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

🤍 A very personal bind-off

This week’s newsletter is a hard one to write, and yet I write it with so much joy in my heart. The same kind of joy that happens when you’ve been working on a beautiful project for years, and it finally comes time to bind off. As I write this, I’m in the final stages…
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🧶How can one row look this good? 👀

Believe it or not, this scarf is a 1-row repeat. 🤯 When I read that, I honestly didn’t quite believe it. But it’s true. This pattern called SØLV by Season 3 Knit Star Cecelia Campochiaro is a one-row pattern repeated over and over, except for the increases and decreases at the ends of alternating rows…
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🧶Ann + Kay bust a knitting myth

Have you ever thought of knitters as lonely? In Knit Stars Masterclass Season 3, Ann + Kay of Modern Daily Knitting set out to bust a bunch of knitting myths… Like “You must always finish what you start.” And “Garter stitch is boring.” And “Knitting is a lonely, solitary activity.” I don’t know about you…
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Arne + Carlos’ mind-blowing tip 🤯

Norwegian purl! 🤯 A few years back when we debuted Knit Stars Masterclass Season 3, Arne + Carlos showed us how they make the Norwegian purl. And all around the world, knitters who had always been stumped by the continental purl said a collective “OOOOH AAAAHHHHHH…” After all, lots of us love the continental knit stitch…
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🧶Caitlin’s tip + your perfect spring sweater

Have you ever knit a whole sweater in a weekend? Our new Knit Stars project manager, Sunnie, just finished this Brookline Blouse – in two days! And, while we don’t recommend the circumstances that led to her speed-knitting this sweater, we do highly recommend the project. In fact, it’s leapfrogged straight to the front of my…
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🧶 GG’s tip: Bring an extra bag!

Click for a special message from GG. Longtime readers know, I opened our very first yarn shop 16 years ago with this idea I called the “Hot Loops Wall.” After years of being frustrated, leaving yarn shops empty-handed because I couldn’t find cute project ideas to go with the yarns… I thought, why not build…
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🧶 It was 3 years in the making…

It was 3 years ago, at Vogue Knitting Live 2019. That’s the last time that Gaye “GG” Glasspie and Adella Colvin (@lolabeanyarnco) were together in the same room. For the past 3 years, nearly every day, they’ve talked, texted or gone live together on Instagram. But the pandemic – and life – have kept them…
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🧶 Spring’s “it” top with Tamara’s Tip

Don’t you just feel like dancing after that record-smashing Hot Loops Wall Reveal? 💃 This community came forward in a BIG way to show love for the Iconic Orange Lady (and still is showing up!). GG admitted she was a little nervous that you wouldn’t embrace her “orange-forward” project wall – and you showed up and showed out!!!…
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🧶 Your Season 7 Stars 📣

It’s Knit Stars teacher announcement day! 🤩 We are ecstatic to finally be able to announce the names of our Season 7 Knit Stars. The theme for Season 7 is “Texture + Wonder,” and we can’t wait for these innovative, inspiring Stars to share their personal “yarnstories” and workshops that will truly transform your knitting life.…
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🧶 Colorful Summer Knits ☀️

Building color palettes can be a learned skill, especially with colors you don’t typically wear. But have no fear; Beata Jezek from Season 2 of Knit Stars will help you gain confidence in your color pairing skills and give you the tools to create a stunning color palette for your next project! Photo by @chrisstrickt on Ravelry.…
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🧶 A beautiful beach day!

Do you ever wish someone would throw you a knitting lifeline? Then you’re going to love this week’s tip from Andrea Mowry’s Season 2 Knit Stars workshop. If you ever find yourself getting a bit nervous with a new stitch or a long pattern repeat, worrying that you might have to frog it back, do yourself…
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🧶 Foolproof fair isle with Alexa

Trusting your gut can be hard. Especially when a Fair Isle project is on the line… This week, Season 2 Star Alexa Ludeman of Tin Can Knits brings you a foolproof tip for making sure your colors have enough contrast to pop! Photo credit: Caitlin Hunter The best way to get good at Fair Isle…
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🧶 Go jogless with Veera!

If you’re like me, this time of year you find yourself putting aside those grey knits of winter, and reaching for all the color! Whether you’re an experienced colorwork enthusiast, or you’re just looking to dip your toe into multi-color projects for the first time, stripes are a great way to go… And no one knows…
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🧶Andrea M’s burrito trick

So, funny story.  A few months back, I was scrolling the ‘gram when a photo of yarn stopped me in my tracks. It was a colorway inspired by the movie “Coco.” And I’m not sure if it was my memories from the movie or the absolutely breathtaking depth and balance of that color… But I…
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🧶 Hannah’s organization tips

If you’re like me, just looking at cool storage solutions makes me feel calmer… So whether today’s message inspires you to organize your needles and notions, or it just provides some eye candy for your Sunday, our mission will be accomplished. 🤗 Let’s get it rolling with this 3-minute video clip with Hannah Thiessen from Knit Stars Season 4.…
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🧶The “missing link” color

Do you ever find yourself in a color rut? Wishing you could push your own color envelope…but afraid to invest in the yarn without knowing for sure how it will turn out? It happens to all of us. There’s comfort in the familiar. And when we’re drawn to a project, it’s often because of the color. So…
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🧶Andrea’s colorwork tips

This is the “do what the Knit Star says, not what I do” edition. 🙃 In Season 3, Knit Star Andrea Rangel shared some simple, but critical stranded colorwork tips. Watch this 2-minute clip for her “stop and spread,” “block before you judge” and most importantly, “colorwork gauge” tips. In my defense, I did swatch before starting “The Owen…
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🧶Bulky yarn goes glam

As beginners, we’re often drawn to bulky yarn. We love the look. Even more, we love the idea of speed. “I’ve got a shot at actually finishing this project!” we think. But I’ve noticed, as we progress in our journeys, we can tend to leave bulkies behind. Thinking they look too beginner or even too…
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🧶 Easy fix for those underarm holes

I finished a thing! Well, almost finished.🥴 I still need to close up those little underarm holes on my new Sipila sweater. But the timing is perfect! Because this week’s Knit Stars video tip comes from Masterclass Season #2 Star Alexa Ludeman of Tin Can Knits. It’s a one-minute fix for neatly sewing up those pesky holes…
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🧶 5 complimentary patterns in our bespoke chunky yarn

Through the years, our Knit Stars have survived some pretty intense filming conditions. But so far, I think Martha Wissing takes the cake! We filmed Martha’s Knit Stars workshop at 15,000 feet, at the Pacomarca sustainable alpaca network HQ. If you own Season 4 of our Masterclass series, watch Martha’s segment closely. You’ll hear the…
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