loopsLove - blueSwagMag - 2021-01

TOGETHER
blue swag mag
January | February | March 2021
Exclusively for LoopsClub Together Members
Making the
“IMPOSSIBLE”
Possible!
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHTS
Beata Jezek & Louis Boria
A LOOK INSIDE
Move the Needle

a note from Shelley
Finally, 2020 is in the rearview mirror!
A fresh New Year is here! A time to reflect, to dream, to look
forward with hope.
Years ago, I coined the term “Selfish Knitting Month” for
January - after months of planning and making gifts for
others, I wanted to give my fellow yarnies the permission to
indulge in a delicious project just for YOU.
This January feels different, somehow. Like we’ve made it
through an impossible year together…and we’re entering a
new era of connection. Of possibility.
So let’s call this Possibilities Month.
In this issue, we’ll help you take stock of where you are on
your yarn journey, inspire you with member stories and
indulgent project ideas, and encourage you to cast on a
dreamy new project.
One place you might start is with our Loops Luxe yarn, maybe in the new light grey color?
Evelyn recently made the Felix Pullover in Loops Luxe, and it’s a great first (or 50th) sweater project! Or
maybe make the Face Your Fears hats & mitts from your LoopsClub member portal - an easy, meditative
project to keep your head and hands toasty through the chilliest month. Stephene Goode made her hat
and mitts set (Zigzag Purls in your pattern vault) with just two skeins of Loops Luxe.
You can shop Loops Luxe two ways:
• In sets of 3 skeins on LoopsLove.com, or
• In special kits and single skeins in our new Amazon store.
Here’s to the possibilities!
xoxo
◀ Susanna D.
getting started on
her crocheted
Bulky Hat in
Loops Luxe yarn.
▶ Stephene G.
working on zigzag
patterns using
Loops Luxe yarn.
Our Loops
Luxe Superkit,
available on
Amazon.
Loops Troops Manager, Evelyn, in the Felix Pullover made of Loops Luxe yarn.
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move the needle
You’re a maker.
You can make anything you set your mind to.
So why stop at yarn?
Why not make your biggest, most “impossible” dreams come true?
They told me, because I had asthma, I’d never be an athlete.
They told me girls couldn’t be creative directors.
They told me, “You’ll never make a living out of yarn.”
So what have they told you?
What are you telling yourself?
I’d like to help you write a new story. Make a new dream, then make it come true.
I wrote “Move the Needle: Yarns from an Unlikely Entrepreneur” to speak to creators and
dreamers in every field that are looking at the horizon and wondering what it may hold.
And, I was thinking:
“I wonder if anyone in knitting has ever done something like this?
What if I could convince some of my favorite designers and dyers to do this with me?
It would be pretty cool to combine my production background with my knitting experience.
Maybe we could try it, just once, and see how it goes.”
And now, five years later, together, we have created a global knitting community that is truly
Knitting the World Together.
Move the Needle
by Shelley Brander
will be available
January 12, 2021!
Move the Needle is now available for pre-order, and makes for a great gift to you and
anyone in your life that’s got big dreams. Grab your copy today!
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mind
mapping
As you are settling down from the holidays and thinking about what you want your 2021 to
look like, you might. Feel. Stuck...
success
path
At A Glance
Where are you on the path to Loops Club Mastery?
One technique that we love to get the creative juices going, that is often soooo useful for us
visual and creative types, is “Mind Mapping!”
Try this to make new connections in your knitting, to imagine what techniques you could
learn, or get started in creating your first design!
stage 1
I love yarn.
I love yarn and am a newer knitter, however, I get easily overwhelmed
by pattern choices. I want to learn ALL the things, but I’m not sure
where to start.
The process is simple:
- Set a timer for 5-10 minutes to keep it simple and grab a paper and pencil.
- Let ideas flow - there is your map! Write ideas and see new connections forming.
- As you look at your Map, start to form an action plan. You might make it into a more
formal outline or get some of these ideas into your calendar.
stage 2
I love to learn.
I love to cast on but I find myself getting stuck often. I have a
stash and multiple WIPs. While I’m progressing, I often run into
skills I wish I had and lacking those skills keep me from starting
patterns I really love.
Here are a few “map starters” that you might try to get your 2021 knit-spiration flowing:
- Big “scary” technique goal for 2021...
- Design Goals...
- Knitting as personal development - what it means for me, how to make more time for it...
stage 3
I love sweaters.
I’ve made at least one garment but would like to improve my
fit and finishing skills. I still avoid some patterns because they
seem to advanced.
If you make a knitting Mind Map, come share it with the club on Facebook!
stage 4
I love to design.
I rarely, if ever, follow the pattern exactly and like to take risks
with color. I’d like to expand my design skills.
stage 5
I love myself!
