Mandy Sieja

It’s that time of year when my WIPs begin that eternal battle with one another… Crank out one more crochet crop for those last dog days of summer…Or cast on a new knit sweater in fall hues??? Right now for me, the latter is winning out – especially after I took a peek at the…

The year was circa 1978. It was my first time visiting Bell’s Amusement Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was nervous to ride Zingo, the big wooden roller coaster. So I decided to work up my courage on an easier ride first. “The Himalaya” was one of those rides where the cars fly around in a…

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…

Striking my best Olympic pose after finishing my new crochet top! Hey there, If you’re like me, now that the Olympics is over, you’re looking for your next escape. I’ve been thinking, and it’s occurred to me that every Knit Stars Masterclass is like three of my favorite escapes, all rolled into one. There’s the…

Dear reader, this week I’d like to introduce you to a real life Soap Star. 🤩 Stacy Wiener is the founder of S.A.C.K. – Supporting A Community with Kindness. She was nominated by TWO of our Yarniverse members to be a Rising Star – and in the exact same month that I found out about…

I first saw Emma Fassio’s name many years ago, on a pattern my friend Gina Hills was working on. Many of you might remember Gina, a manager at our Loops stores for more than a decade. Gina was (still is) a style inspiration of mine, a big fan of iconic Italian fashion houses like Missoni.…

Jamie Lomax took up knitting in 2020 as a COVID hobby. She was working as a senior project manager for a large retail and food service company in Seattle at the time. “We all got sent home, and I was on Teams calls all day every day. I have ADHD so I was struggling to…

Happy Sunday, beautiful reader! Do you ever have those moments like I do, when you’re scrolling social media, and an image makes you stop and audibly gasp – causing anyone else in your household to run in and see if you’re ok? This past week I had one of those moments, and (after assuring said…

TW: This week’s newsletter includes sensitive mental health topics. Sending all of our love our beautiful readers, family and friends ❤️.  “I had two options. I could either let it wreck me and disrupt my life, or I could inspire myself and others, share my story, and use it to help raise awareness.” These are the wise words of…

Hello dear reader, How’s it going in your creative world? These past few weeks have been even more whirlwind-y than usual for me, as Knit Stars Season 9 filming has kicked into high gear. I made a commitment to go to all the filmings this year, which means I’m up in the air, upside down,…

Toto, we’re not at the beach house anymore. We’re near the ‘beech house” in Cork, Ireland! I snapped a pic of this charming home with a spectacular garden, just up the road from Knit Stars Season 9 Star Carol Feller’s house in Cork, Ireland. Every Knit Stars Season is a wonderful adventure, and this year…

Are you a sticky notes knitter? A highlighter hooker? Or maybe you’re a washi-tape wonder? 🤩 At various points in my 4 decades as a Yarnie, I’ve been all of the above. As I’ve progressed (and my eyesight has regressed) I find myself using all kinds of tricks to keep my place and track the…

This week I invite you to ponder a simple question: What’s your Big Y? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I know that yarn, creativity, and connection are important to me. Some days, it feels more important than food or even air. But WHY? And how does that intersect with other people’s big…

Tan and Tipsy Top” by Knitting Tipsy Y’all know I’ve always been a fan of summer knitting. First to get through the scorching Oklahoma summers, and in the beachy Florida scene year-round! 🌞 So when I saw that Season 8 Knit Star Chelsea (@knittingtipsy) and Bri (@thelittlewolfknits) were starting up their popular Hot Stitch Makealong…

The Shift” by Andrea Mowry. I have to confess, I’ve been holding out a little on you. By now you’ve seen that our theme for Knit Stars Season 9 is “Permission to Shine.” What I haven’t shared is the story behind the story of the theme. And this week, when Gabi made this post in…

You know the old Irish blessing, right? “May the road rise up to meet you…” Well when you’re traveling and filming for Knit Stars, sometimes the road does rise up to meet you. Other times, it roars up and rears back like a giant hissing snake and bites you in the butt. And that, my…

What’s almost as exciting as learning who your Stars will be for an upcoming Knit Stars Season Premiere? (Well okay, maybe even more exciting?) It’s finding out which amazing makers our Stars have chosen to partner with, and the exclusive yarns, kits, and bags (yes I said bags, PLURAL 👜👜💃🏽🎉) that our Earlybird enrollees get…

Did you catch it, ? That subtle shift in the energy of the yarn world… …the sun breaking through the clouds… …the stars shining a little more brightly in the sky…? You guessed it! The Stars of our upcoming Knit Stars Premiere Season have announced they’re teaching in Season 9: Permission to Shine! 💫🎉💃🏽🕺🧶 This…

I have a confession… I’m a little obsessed with stickers. 🤓 Ever since I saw Gaye “GG” Glasspie posting about how she collects stickers and uses them in her journal each day…I thought, what a fun way to jazz up my planner! And yet somehow, I’ve resisted buying stickers for myself. It may sound silly,…

I hope you’re having a fabulous week and making some time just for you – to make, to watch Knit Stars videos, or simply to relax. 😌 This week I have a special treat for you. I caught up with Joji Locatelli. ❤️ She and I had been going back and forth, doing some secret…