Special note to my readers: This week, we debuted a freshly-renovated Knit Stars YouTube channel. To celebrate, I recorded a podcast with more stories from my Maine adventure with Clara Parkes. You can watch it here.

Here is me, driving the three hours from Alicia Plummer’s house in Maine to my next destination.

It may look like a forest, but I think it may have actually been through the looking glass from Alice in Wonderland. Because what followed for the next two days felt so surreal, that I am still pinching myself.

After winding along the Maine coast (and traversing a terrifying suspension bridge), I arrived at my historic B+B, hauled my carry-on up two flights of rickety stairs, and turned on all 3 fans. It was an unseasonably hot day, and the room was super toasty! So I changed into shorts and strolled down to the water, where I was greeted with what I later learned from Clara is a good luck charm…

A schooner floating by in the distance!

Our filming wasn’t to begin until the next morning, so I paid a visit to one of the few area eateries in this town of just a few hundred folks.

“The Maine Lobster Lady” was as authentic as it gets. The menu told the story of how her husband catches the lobsters, and how she loves to go along for the ride, even though she’s prone to seasickness.

The lobster was as fresh as it gets. The coleslaw was studded with Maine blueberries. But it was the buttery roll that stole the show…it was somehow crunchy, yet melted in my mouth. Holy cannoli!

The next morning I awoke to an unexpected jumble of nerves. I was about to film with CLARA PARKES y’all. IN HER HOME.

Like Alicia, Clara had told me “no” to being a Knit Star back in Season 1. That “no” hit me especially hard, because I had idolized Clara from afar for decades, and had connected with her in real life (albeit briefly) at my friend’s retreat in Austin. But for this 10th Anniversary Season, I decided it was time to try again. And this time…a yes! OMG a yes!

And just like that, Clara is welcoming me and Brad into her home.

And there are fresh muffins, made by Clara herself.

And Clara is making us coffee.

And Clara is grabbing yarn and rigging a light out of the way so Brad can set up his overhead camera.

And all the while, I’m telling myself to please just quit fan-girling and get down to business already. 😅Which, thank goodness, eventually I do.

Clara’s Season 10 Masterclass is one of those where I can already hear the reaction, “This one class was worth the price of admission.”

It’s part class, part meditation, and part permission to play. All generously sprinkled with Clara’s one-of-a-kind wit and gentle charm.

I promise, you will never look at swatching the same way again.

In between takes, I wandered around and took some shots of little things that caught my eye.

And in the attached garage…a treasure trove, including firewood proudly piled by Clara herself.

Clara poured so much swatching soul and wisdom into her teaching, by the end of the day we were famished. So it was off to a magical land of pizza and ice cream, where the herbs on the pizza and the flowers in the ice cream were farmed right there on the land. 🌿🌸

See what I mean? There is still a strong chance it was all a Lewis Carroll dream.

Including the part where they served lobster rolls in the airport. C’mon, somebody pinch me! 🦞

xoxo,

P.S. While we were filming, Clara and I realized we had connected almost 20 years earlier. I share the whole story in my latest YouTube video. #foreverafangirl

It’s that magic day again…Golden Hour is back!

Golden Hour is actually 24 hours…a whole day when you can get a Knit Stars Golden Ticket at 1/3 off.

What’s a Golden Ticket, you ask? Well I’ll tell you…

Like Willie Wonka’s rare metallic ticket stashed inside a chocolate bar…the Golden Ticket is your fast pass directly to owning all the Knit Stars Seasons (and becoming an instant All Star, with all the special access and bonus content that entails) at significant savings.

You can purchase the Golden Ticket and complete your collection no matter how many you’re missing – from one Season up to all 9 Seasons, all at big savings during Golden Hour.

Go here and purchase before midnight Sunday, August 31.

“Hats are like pens in my house,” Clara writes in her description of The Shoemaker’s Hat pattern. “They’re everywhere until you need one, at which point they all magically disappear. When I remember to look for one, that is.”

“This week I was away from home, hatless and braving sub-zero windchill when the irony struck me. Just like the shoemaker’s children who always go without shoes, this knitter’s head was going without a hat of its own.”

“I suspect I’m not the first knitter to find herself in these circumstances. We don’t always have time to luxuriate in finer gauges or fancy patterns. Sometimes we just need to whip up something warm—and pronto.”

Find the hat pattern, here.

Ever need some privacy to spend time with your sweetheart…

Or maybe just to spend time with your yarn?

Download Clara’s free “Do Not Disturb” pattern here.

Oh joy! I asked Clara, and she agreed to share her muffin recipe.

“This recipe was scribbled on an index card by my grandma, with very few details. This is my expanded, translated version.” – Clara

Clara’s Blueberry Muffins
Yield: 12-18 muffins

This recipe was scribbled on an index card by my grandma, with very few details. This is my expanded, translated version. – Clara

Ingredients:  

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
• 2 large eggs (100g), room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (rounded if you like a sharper taste contrast)
• 2 cups (300g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw if frozen), ideally Maine wild blueberries, which are smaller and packed with flavor
• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional but recommended)

Instructions:

1. Prepare: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 12-18 standard muffin cups with paper liners or grease with butter.
2. Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and continue beating for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
4. Add wet ingredients: Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest (if using).
5. Combine ingredients: With mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Add milk and mix until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
6. Fold in blueberries: Remove bowl from mixer. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries until evenly distributed.
7. Fill and bake: Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Cool: Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. For best flavor and texture, let cool for 30 minutes before serving. I rarely can wait that long.

Notes

• Room temperature ingredients mix more easily and create a better texture. It really helps to remove eggs, butter, and milk from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking.
• If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them first. You’ll end up with blue batter.
• These store covered at room temperature for several days. They also freeze well.