Knit Stars | July 31, 2023
Surprise bags, anyone? 🥳
BY SHELLEY BRANDER
Who doesn’t like a surprise…a mystery?!
Loops loves curating and giving fiber lovers a smile in their mailbox 📫💙
We have a new way to curate and share our fiber love – Surprise Bags!
We have four on-trend *effortless* Loops projects for you to choose from…you pick the pattern and we will surprise you with luxury yarn to go with it!
Pattern pairing perfection 🙌
And you know we LOVE extras…each Surprise Bag will include an extra goodie…
Our Surprise Bags don’t include the exact yarns pictured below (if it did, it wouldn’t be a surprise 😜) So you can add an Order Note when you check out to tell us 2 colors you LOVE and 2 colors you DON’T. We’ll do our best to delight you with your surprise kit. 💕
And now to the projects!
The Effin Scarf is the perfect scarf for every season. Our lovely Loretta developed this seemingly simple scarf for nearly five years. It’s meditative knitting at its best, and results in a shape that is super wearable!
Your surprise bag includes enough luxury yarn to create this iconic scarf and we even have a video tutorial for this top-selling Loops pattern. Such a light and fun accessory!
Crocheters rejoice! Our lovely Sherri has designed a crochet version of the Effin Scarf – the Hookin Scarf. 🤩 It has that great drape and a wearable shape – and is every bit as easy as the knit version.
Fringeworthy is *famous* around Loops because this statement-making shawl has MAGIC FRINGE! The fringe is created while you knit. No tying necessary!
This is one of those “you can’t make just one” kind of projects. It’s a super-wearable-perfect-for-gift-knitting piece. We even have a video tutorial to help you through the self-fringe process.
Last but not least is the Second Glass Scarf! So easy, you can have that second glass while you knit! And so fun to style with the addition of your own cute buttons (or we might just include buttons as your surprise “extra” 🙂
Shop all the Surprise kits here, while they last!
You’ve always dreamed of a trip to the land of Loops…hand-dyed fibers, exclusive patterns, and friendly faces as far as the eye can see!
Did you know every first-time visitor to Loops gets one of our coveted Loops shopping totes as a welcome gift?
Can you make a weekend of your trip? You betcha! Tulsa is a booming city full of green, rolling hills, world-renowned museums, historic hotels, eclectic shopping and the nearby Pioneer Woman mercantile, just an hour down the road!
We’ve put together this little primer to help you make the most of your Loops-travaganza, so you have everything you need to plan a trip to come touch the yarns in person and meet the Loops Troops! 🥰
You’re sure to work up an appetite while shopping…so Shelley even put together a list of some of her favorite restaurants, including BurnCo BBQ, Glacier Chocolatiers and Hideaway Pizza.
Get all you need to plan your trip right here.
We can’t wait to see you! 💙
This week’s freebie was discovered by Trooper Rachel, who *can’t resist* a shawl with stripes. Once she saw this pairing of geometric shape and feminine border, she fell in love. 💕
Worn easily as a shawl or a scarf, “Petits Picots” by Espace Tricot is a soft, shimmering accessory that is sure to comfort you both in the knitting and the wearing. We’re knitting our Petits Picots with subtle speckles combined with a rich solid contrasting color to show off the architectural transition between the garter and stockinette fabrics and the picot detail on the edge.
If you’re a longtime Scoop subscriber, you’ve seen us fall in love with Amores Yarn from Santa Fe. It’s a perfect fit for this freebie pattern! Knit yours with two skeins of the Main Color and one skein of Contrasting Color.
This is where your creativity comes in.
Select from two bases- Amore Plata or Casa. Loops has both bases in special solids *and* one-of-a-kind hand dyed speckles and tonal beauties.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
2 Skeins “Lovely Forest Trails” + 1 Skein “Clever One” = Santa Fe spring green and deep teal in Casa base
2 Skeins “Tree Civilization” + 1 Skein “Pen Sketch” = subtle fall forest relaxation in Plata base
2 Skeins “Friendly Contrast” + 1 Skein “Earthen Jars” = deep sherbet orange and earthy grey in Casa base
Or make your own unique color love!
Shop all of our AMORES fingering-weight yarns here.
5-Ingredient Bacon Asparagus Pasta from gimmiesomeoven.com is *super easy* to make and adapt with your favorite pasta. Make a special date night at home or serve a dish everyone in your household enjoys- even kids can’t resist that bacon!
These light and summery noodles get a lot of flavor and a good serving of veggies in for a quick meal…and then back to knitting! 💃🏽
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) uncooked pasta (I used linguine)
1/2 lb. (about 8 strips) uncooked bacon, diced
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) fresh aspagarus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine (or you can double this if you’d like) 😉
1/2 cup grated or flaked Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously-salted water al dente according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, add bacon to a medium saute pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add asparagus to the pan and saute in the bacon grease for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Remove asparagus with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the bacon. Slowly add the white wine to the pan, and scape the bottom of the pan with a spoon to deglaze the pan and pick up all of those yummy brown bits. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by about half.
3. When the pasta is cooked, drain it. Then add the pasta, asparagus, bacon and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to the saute pan, and toss until combined. Sprinkle pasta with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
(If the pasta seems too dry, add in 1/4 cup of the pasta water after adding in the asparagus and bacon and toss to combine.)