KNIT STARS BLOG!

🧶How to take a compliment

My whole life, I’ve struggled with compliments. Not the giving part (I love love love making others feel good), but the accepting part. And to get really vulnerable for a minute…I’ve spent a lot of time in therapy over the years trying to understand why. My therapist has a couple strong theories, going back to…
Read More

🧶The most important one

This feels like the most important newsletter I’ve written all year. I really want to get it right…for you to feel what’s in my heart and for it to touch your own heart, deeply. So here goes… (deep breath)… This past week I met with some dear friends from around the world. We are a…
Read More

🧶The no that launched thousands of yeses

Pull up a chair and get comfy, because this week I have a little longer yarn that I’ve never shared publicly before. When was the last time you had to build up your courage for weeks to ask something of someone you really admired, and they told you no? Or even worse, just ignored you?…
Read More

🧶Revive your whole wardrobe

Happy Sunday! Is there one compliment you love getting more than any other kind? Over the past 9 years of producing Knit Stars Masterclasses, there’s one customer comment that’s my absolute favorite to read… “This workshop alone was worth the price of admission for the whole Season!” And of course I feel that way about…
Read More

🧶Is this a “crazy” idea?

This week, let’s talk a bit about “crazy” ideas. Knit Stars Season 5 was the high Season of COVID. I had planned the ultimate travel bucket list year, with plans to film in Australia, Japan, Mallorca, Copenhagen and points all across North America. It all fell away in a heartbeat as all the countries closed.…
Read More

🧶Join the inner circle

You know how last week I talked about dissolving the “nots” in our knitting? Well this week, it’s confession time. Because there was an insidious “not” that ensnared my first couple decades as a maker. I was NOT going to touch circular knitting! I made dozens of adult and baby sweaters, all seamed. I was…
Read More

🧶Goodbye, nots!

Lately I’ve been doing some deep thinking – about knots. You’re a Yarnie, so you know the feeling. You’re flowing along in the zone on your project, and all of a sudden you hit a dreaded knot. You have to stop, decide whether it can be undone or cut, leaving two more ends to weave…
Read More

🧶Your next capsule wardrobe

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…
Read More

🧶Do you wanna go faster? 🎢

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…
Read More

🧶A different kind of love story

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…
Read More

🧶What a surprise!

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…
Read More

🧶Turn stash into kindness

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…
Read More

🧶 Get to know Emma

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.…
Read More

🧶Catching the Doodle bug

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…
Read More

🧶Something new is blooming…

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…
Read More

🧶Sprinkle that stuff on everything…

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…
Read More

🧶Back in the saddle

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,…
Read More

🧶 Gratitude – in any language

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…
Read More

🧶Now he’s dancing with his fingers

We talk a lot around here about how yarn can change lives. We’ve seen it in action a million times over, in small ways and bigger ways. But this week’s story…well, this one hits differently. Yarn didn’t just change Thomas Gregory’s life. It saved it. Thomas Gregory (@gregorystitch) came to my awareness last year by…
Read More

🧶Behold, the future of patterns

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…
Read More

🧶How to take a compliment

My whole life, I’ve struggled with compliments. Not the giving part (I love love love making others feel good), but the accepting part. And to get really vulnerable for a minute…I’ve spent a lot of time in therapy over the years trying to understand why. My therapist has a couple strong theories, going back to…
Read More

🧶The most important one

This feels like the most important newsletter I’ve written all year. I really want to get it right…for you to feel what’s in my heart and for it to touch your own heart, deeply. So here goes… (deep breath)… This past week I met with some dear friends from around the world. We are a…
Read More

🧶The no that launched thousands of yeses

Pull up a chair and get comfy, because this week I have a little longer yarn that I’ve never shared publicly before. When was the last time you had to build up your courage for weeks to ask something of someone you really admired, and they told you no? Or even worse, just ignored you?…
Read More

🧶Revive your whole wardrobe

Happy Sunday! Is there one compliment you love getting more than any other kind? Over the past 9 years of producing Knit Stars Masterclasses, there’s one customer comment that’s my absolute favorite to read… “This workshop alone was worth the price of admission for the whole Season!” And of course I feel that way about…
Read More

🧶Is this a “crazy” idea?

