KNIT STARS BLOG!

šŸ§¶How to take a compliment

My whole life, Iā€™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 minuteā€¦Iā€™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

šŸ§¶The most important one

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

šŸ§¶The no that launched thousands of yeses

Pull up a chair and get comfy, because this week I have a little longer yarn that Iā€™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

šŸ§¶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, thereā€™s one customer comment thatā€™s my absolute favorite to readā€¦ ā€œThis workshop alone was worth the price of admission for the whole Season!ā€ And of course I feel that way about…
Read More

šŸ§¶Is this a “crazy” idea?

This week, letā€™s talk a bit about ā€œcrazyā€ 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

šŸ§¶Join the inner circle

You know how last week I talked about dissolving the ā€œnotsā€ in our knitting? Well this week, itā€™s confession time. Because there was an insidious ā€œnotā€ 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

šŸ§¶Goodbye, nots!

Lately Iā€™ve been doing some deep thinking – about knots. Youā€™re a Yarnie, so you know the feeling. Youā€™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

šŸ§¶Your next capsule wardrobe

Itā€™s that time of year when my WIPs begin that eternal battle with one anotherā€¦ Crank out one more crochet crop for those last dog days of summerā€¦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

šŸ§¶Do you wanna go faster? šŸŽ¢

The year was circa 1978. It was my first time visiting Bellā€™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. ā€œThe Himalayaā€ was one of those rides where the cars fly around in a…
Read More

šŸ§¶A different kind of love story

Iā€™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

šŸ§¶What a surprise!

Striking my best Olympic pose after finishing my new crochet top! Hey there, If youā€™re like me, now that the Olympics is over, youā€™re looking for your next escape. Iā€™ve been thinking, and itā€™s occurred to me that every Knit Stars Masterclass is like three of my favorite escapes, all rolled into one. Thereā€™s the…
Read More

šŸ§¶Turn stash into kindness

Dear reader, this week Iā€™d like to introduce you to a real life Soap Star. šŸ¤© 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

šŸ§¶ Get to know Emma

I first saw Emma Fassioā€™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

šŸ§¶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. ā€œWe all got sent home, and I was on Teams calls all day every day. I have ADHD so I was struggling to…
Read More

šŸ§¶Something new is bloomingā€¦

Happy Sunday, beautiful reader! Do you ever have those moments like I do, when youā€™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 youā€™re ok? This past week I had one of those moments, and (after assuring said…
Read More

šŸ§¶Sprinkle that stuff on everythingā€¦

TW: ThisĀ weekā€™sĀ newsletter includesĀ sensitive mental health topics. Sending all of our love our beautiful readers, family and friendsĀ ā¤ļø.Ā  ā€œI 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.ā€ These are the wise words of…
Read More

šŸ§¶Back in the saddle

Hello dear reader, Howā€™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 Iā€™m up in the air, upside down,…
Read More

šŸ§¶ Gratitude – in any language

Toto, weā€™re not at the beach house anymore. Weā€™re near the ā€˜beech houseā€ 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 Fellerā€™s house in Cork, Ireland. Every Knit Stars Season is a wonderful adventure, and this year…
Read More

šŸ§¶Now heā€™s dancing with his fingers

We talk a lot around here about how yarn can change lives. Weā€™ve seen it in action a million times over, in small ways and bigger ways. But this weekā€™s storyā€¦well, this one hits differently. Yarn didnā€™t just change Thomas Gregoryā€™s life. It saved it. Thomas Gregory (@gregorystitch) came to my awareness last year by…
Read More

šŸ§¶Behold, the future of patterns

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

šŸ§¶How to take a compliment

My whole life, Iā€™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 minuteā€¦Iā€™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

šŸ§¶The most important one

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

šŸ§¶The no that launched thousands of yeses

Pull up a chair and get comfy, because this week I have a little longer yarn that Iā€™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

šŸ§¶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, thereā€™s one customer comment thatā€™s my absolute favorite to readā€¦ ā€œThis workshop alone was worth the price of admission for the whole Season!ā€ And of course I feel that way about…
Read More

šŸ§¶Is this a “crazy” idea?

This week, letā€™s talk a bit about ā€œcrazyā€ 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

šŸ§¶Join the inner circle

You know how last week I talked about dissolving the ā€œnotsā€ in our knitting? Well this week, itā€™s confession time. Because there was an insidious ā€œnotā€ 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

šŸ§¶Goodbye, nots!

Lately Iā€™ve been doing some deep thinking – about knots. Youā€™re a Yarnie, so you know the feeling. Youā€™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

šŸ§¶Your next capsule wardrobe

Itā€™s that time of year when my WIPs begin that eternal battle with one anotherā€¦ Crank out one more crochet crop for those last dog days of summerā€¦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

šŸ§¶Do you wanna go faster? šŸŽ¢

The year was circa 1978. It was my first time visiting Bellā€™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. ā€œThe Himalayaā€ was one of those rides where the cars fly around in a…
Read More

šŸ§¶A different kind of love story

Iā€™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

šŸ§¶What a surprise!

