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 in.

You quite possibly curse the yarn maker under your breath. (It’s okay, we’ve all done it!)

We can’t control those knots. But there is something we can control: the NOTS.

Do any of these sound familiar?

I’m not a fast knitter.
I’m not good enough to make a sweater.
I’m not really creative.
I’m not ever going to steek.
I’m not interested in crochet.

How many patterns have you fallen in love with…but then decided to skip because of one of your “nots?”

Now on the other hand…can you think of the last time you decided to take on something new, something you’d been avoiding. Remember when you overcame it, how good that felt?!

When we take on our “nots” and dissolve them, we’re re-wiring our brains. To use the fancy word, we’re developing neuroplasticity. To put it more plainly, we move on from being stuck in old thinking patterns, and we’re able to think more freely, more fluidly.

Making – and life! – become more joyful.

 Äsa Söderman in her life-changing seamless Ziggurat sweater design from Knit Stars Knit Stars Season 5.

There are lots of ways to develop your neuroplasticity. My friend Michael does it with kitesurfing. Though he’s spent tens of thousands of dollars in gear and travel, and even though it can be life-threatening…he sees it as the best investment he’s ever made.

Lucky you! Lucky me! We can get the same benefits with a simple ball of yarn. Just by acknowledging the NOTS we’ve been avoiding and taking them head-on. ❤️

And one of the best ways I know of to dissolve all of your NOTS is Knit Stars Masterclasses.

With the gentle guidance of the world’s most brilliant teachers, you can work through any block, returning to the class again and again, until you own that technique.

If you’re one of our readers who has not yet allowed yourself to invest in a Knit Stars Season, I have a great solution for you. A way to get immediate access to every Masterclass we’ve produced, all at once. Imagine every single one of your NOTS dissolving all at once!

It’s called the Golden Ticket.

With a Golden Ticket purchase, you get all 9 Knit Stars Seasons, plus instant All Star status and bonuses. Rather than $97 for a single workshop, or $47 per workshop with a Season purchase, you’re getting all the workshops for less than $17 each.

And to make it easier, we just added new pay-over-time options. You’ll find them when you checkout, here. 😘

Cheers to neuroplasticity!

xoxo,

If you’re a Yarniverse member, you’ve hopefully heard about our new Capsule Travel Wardrobe kits. I’m sooooo excited to get started!

For our next 4 Quarterly Yarniverse Kits, we’ll be building a versatile me-made wardrobe to take the guesswork out of packing (so we can focus more on packing our yarn, right?! 😅)

Our first kit will be a chic, lightweight, architectural scarf/wrap designed by Nancy Ricci. I just saw the finished piece and OH MY. That color. That design. So good!

We’re closing pre-orders this Tuesday so if you’re a Yarniverse member and want in, click here.

Mitzi just finished this “Mellow Tee” by w i e s e k n i t – how cute are these flutter sleeves?

With a loose fit and lightweight fingering gauge, it’s a perfect transitional now-into-fall piece.

Check it out on Ravelry here!

Photo by w i e s e k n i t

Photo and Recipe courtesy of HalfbakedHarvest

Toasted Marshmallow Brown Sugar Cookie Bars

This week, I was hit by a sweet tooth and found myself craving something cozy and fall-ish. As always, it’s HalfBakedHarvest.com to the rescue! Like me, Tieghan says “Nine times out of ten, if you ask me to make a marshmallow dessert I will decline.” Too sugary for me. But these cookie bars involve a step that toasts the marshmallows, plus there is browned butter and chocolate. The combined effect is toasty, cozy and oh-so-autumn. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1-2 cups marshmallows
• flaky sea salt

Instructions:

1. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat, cook until the butter begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Let sit 10-15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
3. To the browned butter, whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Press half the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Switch the oven to broil. Arrange the marshmallows over the pre-baked cookie. Broil for 1-3 minutes until the marshmallows are toasted to your liking. Return the oven to 350° F
5. Using your hands, flatten the remaining cookie dough and lay it over the marshmallows, covering them as best you can. It’s OK if the cookie dough doesn’t cover all the marshmallows. Return the cookies to the oven. Bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the top is set up.
6. Let the cookies hang 10 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift them out. You can let them chill or cut into them. If they’re warm, they will be messier, but so DELISH!