First, thank you for all of the kind responses to last week’s story about the fearless Corinne. I had so much fun putting that together, and am hoping to do more profiles like that in the future, so you can keep getting to know your amazing, fellow community members.

And second, today I have a different kind of story for you. It’s a really important and exciting one – so exciting that it needs to be told in 3 chapters.

Here’s the first chapter for you, stitched together by our brilliant video editor, Sarah. Before you read on and shop today’s eye candy, I hope you’ll take 1 minute and 14 seconds to watch this first chapter.

🎁12 Days of Yarn-mas 🎁

Yesterday we kicked off a variation of a long-standing tradition.

Each year since we began as Loops, we’ve held a legendary after-Christmas sale, highlighting a special yarn or gift each day at a very special discount.

This year, as a thank-you for your readership and loyalty through the years, we’re taking it up a notch – by running the sale before Christmas, and telling a little yarn to go with each day’s sale.

Once upon a time (around 2008), Wenlan Chia took the yarn world by storm.

The New York City-based fashion designer had created the holy grail of yarn: A super bulky (like, REALLY bulky) that was not just quick to make, but supremely squishy and soft.

History has shown, Wenlan was ahead of her time. Her palette was completely fresh – soft, muted neutrals and barely-there pastels – and her books were loaded with super-chunky designs that were amazingly fitted and flattering.

But at Loops, our #1 pattern for Twinkle Soft Chunky yarn was the “Christmas Creep Scarf.” It was the simplest of patterns, and could be made from one skein on #17 or #19 needles in a couple of hours – but it looked like so much more!

Here’s the pattern:

Materials: 2 skeins of Superloops yarn + US #19 or #17 needles
Cast on 12 stitches
K1, *YO, k2tog* repeat from * to * to last stitch, K1
Repeat this row for the entire scarf. Bind off loosely. If desired, seam ends to form cowl.

I’ll bet thousands of these babies got made…it was the perfect project for when the holidays started to creep up on you (like now 🙂)

Fun fact that hardly anyone knows: At one point, I flew to New York and met with the lovely Wenlan in her studio. She was ready to get out of the yarn biz and go back to designing full-time. We chatted about possibly partnering, but at the time we weren’t quite ready to take on our own yarn lines.

Fast forward a few years, and (after a short stint with Classic Elite), Twinkle Soft Chunky yarn disappeared for good. So we went on a mission to develop our own supersoft super bulky – and came pretty darn close – with “Superloops.”

“Superloops” is a low-micron base that’s surprisingly light, squishy and supersoft, to give you the ultra-chunky look without the weight. Each skein is 57 yards, so you need two skeins to make your own “Christmas Creep Scarf.”

It’s also the perfect yarn for one of this year’s most popular patterns, “Sunday Shrug” by Jackie Rose (free on Ravelry). To make the shrug, you’ll need 3 skeins of your main color, 2 skeins of contrast color and size #17 US needles.

Two more options are “All Nighter” by Karen Gutowski (3 skeins of Superloops) or “Shoji Cowl” crocheted by our own Sherri Torrez (3 skeins of Superloops and a size N hook).

See all the project details and shop Superloops at 40% off starting now until we run out, here.

And watch your inbox for the next 10 days for daily “12 Days of Yarn-mas” stories and specials.

The first Knit Stars Pro-Am has begun!

We’ve paired up two teams of professional and amateur designers, who are working together to create new designs using our bespoke Loops Luxe Chunky yarn in our signature blue.

We’ve been sharing on Instagram @knitstars with behind-the-scenes peeks into their collaborative design processes. There will be tutorials and a ton of fun along the way, culminating in a Knit Along in the New Year to benefit @gary_knits_gary_rides 2023 AIDS Lifecycle fundraiser.

Today at 4pm ET, join us for a FREE public Yarniverse LIVE with our Pros and Ams – Nina Machlin Dayton, Louis Boria, Malinda Lesko and Gary Boston.

Click here to register free and join us live today, Sunday, December 10th at 4pm ET!

Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers and Onions

OK y’all, I have officially found the easiest dinner recipe on the planet! All you need is fully-cooked sausage (we used cooked chicken sausage, Italian-style from Publix) plus peppers, onion, tomatoes and some spices. This was ready in under 15 minutes flat! You make it under the broiler so it’s lightning fast, and clean up is even faster. (Photo and recipe credit: TheMeditteraneanDish.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pound fully cooked chicken sausage links, mild or spicy
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored and cut into thin strips
• 1 large green pepper, cored and cut into thin strips
• 1 red onion, halved then sliced (half moons)
• 1 pound grape or cherry tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• Few sprigs fresh thyme, about ⅛ ounce
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• Kosher salt
• Black Pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Set your oven to the broil function and arrange a rack about 6 inches or so from the heat source.
2. Score the sausage links in several places but do not cut all the way through.
3. Place the bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes in a mixing bowl. Add garlic, fresh thyme, oregano, paprika, a large pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil (a generous drizzle of 3 to 4 tablespoon or enough to coat the veggies well), and toss to make sure the vegetables are well-coated.
4. Arrange the vegetables in one layer on a large baking sheet. Add the sausage, nestling the sausage links between the spread veggies.
5. Slide the baking sheet under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes (watching carefully) until the veggies have softened and the sausage is looking nicely charred.