Striking my best Olympic pose after finishing my new crochet top! Hey there, If youā€™re like me, now that the Olympics is over, youā€™re looking for your next escape. Iā€™ve been thinking, and itā€™s occurred to me that every Knit Stars Masterclass is like three of my favorite escapes, all rolled into one. Thereā€™s the…
Read More

šŸ§¶Turn stash into kindness

Dear reader, this week Iā€™d like to introduce you to a real life Soap Star. šŸ¤© 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

šŸ§¶ Get to know Emma

I first saw Emma Fassioā€™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

šŸ§¶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. ā€œWe all got sent home, and I was on Teams calls all day every day. I have ADHD so I was struggling to…
Read More

šŸ§¶Something new is bloomingā€¦

Happy Sunday, beautiful reader! Do you ever have those moments like I do, when youā€™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 youā€™re ok? This past week I had one of those moments, and (after assuring said…
Read More

šŸ§¶Sprinkle that stuff on everythingā€¦

TW: ThisĀ weekā€™sĀ newsletter includesĀ sensitive mental health topics. Sending all of our love our beautiful readers, family and friendsĀ ā¤ļø.Ā  ā€œI 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.ā€ These are the wise words of…
Read More

šŸ§¶Back in the saddle

Hello dear reader, Howā€™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 Iā€™m up in the air, upside down,…
Read More

šŸ§¶ Gratitude – in any language

Toto, weā€™re not at the beach house anymore. Weā€™re near the ā€˜beech houseā€ 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 Fellerā€™s house in Cork, Ireland. Every Knit Stars Season is a wonderful adventure, and this year…
Read More

šŸ§¶Now heā€™s dancing with his fingers

We talk a lot around here about how yarn can change lives. Weā€™ve seen it in action a million times over, in small ways and bigger ways. But this weekā€™s storyā€¦well, this one hits differently. Yarn didnā€™t just change Thomas Gregoryā€™s life. It saved it. Thomas Gregory (@gregorystitch) came to my awareness last year by…
Read More

šŸ§¶Behold, the future of patterns

Are you a sticky notes knitter? A highlighter hooker? Or maybe youā€™re a washi-tape wonder? šŸ¤© At various points in my 4 decades as a Yarnie, Iā€™ve been all of the above. As Iā€™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

šŸ§¶So GG, Casapinka and Joji walk into a yarn shopā€¦

So GG, Casapinka and Joji walk into a yarn shopā€¦ OK, it may sound like a joke, but I assure you itā€™s REAL. Three living yarn legends – Gaye Glasspie, Casapinka and Joji Locatelli! – are all going to be part of our upcoming Season 8 Sneak-Peek Screening event, September 9 from 1-5pm ET.And did…
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šŸ§¶She talked him down from $10,000

WHOA y’all! The first day we opened registration, we had more than 1,000 yarnies sign up! (And lots of you added the All-In VIP package, too – thank you! ā¤ļø) In case you missed it, hereā€™s what is happening the weekend of September 9thā€¦ šŸ“½FREE 4-hour Masterclass Premiere Screening Party – sign up for the…
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šŸ§¶Level up your yarn game – itā€™s on us!

Happy Yarnday, Mandy! I donā€™t know about you, but itā€™s not often I finish a Work In Progress ahead of scheduleā€¦ šŸ˜… But thatā€™s exactly whatā€™s happened with our next Knit Stars Masterclass Premiere Season! The Stars of our upcoming Premiere Masterclass Season and our stellar production team have truly leveled up this year. The…
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šŸ§¶An ode to a yarn car

She was such a good girl. I got her in May 2010, on a car carrier from California. She only had a few thousand miles on her. I knitted a swatch with bulky white yarn. Brent scanned it and designed a wrap. And the Loopsmobile was born. I had never really been a ā€œcar person.ā€…
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šŸ§¶Knitting and the northā€¦pole?

Sometimes our Stars have hobbies outside of fiber arts that surprise us in the best possible way. During our pre-production meeting with upcoming Season 8 Star HĆ©lĆØne MagnĆŗsson, I casually asked what she does when she’s not knitting up gorgeous traditional Icelandic lopi sweaters. Her answer surprised and delighted us. ā€œWell, thereā€™s the pole!ā€ HĆ©lĆØne…
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šŸ§¶Sneaking in stitches

Have you ever snuck away to a hiding place to knit, dear reader? The carā€¦the craft closetā€¦maybe even the bathroom? When my kids were small, I would make deals with myself. Iā€™d allow myself to knit after all the laundry was done (but is laundry really ever done???) or if I got the kids in…
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šŸ§¶Your closetā€™s new favorite accessory

A few months ago, Sophie took the world by storm. It was easy to see why. She was classically chic. Feminine. And simple, in the best possible way. Photo by PetiteKnit The Sophie Scarf by PetiteKnit is worked back and forth from tip to tip, in simple garter stitch (all knit stitches) with an easy,…
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šŸ§¶ A rookie mistake we can all learn from

Hello dear reader, This is so embarrassing! After 30 years of knitting sweaters – due to an absolute brain fart – I made a rookie mistake and had to completely start over on my Balloon Cardigan. šŸ¤¦ā€ā™€ļø I know a bunch of you have cast on to make your own beautiful Balloon Cardi along with…
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šŸ§¶Is it time to make your mark?

