Quick Catch Up

Once again we have had a pretty bonkers couple of weeks here at Janie Crow and so I have a few things to tell you about this week. I have to admit I am really looking forward to a little bit of calm and serenity over the next couple of days as it has been so busy with us, but I always think that being busy is better than not being busy enough, so we are heading into our weekend full of positivity - despite the awful spring weather we are having!

I hope that wherever you are and whatever plans you have for the next few days, that you have a few minutes to spare to catch up with all things Janie Crow

We had a great time hosting the Knitting & Crochet Lounge at The Stitch Festival last Thursday and Friday, with lots of visitors joining us in the lounge to take the weight of their feet and make a small crochet flower which they could then attach to a Janie Crow keyring to take away with them as a memento. If you came to say hi to us at the Festival, it was lovely to meet you! ​

The stand was really busy for the whole time we were at the show and it was wonderful to meet so many existing crocheters and to hear about how crochet has helped so many of you. It was incredibly positive to talk to crafters who had not considered learning to crochet before seeing the Janie Crow collection and we were so pleased to be able to head people up towards the wonderful Katie Jones who was busy teaching people to crochet on her fabulously colourful and inspirational stand. ​

When we were packing up the stand we found that someone had left behind a lovely pair of hand knitted mitts. If this was you, please drop us an email so that we can return them to you. ​

After a great time at the Stitch Festival we travelled to Cheshire to host a 4 day workshop at Nunsmere Hall. We had a great time with a group of 40 knitters and crocheters who worked through a small beaded pouch project, either in knit designed by Debbie Abrahams, or crochet designed by myself.

Whilst in Cheshire we also managed to squeeze in a trip to visit Black Sheep Wools where we received a very warm reception from Sara and her lovely team. 

For today only (31st March) Mary Maxim are offering a 31% discount on any item in their store. The offer includes the best selling Sandalwood Persian Tiles kit and all the other Janie Crow kits too. Click on the image below for a link to the Mary Maxim website and use the code ONEITEM31 at checkout.

The fourth pattern part of the Spirit of Flora CAL project, Tudor Rose was released in issue 156 of Inside Crochet Magazine on the 16th of this month. The Tudor Rose, which takes its name from the royal House of Tudor is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England. The stylised rose was adopted by the Arts and Crafts Movement as a symbol of peace and unity. William De Morgan liked to use the flower within his tile designs, often depicting them in larger and smaller scale with outer and inner petals around a central circle.

The complete version in the image above is a little more random than the one already shown in the magazine and it has a fancier edging that features a flower motif inspired by William De Morgan's more 'Arabesque' style tile designs. You can see by the image that I have also made a matching cushion using a motif that will feature in the magazine in the late summer/early autumn. You can find a little video from the shoot on my Instagram feed by following this link.

We now have project bags, pencil cases, pouches and greetings cards from the Emma Ball range in stock. You can find the Janie Crow and Emma Ball collection by following this link. Velvet cushions and tote bags are on their way next week so do keep an eye out for those.

You can check out our YouTube video where Emma and I talk about the collection here and I have also posted our live chat on our Instagram Feed. ​

If you're looking for a tasty lunch or snack recipe, these Thai Red Vegetable Fritters are really tasty.

You can find the recipe on the Riverford website by clicking on the image above. ​

We enjoyed reading this story about Jorden, a young man in Melbourne, Australia who, with the help of his teacher, set up a Craft Club at his school after discovering crochet during lockdown. ​

(Photo ABC Takeover Melbourne)

If you are a knitter who likes the idea of a colourful challenge then you might be interested to know that my good friend Debbie Abrahams has now launched her Mystery Cushion Club.

In June 2022 Debbie's dear friend and best friend to her husband Steve, Kyle Ringland, took his own life after suffering from severe depression. On the outside Kyle was a fun-loving, happy guy who was the life and soul of the party, always with a story to tell and a joke up his sleeve. However, on the inside things couldn’t have been more different.

Kyle’s last wish was that any money raised in his memory be donated to the charity Mind. Mind gives help and support to people with mental health issues which have risen steeply in the UK over the past few years, and consequently they are in desperate need of funds to enable them to continue all their valuable work. One in four people suffer with mental health problems, however, like Kyle, most of them don’t get the help they need. Mind fight for people who have mental health issues to raise awareness and build the support network they need in everyday life.

Debbie is supporting this charity and fulfilling Kyle’s wish by donating £5 out of the profit of every Mystery Cushion membership to Mind. If you decide to join Debbie's fabulous club this year, with your contribution Debbie and Steve hope they can help make a difference and give people who suffer with mental health issues the opportunity to get the lifesaving help and advice that Kyle never got. You can find more information about Debbie's Cushion Club by following this link.

NEW! We launched our first catalogue in 2020 and have updated it this year to include our up to date range of crochet and knit projects. Click on the image above to be taken to the download catalogue. Print copies are coming soon! ​

I had a fabulous time last Saturday afternoon being interviewed as part of the latest Rowan Connect event. It was really nice to chat about my knit and crochet related travels and the background of some of my designs, so thank you to all those of you who took the time out of their weekend to virtually join me.

The interview was followed on Saturday evening by the engagement party of our beautiful niece and her partner Charlie and then on Sunday we drove to Cheshire to set up our residential workshop event, which we drove back from yesterday. It has been a busy, busy week and as a result I am really looking forward to a much quieter couple of days this weekend. I have a little work to do as I have a deadline next Friday, so I will be heading up here to my garden studio to work on a new project for a few hours on Saturday, but I am also planning some family time and some cooking - two of my favourite things! 

I hope that your weekend is set to be a good one too! 
Yarny hugs...

Janie x