Somebody please, pinch me.

No really…

Has this all just been a dream?

Did Joji really make a bag just for us?

And is it really the style I love the very most, the Santa Cruz with its modern square shape and exposed seams, big enough for a big sweater project plus all my other everyday bag stuff (wallet, phone, ridiculous number of lip balms and random stitch markers) too?

In case you’ve been too face-down in your project queue the last few years to notice, Joji + Co bags are on a whole new level from any other bag in your closet. Imagine your favorite couture designer bag, but made with the softest, buttery leathers and suedes.

Joji + Co bags are MADE BY HAND using only locally sourced materials from Buenos Aires. They will spoil you for all other bags. I personally own 3 of them and intend to keep on unapologetically collecting!

Our custom Santa Cruz bag is made from genuine suede with a durable metallic coating, and the handles are made using double-faced vegetable-tanned leather with added cross-stitching details. There’s an inside pocket for your phone or wallet in matching leather.

And – squeeeeeee – a subtle, stamped Knit Stars emblem (only visible in the next two, newest photos of our actual custom bag).

I’m predicting this bag will quickly take the place of your project bag and your everyday bag. Bonus: You’ll take your knitting with you everywhere, so you’ll probably make more progress on your projects. 😜

The only downside is we have just 100 available, and at $269.00 they’re likely to go quickly.

So if it’s the bag of your dreams too, might I suggest you order yours right here, right now.

Now…what’s a gorgeous project bag without a gorgeous project to go inside?

Joji’s “Streets of Barcelona” is a recent release with some really fun texture play that works perfectly with a subtly speckled yarn. Plus there’s a great story behind it…

“If you are ever lucky enough to visit the mysterious city of Barcelona, your eyes and soul will feast upon the most incredible sights, smells and music,” Joji writes.

“Art runs warm through Barcelona’s veins and it will be hard to look down, but if you do, you’ll find the Panot, the flower shaped design in Barcelona’s iconic tiles. The Panot is one of Barcelona’s most popular symbols, and it’s the muse for this textured shawl.”

This shawl is worked sideways, from one tip, making increases towards the other end of the shawl. The base stitch is a textured rib, interrupted at regular intervals by rows of flowers. It’s got a 5-star Ravelry rating and is suitable for advanced beginners and beyond.

Our perfect yarn picks for this project are both luxury blends from Terra of Mitchell’s Creations. Grab your US #4 needles and choose 2 skeins of “Barataria” merino/cashmere/silk OR 2 skeins of “Audubon Sock” 50/50 merino/silk.

If you decide to make the project, post a photo of your yarn and tag us @knitstars – extra credit if the yarn is in your new  Joji+Co project bag! 😍

If you’re more in the mood to make a sweater, check out the just-released Elton Pullover, also from Joji!

This light pullover was inspired by her original design, the Elton Cardigan. It features the simplest stripes, but she used two very different yarns: a fingering weight (which shows as solid bands) and a lace weight mohair (see through) creating a delicate game of texture. The resulting sweater is light as air.

For this sweater, we recommend our exclusive “Loopsmobile” colorway of Tosh TML + Tweed, paired with Moondrake Co. Suri Cloud Lace. We have more than a dozen colors to choose from, but we especially like “Valentina,” “Sally Ride” and “Anna Lee” with the Loopsmobile Tosh – shown in order below.

You’ll need you will need 2 (2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4) skeins of Tosh TML+ Tweed in color way “Loopsmobile”  and 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3,  4) skeins of Suri Cloud Lace for finished bust circumference of 44 (48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68, 72, 76, 80) in / 110 (120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200) cm. Joji recommends 16” of positive ease.

Shop TML + Tweed here (on sale 10% off!) and Suri Cloud Lace here.

Forget Taco Tuesday…these Amp’d Up Tacos are for any night of the week! With only an hour to go until dinnertime, Luke and I just bought a flank steak on a whim (wait, don’t you have to marinate that cut for 24 hours? Turns out you don’t!) and used up all the veggies in the fridge and tortillas from the pantry.

Amp’d Up Taco Night
(a no-recipe recipe 🙂

For the steak:
Squeeze the juice of one orange into a marinating dish. Add a 2-lb flank steak and sprinkle generously all over with Carne Asada seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Top with orange slices, white onion slices and coarsely chopped cilantro, and let marinate for 1 hour (or more). Sear each side 5 minutes on 500 degree grill, then cook to your liking (we went medium rare).

For the guac:
Mash 2 avocados together with about 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup shredded cheese (any type), a healthy dash of garlic salt and the juice from half a small lime. (Yes, you read that right…no tomatoes or salsa! This results in a rich, less watery guac that holds up well on tacos).

For the amp’d up tortillas:
Fry corn tortillas in about 1/4 inch oil and when they start to crisp, fold them over to form taco shells. Decadent but delicious!

For the amp’d up toppings:

• Thin-sliced radishes
• Thin-sliced cabbage
• Lime wedges
• Side of heated frijoles (black beans)
• Onions 3 ways (OK, we love onions!): 
  • Sauteed onions from the marinade
  • Raw white onion chopped fine
  • Quick-pickled red onion (bring ¾ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup water and 2 tablespoons honey to a boil, remove from heat and pour over a thin-sliced red onion, cover and let steep in the fridge for 30 minutes)

I hope this inspires you to Amp Up your taco night!

If you make the tacos or cast on any of the projects from this newsletter, please post and tag us on Instagram @knitstars – we love to see your makes!

xoxo,

+ Your Knit Stars Team

Amped up Taco Night