| May 11, 2025

đŸ§¶Calling all Yarnie ambassadors 😎

BY SHELLEY BRANDER

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Something magic happens when Yarnies meet up IRL (In Real Life).

It’s why I opened a yarn shop just over 20 years ago
I loved the connections and conversations that unfolded on our comfy couch.

And now that we’ve built this global community with Yarnies in 65 countries and counting


I find myself craving that in-person connection more and more.

So we’ve decided to do “a thing.”

This July 18-20, we’ll be holding our first worldwide meet-up! đŸŒŽđŸ§¶â€ïžđŸŽ‰

We’re calling it the Big Knit Stars Meet-up and we’re inviting our Knit Stars community to gather in-person, with local meet-ups happening all over the world.

And we’d love for you to be a Big Knit Stars Meet-Up Ambassador!

This is your chance to help shape the event and be a part of something global and magical. Ambassadors choose the location in their area (using guidelines we provide) and choose the date and time – any day from July 18-20. We take care of the invites, communication and format, so you can just relax and enjoy the experience.

In return, Ambassadors will receive special recognition and thank-you goodies (think discounts and patterns) from Knit Stars and our participating Stars. We’re also thinking of having a fun stitch marker swap at each in-person event. 💖

If you think you might like to participate as an Ambassador, just click below to fill out a quick form. We’ll be in touch with more details soon!

Sign up to be an Ambassador!

xoxo,

 

 

P.S. Wondering if there are many other Yarnies in your area? The answer is probably yes! For instance, someone asked if we have many Knit Stars followers in Ontario, so we looked it up and there are 931! đŸ€Ż

It’s that magic day again
Golden Hour is back!

Golden Hour is actually 24 hours
a whole day when you can get a Knit Stars Golden Ticket at 1/3 off.

What’s a Golden Ticket, you ask? Well I’ll tell you


Like Willie Wonka’s rare metallic ticket stashed inside a chocolate bar
the Golden Ticket is your fast pass directly to owning all the Knit Stars Seasons (and becoming an instant All Star, with all the special access and bonus content that entails) at significant savings.

You can purchase the Golden Ticket and complete your collection no matter how many you’re missing – from one Season up to all 9 Seasons, all at big savings during Golden Hour.

Go here and purchase before midnight Monday, May 12.

In Knit Stars Season 8, HĂ©lĂšne MagnĂșsson shared that she was looking into sourcing the wool to make her “Love Story” yarns directly from farmers in a remote area of Iceland, and improving the quality of the fleece.

“Well, it happened!” HĂ©lĂšne reports. She calls this My Biggest Achievement.

“In my Masterclass, I said that if I wasn’t autistic, I’d probably have long given up on making Love Story because there were so many obstacles, and it seemed impossible. To achieve such a fine (and soft) yarn. It’s indeed the softest and finest Icelandic yarn that exists.”

The Maja Light Cardigan can be made with Fjallaplopi or Katla yarns.
The FrjĂ©okorn Sweater is HĂ©lĂšne’s most popular lopi sweater design and is made with Love Story Einband yarn.

You can learn more and explore all of HĂ©lĂšne’s patterns, kits, yarns and stories at IcelandicKnitter.com

And did you know that after being chosen as a Knit Star, she was featured in the New York Times as well as a documentary about Iceland on BBC News worldwide? You can read the wonderful New York Times story here (may be behind a paywall but still worth the effort to get to it!).

If you missed Knit Stars Season 8 and would like to purchase it, it’s available here.

 

Photo credit New York Times Cooking

Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta with Kale
By Sarah Jampel, New York Times Cooking

My friend Tina has been coming over for dinner more often, which has sent me recipe-diving for vegetarian meals. I came across this on in New York Times food and was impressed by the number of 5-star reviews for a meatless dish. Make it for your next Meatless Monday and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

  • Butter, for greasing the pan
  • 1 pound medium pasta shells or tubes, like conchiglie rigate or penne
  • 1 bunch kale (about 1 pound), ribs removed, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • Âœ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
  • 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
  • About 1 heaping cup coarsely grated Parmesan
  • About 1 heaping cup coarsely grated GruyĂšre
  • About 1 heaping cup coarsely grated Fontina or mozzarella
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purĂ©e
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
  • Âœ teaspoon black pepper
  • Âœ cup heavy cream
  • ÂŒ cup vegetable broth
  • Âœ cup whole-milk ricotta

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 500 degrees and butter a shallow 2-quart/9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 4 minutes, adding the kale for the last minute. Drain the pasta and kale, rinse under cold water, then transfer to a large bowl along with the red-pepper flakes and the chopped herbs.
  3. In a blender, add the pumpkin, garlic, salt, pepper, cream and vegetable broth. Blend until smooth. (If you don’t want to use a blender, add the pumpkin, salt and pepper to a large bowl and use a spoon to break it up into a smooth mixture. Slowly whisk in the cream and vegetable broth until mixture is smooth, then grate in the garlic.) Add the sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Add in most of the grated cheese, reserving about Âœ cup, and stir to coat.
  4. Transfer the pasta into the baking dish, then dollop the ricotta over top and sprinkle remaining grated cheese. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until brown and bubbly. If you want the pasta really browned, broil it for 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully. Allow the dish to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and garnish with additional chopped herbs before serving.

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