Do you remember when you first learned to knit or crochet, and you thought just ONE pair of needles or hook was all you needed?

🤣🤣🤣

Those were the days, right? Ignorance is bliss!

Who knew you would amass so many tools…circulars, double points, interchangeables, all different kinds of materials from bamboo to metal to rosewood…

And then the notions. OMG! You start with one cute little notions pouch and then before you know it they’re filling every nook and cranny of your house.

Amiright? I know you feel me on this!

It used to drive me really batty, until I found a solution about 20 years ago at – of all places – my local fishing supply store, where I stumbled onto this thing called a “tackle binder.”

It wasn’t pretty, but it had these little ziplock bags where I could store all my circular needles on one side, and my double-points on the other side. I was in organizational heaven. 😍

Throughout my last 20 years as a yarn shop owner, I was always on the lookout for needle storage. But nothing was as useful as my humble little tackle binder.

So finally, I decided to make my own, but better.

Introducing the Knit Stars Needle Keeper System.

It holds everything, with separate compartments for circulars, double-points, and notions.

You can customize it to your own collection with the glitzy little cards that slide into the pocket of each zippered bag.

And it has four separate pockets for things like notions and crochet hooks.

You can even pop your interchangeable sets right inside!

This truly has been a life-changing gift to myself. Now that I have a single place for everything, and everything in its place…I always know exactly where to go for tools and notions. It’s even made me more disciplined about putting my WIPs on holders and returning the needles to my case where they belong.

As a result, I no longer do what I used to…which was run out and buy my 100th pair of size #7’s because all of my 7’s were stuck in my WIPs all over the house. 😳

The new Knit Stars needle systems are on their way to our warehouse, expected in the next couple of weeks.

I really want you to experience the same freedom I’ve gained from having all my tools so neatly organized.

So as an extra incentive, as our Black-Friday-Cyber-Monday special…we are offering the Needle System Pre-order for $97, and we will include a Knit Stars Blocking System (complete with how-to video) AND a digital copy of my first book, Untangled: A step-by-step guide to joy and success for the modern love lover, both free.

The book has practical guides to organizing your stash, plus a great section on joyful holiday gift-making (and a bunch of great patterns, too).

This set also makes a terrific gift for any maker (or potential new knitter) on your list.

Click here to pre-order. And bring on the joy!

xoxo,

🙏Super quick favor 🙏

If you haven’t already…would you please click the emoji below that best describes where you are in your fiber journey right now?

Your link will take you to a quick form, and when you fill it out I’ll thank you by giving you access to one of my all-time favorite Loops patterns. It will be super helpful, so thanks in advance! ❤️

🧶 I ONLY knit

😎 I MOSTLY knit, and do SOME crochet

🥰 I MOSTLY crochet, and do SOME knitting

🪝 I ONLY crochet

I’m almost to the finish line on my Enchanted Forest pullover for the Knit Collage KAL! Will I make it in time for Thanksgiving with Luke in rural Nebraska??? I’ll be knitting til the cows come home, literally! Tune in to next week’s newsletter to find out.

I’m all caught up on “Yellowstone” and “Lioness” (sooo good!), so I needed something new to watch, and Gaye Glasspie @ggmadeit got me hooked on “Cross.” This beanie Alex was wearing in a scene from Season 1 grabbed my eye…

So I headed to Ravelry and found a couple of great, free patterns. I love a good textured hat knit for the wintertime! “Jason’s Cashmere Hat” is by Melissa Thomson, and “Lake Reed” is by Asita Krebs.

And here’s a crochet version – it’s even called “Very Cross Hat” !! – by Sarah Cole.

Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts

My good friend Tina came over for dinner last night. She doesn’t eat meat or fish, so I had to search a bit to find the perfect recipe. And I came across this one I used to make on repeat for my family on “Meatless Mondays.” It is such a good one! And almost embarrassingly simple.

Tina took one bite and said, “Oh my gosh, you could serve this at a restaurant for $35.” And even with today’s grocery prices, you can make it for a whole lot less! 😀

Ingredients:

• 1 pound brussels sprouts (or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or even cabbage)
• 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
• ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 (18-ounce) package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 6 pieces
• ½ teaspoon honey
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Instructions:

1. Trim and halve the brussels sprouts. Using a vegetable peeler, peel thick strips of lemon zest, then coarsely chop. (You should have about 2 teaspoons chopped zest.)
2. In a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add the brussels sprouts, season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then arrange the brussels sprouts in an even layer, cut side down. Scatter the lemon zest over the top and cook, undisturbed, until the brussels sprouts are well browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red-pepper flakes, stir, and cook until the brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Break up any gnocchi that are stuck together, add them to the pan and cook, covered and undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the butter and honey, season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the butter is golden, nutty smelling, and foaming, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the brussels sprouts until warmed through. Serve with grated Parmesan.