| March 29, 2026

🧶Meet your 2026 Stars!

BY SHELLEY BRANDER

birthday

Oh my goodness y’all…you flooded my inbox with happy birthday wishes and so much kindness! Thank you thank you thank you! I’m truly so filled with gratitude for you and this beautiful Yarnie community we’ve made together. 🥹🥹🥹

And do you know what else I’m filled with?

CAKE!

I had not 1, not 2, but four birthday desserts! And those who know me well, know that I love cake. Or more specifically, I love frosting. 😋

And do you know what else I love?

I love love LOVE this day, because today is when I get to announce….
🌟🌟🌟 Your new 2026 Knit Stars!!! 🌟🌟🌟
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Earlybirds save on enrollment, get first dibs at the special kits, and get a bonus called “The Earlybird Experience” that give you monthly behind-the-scenes peeks into the making of the Season.
As a newsletter reader, you can also use coupon code GENIUS20 to save an extra $20.
Since it’s the first Season of our second decade, we’re adding a bunch of new features and bonuses…

Let’s call it the Season of having your cake, and eating it too!

🎂Along with exclusive patterns and specially-dyed kits to go with them, we’re adding an option to make a square with each Star’s technique, then combine them at the end into a blanket, wall hanging or whatever you like to commemorate your Season.

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🎂Along with flying to film a cinematic documentary and masterclass with each Star in their hometown, we’re adding a segment on Creative Genius – how they come up with their ideas and push past their own blocks.
🎂Along with the Knit Stars portal, you’ll have the option of a private YouTube link to easily stream your classes to your TV, watch in 80+ languages and auto-advance the lessons.
🎂Along with the community anticipation and excitement of the masterclasses dropping one at a time, you’ll get a whole week between drops to savor. As always, you own them all and can watch anytime.
🎂Plus we’re creating a digital journal to help you track and celebrate your learning journey!
All of this, and we’ve held prices down to the same as last year’s Earlybird!  🎉🎉🎉
We all have superpowers and work really hard. Let’s all enjoy the cake together!
xoxo,
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To give you a little taste of what’s to come in Your Season of Genius…have a look at why we’ve decided to fly around the world to Taiwan and film with the brilliant Rastus Hsu.

Rastus’ work came onto my radar a year or two ago and I always find myself catching my breath when his pieces pop onto my feed…

This description of one of his pieces, called “Kyosho,” gets at the heart of his unique approach to texture.
“Kyosho is a perfect example of how the simplest stitches, knit and purl, can transform into something extraordinary. This design takes the fundamentals of knitting and pushes them into new dimensions, creating a sculptural, origami-inspired texture that shifts and folds with the light.”
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The piece that Rastus is designing for Knit Stars 2026: Your Season of Genius is inspired by the architecture of downtown Taipei. It’s where he walks and wanders when he needs to think. For his bonus pattern, Rastus will be designing an oversized shawl with his signature style.
His origami designs pair best with “woolly wools” with structure that stand up to the sculptural intent of the stitches, making his designs a great fit with that special farm or festival yarn in your stash!
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Recipe and photo: FreshCoastEats.com
Pink Champagne Cupcakes
Inspired by the adorable champagne cake that Luke ordered up for my birthday from our friends at Eat Cake 30A … I found a champagne cupcake recipe for you. It uses the shortcut of a cake mix, and the reviews are amazing! A great way to treat yourself and easily share with friends, too.
Ingredients
Pink Champagne Cupcakes
  • 1 ½ cups pink champagne
  • 2 ⅔ cups flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup salted butter
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • pink food coloring
Pink Champagne Buttercream Icing
  • 1-2 Tablespoons pink champagne reduction (instructions in Step 2)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
Cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cupcake baking pan with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Open bottle and measure out 1 ½ cups of champagne.  Place in a saucepan and simmer for about 6-8 minutes and let it reduce until there’s only ¾ cup of liquid remaining. Let this concentrated liquid cool down to room temperature before adding to your batter. Reserve 1-2 Tablespoons for the buttercream frosting.
  3. In a small bowl, measure and whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and vanilla together until smooth and creamy.
  5. Add sugar, vegetable oil and eggs. Continue mixing until combined.
  6. Set the mixer to medium speed, gradually alternate between adding flour mixture and concentrated liquid champagne.  Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl as you work.
  7. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting
  1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the champagne reduction until smooth. Add milk as needed to reach desired consistency.

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