had on our lives, it has been fabulous for me to have a project that provides a purpose. Doing the fortnightly videos and newsletters has kept me (pretty much) this side of same and I know that many of you have felt the same way about picking up your crochet and working through the project.

As the weather is warm it is not ideal timing to be sitting with a big blanket on your lap adding the final border, but I have seen lots of completed blankets popping up on social media this week, so I know that many of you have been busy finishing the blanket despite the heat! 

As you may already know, we are going to be launching the project again in the Autumn. This decision was made because many people struggled to get yarn kits in time for the first launch back in April. We had previously thought that the re-release of the project would happen in September, but with the world experiencing a global shortage of yarn due to restrictions on production and a huge surge in sales, we now think we will launch again in October. This means there is plenty of time to get ready and I am really looking forward to showing you the new colour way of the blanket project very soon. 

I have designed 2 cushion cover projects to accompany the new release too. The covers feature motifs from the project and will be a good stash busting project, so keep your eyes peeled for more information about these.

You can find the patterns for Set 8 of the Fruit Garden CAL by following this link and my accompanying YouTube video is here.
 

It's Nearly The Weekend!

​We have a quiet-ish weekend ahead and I am hoping to find some time to sit and crochet as I have bit of a deadline looming within the next couple of weeks.  

​​I hope that wherever you are and whatever you have planned for today you stay safe and keep well...