Rowan Weekend Workshop

Rowan were kind enough to invite Debbie Abrahams and myself to tutor a Kaleidoscope inspired workshop at Green Lane Mill in Holmfirth West Yorkshire last weekend.

We took all the projects form the book and made a lovely display in the Mill show room which was the perfect setting for our bright home projects.

Debbie and I have designed a little bag project to accompany Kaleidoscope workshops - Debbie has designed the knitted version and I have designed the crochet one. Both projects use many of the techniques used in the book and workshop participants can choose which craft to work on. 

25 ladies came along to what turned out to be a really lovely fun workshop and we were even lucky enough to have a guest appearance from the lovely Sarah Hatton who gave up a few hours of her Saturday afternoon to come and see us.  

The projects from Kaleidoscope went down really well with the workshop group and many of them found the time to do a little bit of sampling too. Giddy - my crochet 'optical illusion' blanket - appears to be a favourite, as does Debbie's bed runner 'Zap' which uses a lovely star stitch.

The Zig Zag cushions 'Dazzle' and 'Wiggle' also seem to be really popular and - with no shaping or complicated instructions - they really are the kind of thing you can make over the course of just a few weeks if knitting or crocheting in front of the TV in the evening! 

Debbie and I had such a lot of fun naming the projects. We originally thought we would choose french sounding names which echoed the design inspiration which was a church in Poitiers - but in the end we opted for fun quirky names - below is Debbie's table runner called 'Quiver'. I love Debbie's 'Groovy' knitted round cushion cover which is made using the short row shaping technique, beading and intarsia.

The image below is of my crochet chair pad 'waffle' (so called because it really reminded me of one) and below that is an image of 'Crackle' - my round crochet cushion cover. This is made using 2 shades of yarn at a time and has some added embellishment in the shape of little bobbles. Hopefully 'snap' and 'pop' will make it into another book!

Debbie and I both have stock of signed copies of the book and you should now be able to get them through independent yarn stockists. We have more exciting events and workshops coming up over the next few months, so make sure you keep and eye on our web sites. You can see my web site JANIE CROW here and Debbie's web site here.

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Pattern: Potpourri Pillows

Materials:
Size H crochet hook
Loops and Threads Impeccable in White and Aran
Potpourri
White tulle (a length large enough to line the inside of each pillow)
Sewing needle
White sewing thread

Abbreviations:
Ch - chain
Dc - double crochet
Sc - single crochet

Instructions:
Square:
Ch 4

Round 1: Work the following all into the 4th ch from hook - 2 dc, (ch 2, 3 dc) three times, ch 2.
Sl st in top ch at beginning of round.
Spread your stitches evenly within the ch to make a square shape. The ch 2 spaces are the corners and the dcs make up the sides.

Round 2: Ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc's, *[2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next ch 2 space, 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc's.* Repeat from * to * 2 more times. [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next ch 2 space. Sl st at the top ch from the beginning of the round.

Round 3: Ch 3, 1 dc in each dc across, *[2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next ch 2 space, 1 dc in each dc across.* Repeat from * to * 2 more times. [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next ch 2 space, 1 dc in each dc across, sl st at the top of the ch from the beginning of the round.

Continue working in the same manner as Round 3 (i.e. work 1 dc in each dc and [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in each ch 2 space) until you reach your desired square size. The beginning ch 3 counts as the first dc.

I worked 4 Rounds total, including Round 1-3 above.

Make two squares for each side of the pillow.

Inner Tulle:
The tulle acts as a hidden barrier inside the pillow to prevent potpourri bits from falling out of any gaps.

Cut out two squares of tulle roughly the same size as the crocheted squares. Sew one tulle square onto the wrong side of one crocheted square, keeping the sewing seam on the wrong side of the crocheted square.

I recommend sewing along the second to last crocheted row of stitches on the square to keep the thread hidden. Do not sew through the square - only sew along wrong side loops of the stitches.

Repeat this process for the second crocheted square and tulle square.

Edging:
Prepare to attach the front and back sides of the pillow.

Hold the two crocheted squares with the wrong sides facing. This means the sides with tulle sewn onto them will be facing. Make sure to line them up evenly so the ch 2 spaces and dc's line up and are matching.

Beginning at a dc immediately following a ch 2 space, sl st in dc of front and back squares.