  Whatā€™s on your summer reading list right now? I just finished up ā€œLessons in Chemistryā€ by Bonnie Garmus which was a fun and feminist beach-read break from my usual nonfiction reads. To me, the long, lazier days of summer are a great time to depart from the norm and read something you wouldnā€™t usually…
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šŸ§¶Cast on with me?

  Hot Luke and I are not moving to Montana, yā€™all. Not that thereā€™s anything wrong with Montana. Itā€™s just that, for more than a year, weā€™ve lived in a 300-sq-ft temporary space in South Florida where I didnā€™t know a soul, and he left each morning before sunrise and returned after sunset from the…
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šŸ§¶Summertime and the knittinā€™ is easy

  This past week, I was in Tulsa, hanging out with the awesome Flagship crew. If you havenā€™t been in lately to chat with my kind and helpful teammates, pet the new Hot Loops projects and get a heapinā€™ helpinā€™ of inspiration, youā€™re overdue! ā° To give our team a bit more ease and flow…
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šŸ§¶Fabulousness and Fuwa Fuwa

If you take nothing else away from this weekā€™s newsletter, let it be this: Go follow the fabulous Nancy Ricci @gettingpurlywithit. This woman knows how to squeeze the most juice out of life! For the online debut of the new Hot Loops Wall collection last week, Nancy put on a knockout black gown and mixed…
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šŸ§¶The new Hot Loops Wall is here! šŸ”„

It all started 18 years ago this week, with a dream and an idea. A dream to build a more modern, friendlier yarn shop. And an idea to build a whole wall of yarn where you could find a great project, fast. Last night we debuted our 35th Hot Loops Wall. And thanks to the…
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šŸ§¶ Ode to a reluctant model

This week, as weā€™re scurrying around preparing to reveal ourĀ 37th Hot Loops project wallā€¦ The ā€œOGā€ Hot Loops model is graduating from college. Since we opened the doors of our first yarn store in 2005, youā€™ve watched my youngest, Mallory, grow up. Funny story: Mal has always been a bit of a reluctant model. At…
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šŸ§¶ Guess whoā€™s the featured dyer for the spring Hot Loops wall

Hello yarn lovers! Call me smitten. Call me a proud mama. Together, weā€™ve done it again – weā€™ve created quite a stir in the yarn world! Hundreds have joined the newĀ Knit Stars YarniverseĀ since we rolled it out. I love what Ash has to sayā€¦ ā€œIt is so refreshing and humbling to be a part of…
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šŸ§¶Shortest newsletter of the year

Hello fellow Yarnie! I hope this weekā€™s newsletter finds you well and ensconced in at least one delicious project. Personally, I must confess Iā€™ve made exactly zero stitches this week. The reasonā€¦ Last week, Hot Luke and I packed up and moved from South Florida to Northwest Florida, and this week, his boss wants us…
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šŸ§¶The BIG revealā€¦

This past week Instagram has been abuzz as the yet-to-be revealed Knit Stars MasterclassĀ Season 8 Stars dropped cryptic hints on their feeds. Did you catch any of them? Itā€™s been sooo delightfully difficultĀ to keep it all under wraps for the better part of a year – all the hush-hush planning, the squeals of delight, and…
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šŸ§¶When you need a baby blanket yesterday…

I can barely stand it… Itā€™s almost time!!! In just a couple of days, the Stars for our upcomingĀ Masterclass Season 8 premiereĀ will start dropping hints on Instagramā€¦ And then this Friday April 21 theyā€™ll all announce together on Instagram – and Earlybird signups will begin! Weā€™ve all kept this secret for almost a year, which…
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šŸŽThe gift you gave Louis

Just two years ago, Louis Boria was working full-time in a hospital, repeatedly getting sick with COVID while trying to keep his fledgling knit design business afloat. Sure, heā€™d had a big break – a broadway star snapped a photo of Louis while he was knitting on a Brooklyn subway, and the photo went viral.…
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šŸŽ All new, for you

ā€œI just felt flat,ā€ Gin admitted. ā€œAll through lockdown, knitting kept me sane. But I hadnā€™t felt excitement about knitting in a long time. I thought, something has to change. I need some joy in my life.ā€ How about you? Could you use more joy and creativity in your life?Ā  For the past few years,…
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