Longtime readers know, I opened our very first yarn shop 16 years ago with this idea I called the “Hot Loops Wall.”

After years of being frustrated, leaving yarn shops empty-handed because I couldn’t find cute project ideas to go with the yarns…

I thought, why not build a wall that does the matching for you?

Kind of like Garanimals for yarn (remember those? 🙋‍♀️)

Now, 30+ walls later, we’re doing something we’ve never done…

An entire wall dedicated to one color, and curated by one person you know and love…

The Orange Hot Loops Wall curated by Gaye “GG” Glasspie.

Well, the whole wall isn’t entirely orange. It’s more orange-forward. There are also complementary colors that work with orange or alone, and neutrals that let the cheery colors pop.

It’s all very on-trend for spring, as reported by Pantone.

SURPRISE: As we prepare to shift to our new Orange Wall, all LolaBean Hot Loops yarns are on sale 10% off this week.

When Adella of LolaBean Yarn Co. curated our last Hot Loops Wall, she confessed to me that she had a *very favorite color* among all the yarns she dyed.

It’s “Eccentric,” a super-subtle speckle on a creamy neutral base. She dyed it up in her Canary Bean Sport, and together we chose to knit up “Ursina” by Jacqueline Cieslak.

This sweater belongs in your year-round handknit wardrobe. I promise.

Ursina is a classic, with simple construction and unique detailing that make it ideal for both beginner and advanced sweater knitters. It’s worked top-down with raglan shaping, optional horizontal bust darts in 6 cup sizes, and can be cropped or full length. It includes directions to try it on as you work and notations to help you tweak the size according to your preference – with bust sizes ranging inclusively from 32” to 70” 🤗

And of course, when you make your own Ursina with us, the Knit Stars team will be here to support you from bind off to cast off!

Shop the LolaBean sport options for your Ursina here.

Simple can be so beautiful.

What I love about knitting is that sometimes the simplest stitches, in the right combination and the right yarn, make the most show-stopping knits.

“Bluewater Wrap” by Tressa Weidenaar is one of those knits.

This parallelogram shawl is knit on the bias, uses three simple pattern repeats to form the design, has 5 Stars on Ravelry for “overall” and “clarity,” and an “easy” rating for difficulty level.

We made ours in LolaBean Cool Beans DK, which is (coincidentally) on sale this week for 10% off. You only need 5 skeins and it’s just as beautiful in solids as in hand-dyes and speckles.

Choose your color here.

Here comes your next Netflix knit…

We made our “Stay Soft Shawl” by Veera Välimäki in LolaBean Lavendusty, Espresso Bean, and Sugar + Spice.

But now I’ll confess…this color combo was Adella’s 2nd choice. 😳

Her first choice? Anchors Aweigh + Last Straw + Princess Pink (shown below). And ever since, I’ve had FOMO that we didn’t make it in that color!

Maybe you’ll be the one to make Adella’s color dream come true? 💫

Shop our Stay Soft Shawl kits on sale this week, here.

GG’s Best Dessert Ever

Why not grab these easy ingredients and treat yourself to GG’s version of strawberry shortcake, while you’re watching and shopping the new Hot Loops Wall Reveal online?

Step 1: Fry a piece of pound cake in some butter
Step 2: Add a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream
Step 3: Add sliced strawberries
Step 4: Dig in! Yummmmmmm!

xoxo