This week, let’s talk a bit about “crazy” ideas. Knit Stars Season 5 was the high Season of COVID. I had planned the ultimate travel bucket list year, with plans to film in Australia, Japan, Mallorca, Copenhagen and points all across North America. It all fell away in a heartbeat as all the countries closed.…
Read More

🧶Join the inner circle

You know how last week I talked about dissolving the “nots” in our knitting? Well this week, it’s confession time. Because there was an insidious “not” that ensnared my first couple decades as a maker. I was NOT going to touch circular knitting! I made dozens of adult and baby sweaters, all seamed. I was…
Read More

🧶Goodbye, nots!

Lately I’ve been doing some deep thinking – about knots. You’re a Yarnie, so you know the feeling. You’re flowing along in the zone on your project, and all of a sudden you hit a dreaded knot. You have to stop, decide whether it can be undone or cut, leaving two more ends to weave…
Read More

🧶Your next capsule wardrobe

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…
Read More

🧶Do you wanna go faster? 🎢

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…
Read More

🧶A different kind of love story

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…
Read More

🧶What a surprise!

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…
Read More

🧶Turn stash into kindness

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…
Read More

🧶 Get to know Emma

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.…
Read More

🧶Catching the Doodle bug

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…
Read More

🧶Something new is blooming…

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…
Read More

🧶Sprinkle that stuff on everything…

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…
Read More

🧶Back in the saddle

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,…
Read More

🧶 Gratitude – in any language

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…
Read More

🧶Now he’s dancing with his fingers

We talk a lot around here about how yarn can change lives. We’ve seen it in action a million times over, in small ways and bigger ways. But this week’s story…well, this one hits differently. Yarn didn’t just change Thomas Gregory’s life. It saved it. Thomas Gregory (@gregorystitch) came to my awareness last year by…
Read More

🧶Behold, the future of patterns

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…
Read More

Knit Stars

🦔 Ready to get Tweedy? 🦔

Hedgehog Fibers released a *new* base last year with a cool backstory, but it ran out super fast…leaving us all feeling a bit needy for Tweedy…but good news…we just got a fresh shipment. And there’s a new color! “I’m really excited about this new base I’ve been working on for a while,” says HHF owner Beata…
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🔥 Hot Loops Revealed! 🔥

We are feeling that relief when you *finally* get to share an exciting secret! At the fabulous Hot Loops virtual party this weekend, we revealed our TWO indie dyers – Terra of Mitchell’s Creations and Renee of Spun Right Round! Located just north of New Orleans, Terra has quickly grown her dyeing studio into a creative…
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[SCOOP] Go ahead, you deserve it 😘

So many of you joined us for the 7-Day Knit Stars Challenge! Congratulations on making some time just for YOU and your knitting practice. Now, how about an exclusive kit to reward yourself?! We created these kits especially to celebrate YOU, at special savings of more than 30% off. It’s our way of saying thank you…
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[SCOOP] You spin me round… 👩‍🎤🤘🎶

If you’re a fan of ’80s music like me… Our April Pop-Up dyer is going to have you singing along to the ’80s classic “You Spin Me Round” for the rest of the week (sorry not sorry!) 👩‍🎤🤘🎶 Renee Hahnel created Spun Right Round Yarns back in 2009 as a part-time operation, offering hand-dyed fiber…
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[SCOOP] You are the Star 🌟

Some big things are happening in the Loops and Knit Stars worlds. Fifteen years ago, I founded Loops as a local yarn store in Tulsa. Then, 7 years ago, we found a way to turn the Loops experience into a membership called LoopsClub. A year after that came my biggest passion project to date –…
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Your Ticket to Spring Hot Loops! 🔥

When it comes to knitting, we all have our challenges. Whether we’re making our first lopsided scarf… tackling our first steek… or simply just trying to make time for ourselves and our craft. So we’re excited to announce something NEW and FREE: 💫💪🏽The 7-Day Knit Stars Challenge! 💪🏽💫 Each day for 7 Days, we’ll focus on…
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Julie Boydell and Dyed by Hand Yarns

