I have a confession.

I’ve been a sweater knitter from day one. Literally, the day I learned to knit, I picked out a pink cabled sweater as my first project – and yes, I did finish it!

But I never wore it.

Sadly, it ended up like far too many of my other hand-knit sweaters…either donated or lost in this sad pile that I never wear.

The reason? I spent years – no, decades – diving into sweater pattern after sweater pattern, without ever really learning the best practices. Things like swatching to get the best fabric, how to adjust the fit to my body, and more refined finishing techniques.

So that first pink cable sweater? Had Cro Magnon Man sleeves that almost touched the ground.

My gauge was all off on this Iceberg Sweater – and I didn’t know the right way to pick up stitches, so it’s full of gaping holes.

And this Birkin Sweater? I wear it in videos sometimes, but if you watch carefully I never raise my arms up…because I didn’t adjust for my short waist, so I have to keep my arms down by my sides when I wear it.

I want to save you from these kinds of disasters. After all, when you invest so much money – and for goodness’ sake, so much time – into a handknit sweater, it darn sure better become a cornerstone of your wardrobe. Like this one!

The difference? I made my Sheep Camp Sweater by @nativeknitter after learning from some of the best Sweater Stars in the world – via Knit Stars masterclasses.

And now, after 10 years we’ve finally done something you’ve been asking for…

We made a masterclass Bundle just for Sweater Lovers!

This Bundle combines five of our all-time best Sweater masterclasses from five different Seasons. Whether you’re looking to make your first sweater, or you just want to make better sweaters that fit great, look great, and last, this one is for you! Your bundle includes:

• Julie Weisenberger of Cocoknits – Start with an approachable baby cardigan to learn English tailoring techniques you can apply to elevate any sweater design.
• Amy Herzog – Make sweaters that truly fit, in a fabric that truly lasts. Learn all her fit tricks like bust darts, and how to convert a pattern to a turtleneck, cowl, hood, or henley.
• Michele Wang – Like Amy, Michele no longer teaches (she’s now a big-time beauty influencer!). Drawing on her ready-to-wear background, Michele gives you a treasure trove of professional finishing, block, and grafting techniques.
• Åsa Söderman – Hate weaving in ends? This course is your dream come true! Learn the Ziggurat Method for seamless top-down sweaters and nifty tricks like Åsa’s signature shoulder seam.
• Alexandra Tavel – Alexi of Two of Wands empowers you to make both knit and crochet sweaters that are so cute, you may never take them off!

The total running time of the Sweater Lovers Bundle is 10 hours, and it includes 10 brilliant patterns and handouts.

The introductory price is just $147 (less than $30 per class!) and you can download, rewind, pause, fast forward, and return to them again and again, forever.

Here’s what our Knit Stars students have had to say about these courses…

If you have plans to make any sweaters this year, do yourself a favor and get the NEW Sweater Lovers Bundle at the special intro price of just $147. It’s like buying a protection plan for your precious yarn, so you don’t end up with an island of lost sweaters, like me!

xoxo,

P.S. If you get the Sweater Bundle and make a successful sweater, I’d love to see a selfie!

I was just cruising the Ravelry Hot Right Now and guess who I spotted at #1?

Our own Emma Fassio from Knit Stars Season 9!

Her “Emma Sweater” is top-down with a fun knit-through-the-back-loop detail, and it’s free on Ravelry (at least of this writing).

You can grab it here!

Photo credit: Matt Taylor-Gross for The New York Times

Cheesy Shrimp Tacos

My favorite local beach taco place just got bought out and “upgraded,” but my favorite grilled tacos fell off the menu. So I went looking for a replacement for our Taco Tuesday fix, and voila! This recipe from Christian Reynoso at New York Times Cooking veers closely into quesadilla territory, in the best possible way. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 poblano chile, diced
• ½ medium yellow or white onion, diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ pound peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped
• Olive oil or oil of your choice, for crisping tacos
• 8 to 10 (5- to 6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
• 6 ounces queso Oaxaca, queso Chihuahua or Monterey Jack, grated
• Lime wedges, hot sauce and salsa, for serving

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the poblano, onion and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and Worcestershire sauce, and once fragrant, about 30 seconds, turn the heat down to medium.
2. Stir in the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer shrimp mixture to a plate and wipe the skillet clean.
3. In the same skillet, pour enough olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) to leave a light slick on the bottom and heat over medium. Place 2 to 3 tortillas (whatever comfortably fits flat) in the pan, sprinkle cheese over and place a spoonful of shrimp mixture over the top. Cook, open-faced, rotating the tortilla to evenly cook the bottom, until the cheese is melted and the bottom is golden, about 3 minutes, fold in half and transfer to a plate. Repeat with more olive oil and the remaining tortillas, cheese and shrimp filling. Serve immediately.