What does the world need now (besides a vaccine)?

In a word: Yarn.

Or to put it closer to the famous song…What the world needs now is love. Loops love! 💙😉

If you’re reading this, you’re likely feeling grateful for your yarn and all the benefits that come with knitting.

With so many stuck at home, we wanted to make it easier for everyone to learn and enjoy the peace and wonder of making stitches!

So we created the new Loops Starter Series.

It’s a downloadable PDF with 3 patterns, each with its own step-by-step video tutorial.

This Series is perfect for:
• The brand-newbie
• The ready-for-the-next-stepper
• The experienced knitter who loves easy, on-trend, stash-busting projects!

And the best part? It’s FREE!

Get the Starter Series (with these patterns: How to Knit: Jana’s Scarf; How to Purl: The Double Seed Cowl; and How to YO: The Effin Scarf) FREE through this link.

And pass it on! The world needs more knitters, too! 😇

YES! You CAN make this sweater – and you’ll reach for it all year long! 🙌

Caitlin Hunter designed the Soldotna Crop to be simple enough for an adventurous beginner, yet still engaging for advanced knitters.

Soldotna is a top-down, circular yoke sweater with Caitlin’s signature stranded colorwork. You can layer this little top over linen dresses as well high-waisted skirts and pants. The design can easily be lengthened if crops aren’t your style, and the instructions are included in the pattern.

Loops Trooper Rachel said “This went so fast for me! The short sleeves and DK yarn made it a super quick and gratifying project.”

We made our Soldotna in brand-new Comfy Cotton DK in colors dyed just for us by Emma’s Yarn. It’s a tonal and gentle speckle-y sensation. Cotton keeps your finished piece cooler with fabulous drape, and merino gives that block-able structure that makes your colorwork pop!

Shop Comfy Cotton DK here.

Want to try working with Comfy Cotton DK in a different pattern? Check these out on Ravelry:
• Stone Point poncho by Courtney Kelley (5 skeins)
• Glykos shawl by Dawn Henderson (shown in green, 3 skeins)
• Yes Yes Yes Shawl by Bernat (crochet – 3 skeins)

Psssst… Earlybird signups for Knit Stars Season 5 open soon. And previous seasons will be on sale, too.

To make sure you don’t miss it, click here and join the waitlist to get notified.

Shelley made this – start to finish – in 20 minutes this week, and her whole family swore it was like eating in their favorite farm-to-table restaurant! It’s going on the Every Week List in their house.

The key to this recipe from the New York Times is how you cook the store-bought gnocchi: No need to boil. Just sear them until they are crisp and golden on the outside, and their insides will stay chewy. Shelf-stable and refrigerated gnocchi will both work here, but the shelf-stable ones do crisp up a bit better.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound brussels sprouts
1 lemon
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 (18-ounce) package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 6 pieces
½ teaspoon honey
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

PREPARATION
Trim and halve the brussels sprouts. Using a vegetable peeler, peel thick strips of lemon zest, then coarsely chop. (You should have about 2 teaspoons chopped zest.)

In a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add the brussels sprouts, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then arrange the brussels sprouts in an even layer, cut-side down. Scatter the lemon zest over the top and cook, undisturbed, until the brussels sprouts are well browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red-pepper flakes, stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Break up any gnocchi that are stuck together, add them to the pan and cook, covered and undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the butter and honey, season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the butter is golden, nutty smelling and foaming, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the brussels sprouts until warmed through. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Let’s keep knitting the world together 🌎💙
– Shelley and the Loops Troops