Our featured dyer for this month’s pop-up shop, Julie, lives in a beautiful part of Australia. We asked her to share with us a little more about her part of the world. Read below to learn more about her daily life and what inspires her. I live on a 83acre/33hectare rural property near the little…
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Getting closer 💗

You and me, my friend. We’re the creators. The innovators. We’re the colorful ones pushing the envelope. Making stuff. Getting stuff done. And often, that can mean we get lonely. Never more so than over the past year. So I’d like to take this moment to let you know I see you. I honor your…
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Dyes from Down Under 🐨 + Hedgehog! 🦔

Has this ever happened to you? Has the universe ever seemed to just plop a person directly into your path…and you knew, instantly, that person would become a friend? A couple of weeks ago, a familiar face popped up in our free Knit the World Together Facebook group. She introduced herself to the group, and her…
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Sharon’s knitalong and a freebie 😻

This just in from Sharon from Security… Casapinka has just announced a new Mystery Knitalong! This one might be a little different…Sharon from security (pictured below 😻) had a big hand – paw? – in the design for this new mystery knitalong! The Sharon Show will be an approachable and fun rectangular shawl with four…
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Surprise bags, anyone? 🥳

Who doesn’t like a surprise…a mystery?! Loops loves curating and giving fiber lovers a smile in their mailbox 📫💙 We have a new way to curate and share our fiber love – Surprise Bags! We have four on-trend *effortless* Loops projects for you to choose from…you pick the pattern and we will surprise you with…
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There’s no place like… 👠

It’s kind of a conundrum… You’re looking ahead to sweater weather, but you’re not yet in the mood to work with heavy wools. Loops Trooper Evelyn solved the puzzle with this super-cute, transitional top in Gusto, a lightweight tonal merino dyed especially for Loops! “Tilly” by This.Bird.Knits is a wearable little top with airy lace…
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Give me Liberty [yarn]…and 3 free patterns!😎

Sometimes life can be a tangled skein. You know what I mean… A series of “what the what?!” moments that keep you from getting to the fun part that you love the most. So we’ve made it our mission to do the untangling for you… Coming soon… …wait for it… (Are you excited yet?????) *It’s…
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Knitters find a way ➡️

This week, I was in New York City filming for our upcoming Knit Stars Season 5 release. My decision to travel was not made lightly. Four airplanes. Three airports. A hotel. Cabs and Ubers in a city that’s been so deeply affected by the virus. Would I be a storm chaser heading into the eye…
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Put more rosy in your day ☺️

 “Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on, but you keep going anyway.” – Unknown Knitters find a way. When we find the fortitude to frog back 50 rows. When we forget our cable needle, and find a paper clip does the job in a pinch. We find the strength to…
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Leaning into authenticity 💗

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” -Brene Brown Authenticity is a characteristic that draws people in. It radiates an aura of comfort and confidence. When you find your authentic self, you have the courage to smile back at the mirror…
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Vacay, anyone? 🏝

  Have you had to forgo a vacation this year, thanks to world events? You’re not alone. We feel you. 💗 But there just might be an upside to that lost vacation – a little extra cash sitting in the vacation fund. Might we suggest turning that missed trip into your own personal Cashmere Vacation?…
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New inspo alert 🚨

Welcome to the Fall 2020 Hot Loops Wall! This weekend we announced our new indie dyer of the season… Drumroll pleaseeeeeeee… 🎉🎉 Kim Dyes Yarn! 🎉🎉 Kim has created a collection of bases and hand-dyed colors to wow and inspire us for the whole season, and the Loops Troops have curated and created perfectly paired…
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A Tweed we’re MAD for 😍

Confession time: As a knitter living in a warm climate, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with tweed. I LOVE how it looks – rustic, homespun, textural. I HATE how it feels – scratchy, itchy, rough. But finally, after all these years, a tweed has come along that I’ve fallen truly, MADly, deeply in Loops…
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2 minutes of joy ⏱

We’ve been dreaming and imagining and wondering…and just plain *jumping up and down* in anticipation of Knit Stars 5.0 this fall! Signups for the original, all-online knitting festival, conceived and created each year right here from Loops, are open now… (Have you watched the 2-minute movie trailer? We promise it will fill you with yarn-y…
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