Knit Stars | August 1, 2023
🧶 Hannah’s organization tips
BY SHELLEY BRANDER
If you’re like me, just looking at cool storage solutions makes me feel calmer…
So whether today’s message inspires you to organize your needles and notions, or it just provides some eye candy for your Sunday, our mission will be accomplished. 🤗
Let’s get it rolling with this 3-minute video clip with Hannah Thiessen from Knit Stars Season 4. She shares two genius notions storage tips: One budget-friendly option that’s probably already in your kitchen cabinet, and another, more elegant option by our good friends at Cocoknits.
One of these Cocoknits Accessory rolls (available in two colors) will instantly elevate your whole notions game – we promise! Like Hannah says, you can divide your notions by project type, by notions type, by color…so many ways to customize it to your own yarn journey!
Shop Accessory Rolls (plus many of the notions you see pictured)Â here.
Next, we’ve all heard of stash guilt. But needle guilt is just as real – and just as overcome-able. You would be amazed the power you’ll feel when your whole needle and notions collection is neatly stored in one of our Needle Keepers.™
There’s space for your circulars, double-points, loads of pockets for notions and hooks, and even room to stash an interchangeable case! We engineered the whole thing based on 16 years of running a local yarn store, combined with Shelley’s 10-year-old “bait bag” solution from a fishing store.
Get your needle life together with  your own Needle Keeper, here.
Can any of us really have enough clear bags in our life?
Give those ziplock bags an upgrade, and stock up on our pretty, purposeful Knit Stars storage pouches.
The smaller, “standard” pouches get all the love, but I’m even more obsessed with this larger size.
They’re perfect for those larger notions like full-size scissors, stitch holders, pompon makers and double-pointed needles. (Have you been guilty of cramming this stuff into a tiny pouch? I sure have!)
Plus, they’re an ideal size for medium-size projects like shawlettes or colorwork hats. They hold your yarn nice and firmly, so it’s not swimming around and getting tangled in a huge bag.
They also sit nicely “filed” on a shelf so you can see all your WIPs at once, neatly organized. This method has been known to motivate people to pick up those WIPs and finish them!
Pick up some clear Knit Stars pouches – now available in discounted 3-packs – here.
Looking for a lower-priced blocking solution? Check out our very own Knit Stars Blocking Mat sets!
You get 9 pretty blue mats that interlock with each other, or with most other sets (so it’s a great expander set). Plus there’s a link to a video from Knit Stars Season 3 with Andrea Mowry showing you her “burrito” method of wet-blocking. I use this All. The. Time.
Pick one up here
We’ve got a fresh new shipment of Dream State, Spincycle’s wildly popular worsted weight, here. These are great to add to your collection anytime – so fun to work with, and sooo many patterns on Ravelry!
We’ve also got a great supply of fingering-weight Dyed in the Wool including our exclusive colorway, “Starstruck” that I used in my version of The Shift (shown below).
Knit Stars Live with Francoise! ✨
Join Francoise Danoy of @arohaknits in person at our Flagship Store or virtually via Zoom, on Saturday, March 12th, 1pm-4pm Central for this hybrid event!
Francoise will begin by sharing how she incorporates her work as an indigenous artist into her knit patterns and designs. She’ll then move into her workshop based on her beautiful “Once Were Weavers” shawl, featuring the Drop Cable Stitch and lateral braid knit flat techniques. The pattern will be available for free as part of this workshop, and you will need size US 5 (3.75mm) and US 8 (5mm) needles to complete your shawl. This is a great workshop for knitters who are looking to get a bit more adventurous with lace!
You can purchase your workshop ticket alone for just $59, or add on the optional kit featuring 3 skeins of our Loops Luxe Royal Light (Royal Alpaca + Silk) in your choice of 6 colors, plus some special extras (a $60 value for only $40 – save $20!).
Karen, a busy knitter and mom to two young boys, writes: “I’ve been making this soup a lot lately. It’s delicious, super super easy, and a good way to put spinach into people who might not otherwise be amenable to it.” Enjoy this recipe from TasteofHome-dot-com. We bet it goes on your weekly rotation!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, broth and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil. Add tortellini; bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, just until tortellini are tender, 7-9 minutes.
- Stir in spinach. Sprinkle servings with cheese and pepper.