This week I’m having an I CAN week.

(You know, one of those weeks where it seems like maybe I can’t, so I look for little positive reminders that YES I CAN.)

So I thought it would be a great time to help you have an I CAN week, too.

I started the week out nervous because we already had more than 5,000 Yarnies signed up for our Season Premiere Screening Event, broadcast all over the world from Charleston, South Carolina. It was something I’d never done before, a 4-hour show on a big ol’ set, with GG and Casapinka and Sunnie all flying in and the Season 8 Stars zooming in to be a part of it.

I saw that 5,000 number and about fainted.

I definitely felt the old imposter syndrome kicking in.

And then I ran across this video on Instagram of GG looking gorgeous in her latest creation, the Mini Mock Neck Top by one of our favorites, Jessie Maed Designs.

And I read her caption, which read in part:
I have to stop allowing my body consciousness stop making me believe I need more yarn than the pattern calls for 😩

Have you ever told yourself I CAN’T make a sweater or I CAN’T wear a crop top?

What if you looked at this photo of Jessie Maed’s top and instead of telling yourself I CAN’T, you just said I CAN?

I honestly think this top belongs in every knitter’s wardrobe and in fact, I found on the pattern page that many people have already made it in multiples (like dominirose’s yellow version below). It’s worked seamlessly from the top down with subtle shoulder and arm shaping, plus cute ribbed detailing.

It only takes one skein of fingering weight for the first two sizes, and 2-3 skeins for the remaining sizes. Want it a little longer? No problem, just get that extra skein in case. But remember, with all the great higher-waist pants out there right now, a little crop can be super cute, as GG showed us here…🧡

We’re recommending our own Loops Luxe Smoothie yarn for a super-luxe Mini Mock at a great price point for a year-round, all-climate silk blend. And the colors are so yummy!

You’ll need 1-3 skeins of Smoothie to make your Mini Mock Neck Top. The pattern is on Ravelry and there’s reduced pay-what-you-can pricing if you sign up for Jessie Maed’s newsletter.

Last but not least, I have to share Jessie’s pattern description: Picture this: you are on the beach enjoying the soft summer breeze. It is afternoon, the birds are a tootin’, the fish r a floppin’, and u r gooey from the sea. A gale approaches & u feel a little chill in your bones, but there is a secret no one knows. You have in your beach bag none other than the Mini Mock Neck Tank, and now you get to put it on. The birds will see; they will sing. The fishes will glug your praises & flap their gills. Your crush will sense an energetic shift in the wind and ask you on a date. How could you not knit this top, when all of nature & fate are asking u to???

If that doesn’t inspire you to cast on, what will?

Oh, I know! How about a freebie? When you place any order from this week’s newsletter or on LoopsLove.com this week we’ll include one of these sweet “I CAN” bracelets as a gift. Because you CAN!

Continuing with our I CAN theme, Casapinka decided she wanted to make herself a pink dress for the Charleston event…

…in less than one week! 😳

She said she just likes to give herself a fun challenge from time to time.

And guess what ladies and gentlemen…she pulled it off!

I asked if she was writing down the pattern as she went, and she said not this time, she was knitting too fast to write and her grumpy cat Sharon kept interrupting her…

So instead, she shared one of her latest designs with us.

“Sharon’s Glamping 2 Blanket is a favorite of mine,” Casapinka writes. “We created the stitches at the top after hours of playing around and I feel so proud when I see them (I know it’s dorky!) It’s not easy to make up stitches (at least for me) so when this happens it’s hard to remain calm. This particular blanket was made in Emma’s Yarn Bodacious Bulky and it looks so cute in Shazz’s little camper!”

And in case you’re looking at those cool blanket stitches and thinking I CAN’T, Casapinka has great tutorial videos for them so you definitely CAN!

For a limited time, we have pink and blue Emma’s kits for Sharon’s Glamping 2 baby blanket which measures 24 x 33 inches, available for pre-order here. Pattern is on Ravelry and calls for #10 US needles.

Who needs chocolates when you can indulge in 24 days of colorful, hand-dyed yarn surprises?

Pre-orders for Hedgehog Fibers Advent Calendars close soon. Make the holiday season extra-fun with 24 days of pure fiber joy! Each little window opens to reveal a Hedgehog mini-skein.

Pre-order your calendar here.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 knob of ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• chili paste to taste
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 5–6 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
• 3 large carrots, diagonally sliced
• Rice and green onions for serving

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant.
2. Add the five-spice, soy sauce, chili paste, and ground turkey. Break apart until the meat is browned and cooked through.
3. Add the coleslaw mix and carrots. Toss until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
4. Serve over rice, with green onions.