I first met Mitzi when she would come into our second location in South Tulsa, back in 2015.

I remember what first struck me most about her was a) her bright smile, b) her cheerful energy, and c) the chip on her shoulder. 😜

You see, today Mitzi is one of the most prolific textile makers I’ve ever known. In addition to knitting and crochet, she weaves and hand-hooks rugs.

But back when we first met, Mitzi was an amazing crochet artist who hadn’t yet added knitting to her repertoire. And her experiences at other yarn shops had been, shall we say, less than crochet-friendly.

She would come into Loops wearing the most drop-dead hooked creations, and enlighten me to the latest crochet designers and patterns in her queue. So in addition to always being a ray of sunshine, Mitzi really helped broaden my awareness of crochet trends and products to carry.

Then one day, Mitzi shocked us all by walking in wearing her first knit creation! Yep, she had dropped the chip and made the decision to become bi-stitual…and she’s never looked back, flowing easily between crafts, turning out what can seem like a gorgeous new finished object every week!

“Raw-tee” by Lone Kjeldsen, made and modeled by Mitzi in 4 skeins of Loops Luxe Plant-Based Princess yarn.

“Rebel” by Lesley Anne Robinson, made and modeled by Mitzi.

Kaboushi” by Ririko, made by Mitzi and modeled by Hayden.

As part of the Loops team, Mitzi has been along for the ride through three locations plus everything from trade shows to goat farms…

At a trade show with Kate from Spincycle and Season 1 Knit Star Stephen West.

Shelley, Season 1 Knit Star Romi Hill, and Mitzi.

Along the way, I discovered Mitzi had another artistic talent – arranging yarn displays! In the earliest days of Loops, I had a hard time letting anyone else do the displays. I was notoriously picky about it and if anyone changed a display, I would quietly change it back to “my way.” 🤣

But one day I returned from an out-of-town trip to find Mitzi had re-arranged some displays, and I had to admit it was better than I could have done! So from that day forward, Mitzi became our undisputed Display Queen.

In the time I’ve known her, Mitzi has created more than amazing projects and eye-catching displays. She’s also raised two wonderful sons with her husband, Styron. She’s raised her tennis game (we’ve been on the courts next to each other but never the same court – something we need to resolve!). And she’s helped our team continually raise the bar on how every crafter is seen – really seen – when they enter our space, whether in person or online.

She also has a huge heart for community. As we’ve wound down our last physical location, she reached out to me with an idea to donate our children’s area furniture and toys to the Tulsa-area Child Abuse Network.

Speaking of community…Mitzi (along with other former store team members) is a new affiliate for our Yarniverse Community. If you haven’t checked out the Yarniverse lately, you’re missing out! Each month we do deep dives with some of your favorite Stars…and starting in July, we’ll be introducing “bonus content” with our upcoming Season 9 Stars.

You can support Mitzi and get all the benefits of Yarniverse Membership by joining through her affiliate link, here.

Thank you Mitzi for shining as the one and only YOU!

xoxo,

P.S. If you have a special memory or story about Mitzi, please hit reply on this email and share it with us!

“Felix Pullover” by Amy Christoffers, made and modeled by Mitzi in Mitchell’s Creations Bayou yarn.

For the month of March we’ve been sharing some super fun and enlightening new interviews inside our Yarniverse membership featuring Casapinka. We’ve frogged projects together, discovered new makers that she’s intrigued by right now, and delved into how she manages to work her knitwear into her everyday wardrobe.

For this month’s Yarniverse LIVE we’re opening it to the public! Click here to register FREE and then do me a favor and forward to three fiber friends, inviting them to join in the fun (and prizes!). See you then!

“Felix Pullover” by Amy Christoffers, made with Loops Luxe Chunky yarn.

Our 50% off sitewide sale is winding down…it’s the final days!

Great time to grab our bespoke royal alpaca/silk blend at an amazing price – just $7.50 a skein here! One of my favorite pieces I’ve ever seen made in this yarn is the “Felix Pullover” by Amy Christoffers, shown above in Natural Loops Luxe Chunky. You’ll need 6-10 skeins depending on your size.

Another great steal is our blocking mat sets. Debbie posted “just opening the cabinet” and seeing these makes her smile. Treat yourself to a set or two for just $25 each, on sale here.

Recipe and Photo from FoodandWine.com.

Here is a recipe for a seafood stew that Mitzi and her family love. She said, “I use fish, shrimp, and scallops since they are usually in my freezer. I’ll often substitute coconut milk instead of clam juice because it’s in my pantry!”

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 1 cup drained, diced tomatoes (from a 15-ounce can)
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 3/4 pound skinless snapper fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Sourdough toast, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add shallot and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add stock, clam juice, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
2. Add clams, cover, and cook just until most of them open, about 5 minutes. Add snapper and shrimp, cover, and simmer until they are cooked through and remaining clams have opened, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer seafood to 4 bowls. Add butter and parsley to broth remaining in pot and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute, swirling pan. Spoon broth over seafood and serve with sourdough toast.