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 even more so for me, as I committed to attend each filming in person this year.

And a funny thing happened when I was in Europe this time – something new I’ve never experienced, that opened up a new wellspring of empathy and appreciation for you + our Knit Stars customers in 50+ countries around the world.

Here’s what happened… The European filming leg for this year’s masterclasses had me routing from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, through Atlanta, to Paris CDG and into Barcelona, Spain, where I met up with my BFF for a couple of days of sightseeing, hugs, and catching up before flying to Cork to commence filming.

My bestie Sarah has lived in Spain for a couple decades since marrying a Spanish pilot. During our time in Barcelona, I found myself struggling to keep up with the spoken Spanish all around me. My high school Latin was not cutting it! 🤣 I eagerly awaited my arrival in Ireland where English is one of the official languages – albeit, with a definite (and definitely charming) Irish accent.

But on the final day of filming with the brilliant Carol, I collapsed into bed and realized I was grappling with some odd symptoms. I was having trouble concentrating or reading, and I could sense an unfamiliar anxiety in my chest.

Feeling a bit silly but still curious, I did some googling and found that what I was experiencing was indeed a “thing” – something called language fatigue. Being in a new place and working to process the local language – even if only a varied dialect of the same language – can manifest in a variety of symptoms.

It was one of those moments in this lifelong journey to help others learn, grow, and connect around our shared passion for yarn – a moment of empathy and gratitude for the thousands of Yarnies in countries around the world who have enrolled in Knit Stars even though it is delivered in their second – or third or fourth – language.

It’s for this reason our team has started researching all of the amazing, emerging AI tools that might make Knit Stars masterclasses available in more languages in Seasons to come.

Wouldn’t that be amazing? What a tremendous step that would be toward our mission knitting and crocheting the world together.

Meanwhile, I’m thrilled to announce that we’re just a week or so away from the first-ever early release of a Knit Stars workshop. Starting June 30 with Carol’s workshop “Celtic Cables: Reversible Cable Deep Dive,” we’ll be early-releasing one Season 9 workshop each month, allowing our Season 9 students more time to absorb and enjoy each documentary/masterclass.

We filmed Carol’s documentary in her home in Cork, on the surrounding country lanes and at the cliffs of nearby Kinsale.

It was cold in Cork – much colder than I’d anticipated! – and I had to layer up in knits from Carol’s Stolen Stitches Studio. Carol even offered to lend me her “Hawthorn” pullover sample for the rest of my time in Europe.

Hawthorne Sweater by Stolen Stitches

Carol told me she’d seen my “how I pack for Knit Stars travel” video on Instagram, and secretly giggled that I hadn’t packed nearly enough warm knitwear. In fact, the only hand-knit sweater I bought was fingering weight, and in the middle of filming, I discovered – gasp – a hole in it, which Carol promptly mended for me. Thanks, Carol! 🙏

If you’ve been seeing all the upcoming Season 9 premiere excitement, and find yourself a bit late to the party, fear not! We’ve re-opened signups for a few days before Carol’s workshop drops.

Click here to join the fun. Newsletter readers can use coupon code SHINEON to save an extra $20 off the Season. Also, this is Carol’s affiliate link, so by signing up you also support her and her work! 💖

See you inside Season 9: Permission to Shine!

xoxo,

 

 

P.S. Here’s a hot-off-the-press sneak peek of Carol’s exclusive Knit Stars project, which can be worked up either as a cozy cable scarf or stroller blanket!

A lot of you have been asking, what’s the difference between Knit Stars Season 9 and the Yarniverse?

Well, it’s kind of like me and my BFF Sarah…we’re two different people, but we have lots in common and have tons of fun together!

Our Knit Stars Season 9 premiere is 10 brand-new workshops that are only available to those who enroll in the Season. It includes a pop-up, temporary Facebook group for Season 9 enrollees to experience the Season together.

The Yarniverse is a year-round membership that gives you instant access to 50+ Knit Stars workshops from past Seasons, organized into learning Tracks. Plus the Yarniverse has fresh weekly content with Stars past, present, and future, global community year-round, and extras like a huge pattern library, Knit Stars Uncuts, Rising Stars, optional kits, and more.

This year for the first time, when I’m filming with our Season 9 Stars, we’re also filming some brand-new bonus content just for the Yarniverse. We talk about frogging (in yarn and in life), makers they’re following, and how they style their makes. Each month from July onward, our featured Yarniverse Star will be a Season 9 Star (starting with Carol in July) and we’ll finish off the month with a live session where you can interact with the Star and we highlight their favorite charity.

So as you can see, Season 9 and the Yarniverse play well together, or shine on their own – your choice! Either way, we’re excited to be on the journey with you and look forward to growing together in the months to come.

P.S. Today is the last day to join the Yarniverse at a discounted Annual price (we only do this twice a year). To join and save $167, go here.