Ch 1, *1 sc in each dc across, being sure to work the sc in both the front and back squares. (2 sc, ch 1, 2 sc) in next ch 2 space.* Repeat from * to * two more times.

Leaving the fourth side of the front and back squares unattached, fill the pillow with potpourri.

Work across the final side - 1 sc in each dc across, being sure to work the sc in both the front and back squares. (2 sc, ch 1, 2 sc) in next ch 2 space.

Sl st in ch 1 at the beginning of the round.

Viola! Beautiful potpourri pillows. Attach some ribbon and cute custom tags (like these) to celebrate an occasion.

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Kaleidoscope

The knitting and crochet skills of Debbie Abrahams and Jane Crowfoot are combined together in this must-have collection of sophisticated designs for the home. There are many projects to choose from including cushions, blankets, bed runners and bags, all of which have been designed with a contemporary flair making them ideal accessories for the modern home. Each design is fully illustrated with fabulous colour photos though out and the hard back format gives the book perpetual appeal. Kaleidoscope is an inspiring collection of home accessories that are fun to knit and crochet, with projects to suit all abilities.

Debbie and myself were lucky enough to be invited to attend an official book launch event at the lovely TWIST yarn store in Woodbridge Suffolk at the weekend. I have said before what a lovely store this is and we were both treated to an absolutely wonderful event. There were lots of lovely knitters and crocheters, sparkling wine and posh canapés to make the evening just that bit more special and the surroundings of Karen Moggridge's lovely store and the hospitality of her family, friends and colleagues made us feel very special!

TWIST is a fantastic yarn shop with lots of lovely yarn and accessories and lots of space, so it made the prefect location for us to display the projects from the book. We have included 24 projects for the home including cushions, blankets and throws as well as bags and ipad covers within Kaleidoscope. There are 12 knit project designed by Debbie and 12 crochet projects designed by Jane, all using a vibrant Rowan colour palette.

Debbie and I gave a short talk about the inspiration for the book and how we went about conceiving and designing the projects and answered any questions people had.

Over the course of the weekend we tutored a 2 day workshop where participants worked through an exclusive bag project based on some of the designs from the book. Participants could choose whether to knit the project or work on an alternative crochet one.

We were extremely lucky that Karen at TWIST put her faith in us and organised this wonderful event. If you haven't made it to the shop already it really is a MUST for any knitter or crocheter - whatever the distance you need to travel to get there! Not only does Karen have a wonderful staff team of knowledgable and friendly knitters and crocheters to help within the store, but she also makes every single item in her store look utterly scrummy! 

There are rows and rows of gorgeous yarns and stacks of books to browse theough on the comfy sofas. Karen runs a range of exciting workshops and is looking to increase her events programme in the future. Why not give TWIST a call to find out what is going on? 

Kaleidoscope is available now! Get your hands on a copy by visiting the JANIE CROW web site.

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The Simplest Sleeve For Your Gadgets

There is nothing worse than getting a shiny new laptop, only to put it in your travel bag and find it all dinged up a week later. These quick and easy electronic sleeves will protect your belongings from scratches, whether it's a computer, phone, tablet, or handheld gaming device.

Be sure to keep your gadget handy for measuring.

Materials:
It's best to use super acrylic yarn because it will hold up most to wear and tear. I use Caron One Pound skeins.

Crochet hook to meet your gauge. Size H with Caron One Pound.

Instructions:
Before you begin, decide on which side of the device you would like to have the sleeve opening. I prefer having the opening on the shorter side of the electronic so there's a lesser risk of it slipping out.

Row 1: Chain a length until it is the same length as the side of your gadget. When measuring, it's best to stretch out the row of chains because the chains will get longer as you work SC's in them.

Be sure the chain is laying flat. You will be working on both sides of the chain to make it circular.

Row 2: Working on one side of the chains, 2 SC in second chain from hook, 1 SC in each ch across until you reach the last ch, 2 SC in last ch.

Turn to work in the bottom loops of the foundation chains, 2 SC in first ch, 1 SC in each ch across until you reach the last ch, 2 sc in last ch, sl st in first SC.

Row 3: Ch 1, 1 SC in each SC across, sl st in first SC.

Repeat Row 3 in the circle until you reach the desired length.

You can customize these sleeves to fit your style and add a little flair - change colors to make stripes or add a small flower to one side.

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