I’ve been a dog lover for as long as I can remember.

Our first pup as a young family was Lucy the Lhasa Apso. Longtime readers will remember my beloved Purl, who survived a horrific attack and went on to grace our home with so much love, wiggles and furry hugs, that before we knew it we blossomed into one of those families … with a whole houseful of furbabies.

And so you can imagine how much my heart broke three years ago when Brent and I decided to divorce after 27 years, and agreed that since I was moving to Florida and traveling so much with Knit Stars, that all four of our pups would remain together with Brent in Tulsa.

💔💔💔💔💔

Maizie and Zumie, two of the four Brander furbabies.

For the past three years, each time came back to visit family and check on the business in Tulsa, I would stop by to snuggle Maizie, Zumie, Aggie and Mollie, and my heart would break a little more.

On every morning walk in Florida, I became “that lady” – the one who has to stop and ask to pet everyone else’s dog.

So finally, at long last…

After finishing up the filming of the 10th masterclass of Season 9 with Willie Smith aka @willienillieknits in St Clair, Michigan, I decided to swing back through Tulsa and pick up this guy.

Meet Charles Barkely, aka Charlie, a 9-month-old King Charles Cavalier.

Charlie is so sweet, docile, snuggly and an excellent flyer. Making him the perfect Knit Stars mascot.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

My heart is so full, I decided to do something fun! We’ve just added a new masterclass track to our Yarniverse membership.

The “Pet Lover’s Track” includes 6 full-length Knit Stars Masterclasses, each of which includes a (planned or unplanned!) cameo from a furry friend. There’s no pressure to make the projects…just pure viewing enjoyment!

• Dana Williams Johnson (w/Jellybean + dog sweaters) – NEW to the Yarniverse
• Casapinka (colorwork)
• Fatimah Hinds (unconventional cables)
• Nina Machlin Dayton (16 decorative techniques)
• Summer Lee (socks)
• Tamara White (farm life and natural dyeing)

If you’re not yet a Yarniverse member, now is an amazing time to join and get instant access to the Pet Lover’s Track, plus 6 other tracks and 50+ masterclasses, special bonus content from the Season 9 Stars, makealongs, kits, community and so much more!

To celebrate the new Pet Lover’s Track, we’re offering a 1-month Yarniverse Trial membership this week for just $1. After that, it’s just $47 a month and you can cancel anytime.

Join the fun in the Yarniverse here.

xoxo,

P.S. Meet some of the Knit Stars team furbabies!

Meet some of the Knit Stars team pets, top to bottom and left to right: Storm (Stephanie), Penney (Mitzi), Mouse (Mandy), Shiloh Blue (Rose), Steele (Loni), Blueberry (Beth), Noodle and Cal (Sunnie), Toga (Adrianne), Winston (with Margaret).

“Terracotta Ribbed Crop Top” by Grace of ForTheFrills.

ICYMI in last week’s newsletter, I just finished my first crocheted piece in well, decades…and I loved it so much, I immediately started another, similar piece by the same designer!

“Terracotta Ribbed Crop Top” by Grace of ForTheFrills is easy enough for a beginner (or crochet dropout like me) and it’s a really great traveling piece. Super easy to work on the plane – I made major progress on the way to film with Willie for Season 9!

“Bella Cardigan” by Irene Lin.

Homemade Dog Treats Recipe

Homemade dog treats are a fun way to show your furbaby how much you love them! Becky from The Cookie Rookie writes, “This is an easy homemade dog biscuit that I believe our pets would request every week if they could!” I’ll be mixing up a batch of these for Charles Barkely this week, and I’ll let you know how he likes them! If you make them or cast on any of the projects from this newsletter, please post and tag me @knitstars – I would love to e-meet your furry friends! 🐾❤️

Ingredients:

For the Dog Treats

• 2½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons honey

For the Frosting

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• 3-4 tablespoons hot water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and the egg. Add the peanut butter, water, and honey, and stir until you have a stiff dough. The dough becomes very firm and sticky. You may need to use your hands, or the paddle attachment on your mixer.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough about ½-inch thick and use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes. The treats barely spread and rise, so get creative with your shapes.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden. Once done, set aside to cool. (If you have smaller cookies, use less time, otherwise the bottom might burn.)
5. To make the frosting, combine the peanut butter and honey in a microwavable bowl, and heat in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.
6. Add the melted peanut butter mixture to the cornstarch and stir until just combined.
7. Slowly add in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have reached the consistency that you would like. For a thinner frosting, add more water.
8. Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe designs on top of each dog treat.
9. Frost the treats with the peanut butter/honey mixture for an even more tempting cookie.