Workshop and event news from Janie Crow

I really enjoy tutoring workshops, but I have decided that I will be cutting down on the number that I do over the next few years due to my workload and my desire to spend more of my free time at home and with my family. Workshops involve a lot of preparation and time away from home and it has become increasingly difficult for me to juggle this alongside my design commitments in particular, so it is likely that beyond next year my diary will include fewer workshops.

I get asked about my workshop and event schedule often so I thought this would be a good time to give you the heads up on what I have planned for the next few months and into next year.

The most imminent workshop for me is Stitch Yourself Happy - Crochet and Yoga, which will take place in just a couple of weeks time. You do not need any yoga experience as this can be tailored to all abilities. The weekend event, which will be hosted by Arena Travel, will be split up into 4 sessions - 2 yoga sessions with Molly and 2 crochet sessions with me - so that you can enjoy a really relaxing time away.

There are still a few places available on this workshop where I will be tutoring beaded crochet techniques. The weekend event runs from the 21st to the 23rd July and you can find more information by following this link.

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Looking towards the Autumn I am really looking forward to tutoring at the Woolly Away event which will take place on the 21st and 22nd October. You can find more information about the weekend retreat, where Jeanette Sloan, Diana Bensted and Deb Cunningham will also be tutoring by following this link. ​

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At the end of November Debbie Abrahams and I will be tutoring our annual Festive Workshop in Bournemouth. The places on this workshop have not been released for sale yet and places tend to go incredibly quickly. To be in with a chance of nabbing a spot it is a good idea to join the Inspired Minds mailing list as notification of the places going live are sent out to this mailing list first before it is advertised elsewhere. You can find information about the workshop, such as dates and itinerary, by following this link and here is a link to the homepage where you can sign up to be notified of the date that the places are set to go live.

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For 2024 I am looking forward to tutoring a 6 day long workshop in West Yorkshire. This is a brand new workshop destination with a fabulous itinerary which I have worked alongside Arena Travel, The Knitting and Crochet Guild and Stylecraft yarns to create. 

On this retreat, you will visit the collection of the Knitting & Crochet Guild, a treasure trove of textile wonders, housed in a former mill in Slaithwaite – a village also home to Stylecraft Yarns, where you will have a behind the scenes tour of the mill. The trip also includes mill tours of British Wool in Bradford and their fabulous West Yorkshire Spinners yarn company. There will also be the opportunity for some local sightseeing as we spend some time in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saltaire Village. This workshop tour only went live on the Arena website a couple of days ago and 2 thirds of the places have now sold, so you might need to make a quick decision on this one! You can find more information by following this link. ​

Peru has the longest continuous history of textile production in the world, going back almost 10,000 years. Invented long before pottery and just as humans started agriculture, Peruvian fibre manipulation began with simple spun fibres but by 500 AD this rudimentary craft had developed into complex techniques. ​

I am really excited by the prospect of an incredible trip to Peru, a country that has a rich history of intricate knitting traditions, on my workshop itinerary for next year. On our travels we’ll explore the processes involved in the production of textiles, including the most characteristic garment, the *chullo*, a knitted hat with an earflap and a calendar waistband that depicts the annual cycles of ritual and agricultural life, and we'll meet local artisans whose traditions have been passed down through the centuries.

When we think of Peru we imagine bright colours of lush vegetation, foliage and flowers and the incredible surface pattern of costumes, jewellery and artwork, as well as the breathtaking scenery and archaeological sites. I am sure this will be a truly inspirational trip and I am really looking forward to all that we will see and experience on this journey of a lifetime. You can find more information by following this link. Please note that the web page shows Carol Meldrum as tutor, but if you click on the July dates for more information you will be presented with the trip I will be tutoring. 

You can find the information about all 3 of the events I am tutoring for Arena Travel by following this link.

As well as tutoring workshops I have dates in my diary for yarn shows and events that I will be attending over the next few months. I love shows and really look forward to chatting to fellow yarny folk, so I hope you will be able to come and say hello at one of the following events: 

In August we will have stand at The NEC in Birmingham as we will be exhibiting at The Festival of Quilts for the first time.

In September we will once again be exhibiting at the wonderful Yarndale show - one of our favourite shows and a perfect destination for crochet fanatics!

In October I will be on the Stylecraft stand at The Knitting and Stitching Show here in North London.