Blogstar Spotlight – Jane Crowfoot

Thursday 23rd April 2020

Tags: Blogstars, Crochet, MAL/CAL/KAL

We know that many of you already have your yarn for the Stylecraft Fruit Garden crochet along designed by Jane Crowfoot, and that many of you are eagerly awaiting your yarn delivery. So, we thought this was a great opportunity to interview Jane so you can find out more about this amazing designer and Blogstar. Mood boardTell us a bit about you?

I am a crochet designer and maker working hard to expand the popular notion of crochet and edge it away from the idea that it is a craft representative of an older, ‘Granny’, generation. My goal is to produce crochet projects that are ground-breaking in design and technique – that push the boundaries of the craft ­– but are also within the reach financially and technically of the world’s crocheters to reproduce at home.

Within the crochet world in particular there is little recognition of the true value of the craft and of those who practice it. I feel that designer/makers, such as myself ,should do whatever we can to raise the profile of this rarely-appreciated craft field in order to challenge the often derogatory and ageist image that people have of those, (mostly women),  who choose to design and craft with yarn, and also encourage a new breed of crocheters to preserve the practice for future generations.

What inspires you?

The majority of my working time is spent designing and making crochet projects for the home interior: blankets; wall hangings; cushions and throws. Designing for the home gives me the freedom to experiment with lots of eye-catching colour, texture and techniques. I create unique projects using paintings, architecture or textiles as the catalyst for my designs. I am inspired by so many things, but often find myself looking at historical design and tessellating patterns. I also spend a lot of time experimenting with colour combinations and love creating new palettes.

When did you start blogging? I started writing a blog around 12 years ago when I launched my first hand knit designs. My blog has moved around a few times and now resides on my web site where I try to do a weekly newsletter style update.   Screenshot 2020-04-15 at 11.07.18 What kind of things does your blog cover?

All sorts. The newsletter format means that I can update followers on new releases and news relevant to me and my designs, but I also feature things that have inspired me, like Instagram feeds and web sites and I try to include other things too, like charity events, recipes and savvy tips for the home.

As well as your blog, which other social media can people find you on?

I have a thriving Facebook page and Instagram is a busy place for me. 200213_StyleCraft_Shot 14_010 What have you got coming up?

Following the success of my Climbing Rose CAL, a project that ran in Inside Crochet Magazine in autumn 2019, I knew that I wanted to design another project using the Arts and Crafts movement as the catalyst for my design. The Climbing Rose CAL was based on fabric designs by British textile designer, poet, novelist and social activist William Morris. As part of my research for this project I visited galleries and Arts and Crafts houses and it was during a visit to Kelmscott Manor, the countryside home of the Morris family in Oxfordshire, that I realised I wanted to base a CAL design on the incredible embroideries of William Morris’s daughter May. My new CAL 'Fruit Garden' is set to start at the end of April and will run through to August. The patterns will be available free on the Stylecraft website and I am making videos to go along with it.

Stylecraft

Which Stylecraft yarn is your favourite?

Tough question. I have a soft spot for Life DK, I love the colour range and the drape that the wool gives to the yarn, but I am pretty smitten with the new Naturals - Bamboo + Cotton

What are you watching or reading?

Reading = Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Sweet or savoury? Savoury - cheese, cheese, cheese!

The Fruit Garden CAL launches on 28th April and is free to download from our website.

Thanks to National Trust, Standen, Sussex  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/standen-house-and-garden        

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