WHOA y’all!

The first day we opened registration, we had more than 1,000 yarnies sign up! (And lots of you added the All-In VIP package, too – thank you! ❤️)

In case you missed it, here’s what is happening the weekend of September 9th…

📽FREE 4-hour Masterclass Premiere Screening Party – sign up for the virtual party here.

😎Opportunity to upgrade to Screening Party All-In VIP Pass (look for details on the page after you sign up for the free event)

💃🏽Opportunity to be one of a very small group who spend the weekend together in-person in Charleston with GG, Casapinka, Sunnie and me. Details here.

Plans for the weekend are shaping up fast and I can’t wait to show you how our premiere Season is coming together! I hope you soak up all the juiciness you can!

xoxo,

In her Season 8 Premiere Masterclass, Alexi will be teaching how to make her new, on-trend and exclusive-to-us sweater designs: Hawthorne (knit) and Holloway (crochet).

From the peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro to a tarot reading that changed *everything*…

This week, we sat down with the ultra-chic knitwear designer and Season 8 Knit Star “Alexi” Tavel (@twoofwands) to get to know her better and she shared five things about her life that made us love her even more.

1. Alexi starts every day with the New York Times spelling bee (“Gotta keep the brain sharp.”)
2. If she could live in a bath, she would. (“Really.”)
3. She puts cilantro and chili oil on pretty much everything.
4. She has a bachelor’s degree in fashion design, an associate degree in costume construction technology, and a certificate in African civilization studies.
5. She bought her website URL off a guy in a coffee shop.

Okay, we had to know more about this last point, so we asked a few more questions to get the full story.

After deciding on her business name, Two of Wands, Alexi found the guy who owned the URL but had never used it. Originally he put a hefty $10,000 price tag on it, but Alexi was able to talk him down to a cool $1,000 — still the most expensive purchase she’d ever made besides rent at the time.

There was just one thing: she didn’t exactly know what she would do with the name just yet…

Back in those days, Alexi worked for a nonprofit organization that rebuilt schools after natural disasters. When she turned 30, a friend asked her to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with her, and when Alexi asked around, people said “It’s easy!” 😳

So she agreed to go and started training by walking to and from work in hiking boots. She knew she’d have a lot of time on her hands to think, so she set the intention that she would use that space to figure out her life. (No big deal!)

The hike itself was treacherous and scary, and Alexi remembers crying the whole time. As it turns out, there are many routes on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and while Alexi and her friend picked one of the more visually appealing routes, it was also significantly harder.

When they finally got to the lodge where they were staying, Alexi found a woman with a tarot deck and she decided to get her cards read.

“She said I had such a beautiful future.”

The last card Alexi drew represented something she had to capitalize on in the next six months. It was the Two of Wands. The tarot reader explained that Alexi had two choices in front of her. She could stay where she was, which wasn’t a bad choice; it would just limit her from experiencing anything new. Or, she could pick a new path, one filled with risk and creativity.

The tarot reader said that if Alexi was thinking about changing her career, this was her chance.

Alexi will teach you to make her new “Hawthorne” sweater in her Season 8 Masterclass.

Alexi took it all to heart. When she got home, she opened an Etsy shop with the name Two of Wands. At the time, she painted and did other crafty things. Then she started knitting holiday gifts for the Etsy shop and they all sold immediately, faster than she could replenish them. That’s when Alexi decided to sell patterns, and eventually created a blog.

At first, Alexi didn’t make the connection between the tarot card having two wands on it, and the fact that she’d go on to specialize in knitting which requires its own special two “wands!”

We’re beyond excited for Alexi’s Knit Stars Masterclass in the Season 8 Premiere this fall. It’s a deep dive into the duality of the fiber arts world – including supercute, matching sweaters in both knit AND crochet!

Here are a few other Two of Wands projects we have a crush on right now.

“Cloaked in Clouds” is the snuggliest knit ruana on Earth. We promise you will not want to take this off!

The wide rib collar adds extra warmth to the neck and the thermal stitch makes the entire thing extra warm and squishy.

Best of all, it’s an easy knit, and our own Loops Luxe Chunky blend of Royal Alpaca and Silk makes it extra luxurious and drapey! Would also make an extra-special gift.

We’ve created kits here with 12 skeins of Loops Luxe Chunky at a special price of $143 which is 20% off. Calls for US #11 needles. A link to the free version of the pattern can be found here on our project page.

If you make one, be sure to tag us @knitstars and Alexi @twoofwands!

“Cloaked in Clouds” was inspired by one of Alexi’s most popular crochet patterns called “Blanket Poncho.”

Literally a wearable blanket, this cozy poncho can be worn simply draped over the shoulders, belted, or wrapped across the front of the body to cover the chest and neck.

Our “Loops Luxe Chunky” alpaca/silk blend is perfect for this one, too – and the drapey blend will help it hang just right, without feeling too
heavy.

Get your “Blanket Poncho” kit here and save 20% off the usual price of this very special – yet affordable – yarn. You’ll also need a 10mm (N/P) hook. Pattern is on Ravelry.

Whether you’re cozying up on the couch or hitting up the local theater to watch Barbinheimer…the Movie Night Cocoon Cardi is the perfect addition to your comfy wardrobe!

Like the hug of a blanket, this shrug-style cardigan comfortably drapes over your shoulders for that extra bit of warmth.

Purchase your kit here at 20% off. You’ll need a 6.0mm / J crochet hook. A link to the free version of the pattern can be found here on our project page.

Photo of a similar salad courtesy of Half-Baked Harvest

And now for a dish straight from Alexi’s kitchen in upstate New York. You’ll want to make this while stone fruit’s still in season. This combo of fresh herbs, tangy fruit, and creamy burrata is so refreshing and divine. Enjoy!

Herby Nectarine and Burrata Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 ripe nectarines or peaches, sliced into wedges
4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
1 lb Rainier or Bing cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn or roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped dill
1 T fresh thyme leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 T honey
Flaky sea salt
Black pepper
3 balls of burrata

Add the nectarines, cucumbers, cherries, tomatoes, and herbs to a large salad bowl and gently toss with a large pinch of salt. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, and honey in a jar and shake or whisk to combine, adjusting ingredients for taste. Pour over salad and gently toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with 1/2 a ball of burrata each.