When you’re starting your climb up the mountain, the people at the top of their game seem to sit in the clouds.

In your wildest dreams, you won’t ever reach the clouds…

But despite the obstacles, you begin to take those steps up the hill, one foot after another.

And you keep reminding yourself, those people “in the clouds” started out *just like you* and they’ve done that climb.

They all had a first cast on, a first purl, a first project. They all botched a sweater, made a hat that was three sizes too big, shrank their socks in the washer.

And you have the chance to get to know them in Knit Stars. They have climbed to the top, and want to give you a hand up.

Through Knit Stars, I’ve seen the knitting process from color and design, cast on to finishing, blocking, and styling (not to mention a laundry list of new techniques!) from the likes of Andrea Mowry, Nancy Marchant, Stephen West, Lucy Neatby, Arne & Carlos, and so many more.

These knitters from the stratosphere have welcomed me into their homes – studios – countries – and backyards. Knit Stars has taken me to four continents!

Nothing is impossible when you understand that we are all making this climb together. When we help each other take the next step.

…when we Knit the World Together. 🌎💙

This week we announced the next group of Knit Stars that are here to lift you up and take your knitting to the next level.

We hope you’ll join us as we all Knit the World Together.

The deadline for our Earlybird signup and discount ends tonight – Sunday, May 3!

Meet the Stars and sign up here.

-Rachel, Knit Stars Community Manager

Shown in photo: Rare Mammatus clouds over Tulsa, OK after a tornadic storm this week. Thankfully, no touchdown. A reminder that beautiful things can come from difficult times.

Ranunculus by Midori Hirose is a round yoke pullover with lace and textured stitches. Its boxy shape is flattering on oh-so-many body types and you can knit it with ONE SKEIN of Emma’s Yarn Hella Hank.

Oh, but it gets even better.

You can customize with a smaller boat neckline or
wider boat neckline…

…short sleeves, long puff sleeves with diagonal cuff line, or
long puff sleeves with normal cuff line. OR try Ravelry user Roko’s easy Flutter Sleeve modification just like our Loops Trooper Deborah used! *soooooo preeeeety*

The pullover is worked seamlessly from the top down and it’s a surprisingly quick project at a very loose gauge with larger needles. The combination of thin yarn and big needles gives a light, transparent and airy texture to this pullover.

Another thing to love: Ranunculus has sizing options up to 65 inches and looks amazing on so many body types!

And we just have to mention one more time that this is a one skein project! Emma’s Yarn has hand-dyed her Hella Hanks (her all-time best seller!) for every Looper to enjoy. This generous 600 yard skein is a hearty and soft Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend and we have six hand-dyed colors for you to choose from, including the exclusive hue for your Ranunculus– Caliente!

Helluva Scarf is the ultimate Hot Loops project. One skein + a free pattern with a *two row repeat* takes you from “What in the world should I knit next?” to “I’m dancing around the house in my PJs and this FANTASTIC piece!” in no time.

Which color of Emma’s Hella Hanks will you knit with? With names like Purple Rain, Iguana, Nailed It, and You Go Girl, this yarn is sure to keep you grinning. Which color is your favorite?

Lisa Jensen designed the Helluva Scarf specifically for these 600 yards of hand-dyed speckles and hues with a meditative slipped stitch pattern that avoids pooling. Knit in a loose gauge, it has that lovely drape of a perfect spring and summer accessory piece. Loops Trooper Loretta chose our exclusive “You Go Girl” colorway for her Helluva Scarf.

Knit this beauty with one skein of Emma’s Hella Hank on size 7 needles and find the Helluva Scarf by Lisa Jensen *for free!* on Ravelry.

Help us decide: Which one would you make? 🧶

Help us decide our next LoopsClub make-along by clicking here to take a 4-question survey.

Huge thanks in advance! 🙏🙏🙏

Shelley brazenly whipped up this Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday morning. And suddenly Tuesday wasn’t so ordinary!

INGREDIENTS: CAKE
1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces or 115 grams) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

INGREDIENTS: FILLING AND TOPPING
2 cups or 12 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. In a medium bowl with clean beaters, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold gently into batter.

In a small dish, combine the cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar for filling and topping.

Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan and spread smooth. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan.

Do ahead: I do *not* cover this when storing it (at room temperature) because I don’t want to lose the crackly top.

What’s going on with the Loops store, you may ask?

While our Oklahoma officials have “opened up” the state, out of an abundance of caution for our Loops Troops and our customers, we have decided not to re-open our physical location yet. We plan to take it week by week, and will keep you posted.

BUT! We are shipping like crazy from LoopsLove.com and still offering curb service 🙂

AND…our 15th anniversary is May 16th! So we are planning a huge celebration with our friends near and far, over Zoom. Watch for details in next week’s Scoop!

Let’s keep knitting the world together 🌎💙
Shelley and the Loops Troops

P.S. Don’t forget, Knit Stars Earlybird signups (and discounts) end tonight at midnight Pacific!

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