I see myself as a fiber artist and love sharing photos of myself
in my own creations. I love teaching others and can proudly
say I am an expert knitter!
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Click the mind maps to enlarge. Click on the enlarged images to hide and view the article again.
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mastery checklist
mastery checklist
choose
your
own
goal
Take a few minutes today to visit (or re-visit) LoopsMembers.com and watch through the
LoopsClub Success Path videos. Consider where you are, where you hope to be at the end of
2021, and what types of skills or projects you’d like to try, that will help get you where you want
to go. These videos are also available in the LoopsClub Together Facebook group under Unit 1.
Where are you on the LoopsLove Success path?
Where would you like to be at the end of the year?
What new skills will you need to accomplish your goal?
What support do you need from this community to be successful?
stage 1 love yarn.
- You’re a new knitter.
- You love yarn but get easily
overwhelmed by pattern choices.
- You want to learn all the things,
but aren’t sure about your next steps.
p Make something from a local designer/dyer.
p Use a new-to-me fiber or fiber combination.
p Make something with a color out of my comfort zone.
p Make something for somebody else.
p Participate in a Knit-A-Long or Crochet-A-Long.
p Make something with a really cute or clever pattern or yarn name.
p Donate the yarn from my stash I’m not going to use.
p Make something “trendy.”
stage 3
- You’ve made at least one garment.
- You’d like to improve your fit &
finishing skills.
- You still avoid some patterns because
they seem to advanced.
stage 4
- You rarely, if ever, follow the pattern
exactly.
- You like to take risks with color.
love sweaters.
love to design.
- You’d like to expand your design skills.
p Make something that fits perfectly.
p Make a sweater with a new-to-me type of shoulders.
p Create a sweater with a different sleeve than shown in the pattern.
p Follow someone else’s sweater mods from Ravelry.
p Make something with cables.
p Make something with lace.
p Make something with beads.
p Make socks with a new-to-me type of heel.
p Modify a sweater with a different edge, e.g. picot or i-cord bindoff.
p Make something inspired by a show or book.
p Make something inspired by Knit Stars.
p Take an existing pattern and modify it to be more on-trend.
p Make something modular.
p Make an amigurumi or knit toy.
p Modify a scarf or shawl with a different stitch pattern.
p Create your own simple unshaped garment, e.g. poncho.
p Make something with brioche.
stage 2 love to learn.
stage 4
love yourself.
- You love to cast on but often get stuck.
- You’re starting to amass stash/WIPs.
- You’re progressing but still often run
into skills you wish you knew.
- Certain skills keep you from starting
patterns you really love.
p Take an online knitting class (such as Knit Stars).
p Finish or frog a WIP from 2 or more years ago.
p Learn a new cast-on or bind-off.
p Make something with fringe.
p Make something with simple colorwork - stripes or mosaic.
p Make something that’s been in my library or favorites for 2+ years.
p Make something for warmer weather out of a non-wool fiber.
p Make something holiday-themed (any holiday).
- You see yourself as a fiber artist.
- You love sharing photos or yourself
in your creations.
- You love teaching others.
- You can proudly say you’re an
expert knitter!
p Post a selfie of your finished project on your personal social
(not just in knitting groups).
p Copy-cat somebody else’s project you love!
p Make something from the center out.
p Make a top-down pattern bottom-up, or vice versa.
p Make something combining at least two different patterns.
p Try Tunisian crochet.
p Steek!
p Complete a year’s worth of journaling.
p Knit or crochet in public, regularly.
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journal
prompt:
What is your dream related
to knitting/crocheting?
journal
prompt:
If you could add another milestone
anywhere on the LC Success Path,
what would it be? Why?
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member
spotlight new loot:
Susanna Dechamps
What are you into learning about right now?
What I am looking into learning at the moment is Japanese
knitting. I have always loved lace shawls and the intricate
stitching which look so beautiful and dainty. I have always
wondered how difficult it could be until I watched Gayle’s
workshop on Japanese knitting on Knit Stars 5. I have
always been intimated and frightened on how complex the
charts are but after watching her explain with such ease the
techniques, my fear is not so great and I am determined to try
this and not give up if it gets a bit tough. No problem, I will
set it aside for a break and try again. I must overcome the fear
and disappointment if it does not not turn out perfect but the
journey will be so great for me. This is what I am setting as my
goal for 2021 for my creative side.
What’s your favorite trick/tool for keeping your yarn
stuff organized right now?
My stash is not so large. Mostly acrylic and low quality yarns.
My projects were mostly for children blankets, hats, scarves...
But since I was introduced to Loops which was a wonderful
gift from my daughter, I have been slowly growing my perfect
yarns stash and loving the blue bags. Therefore keeping them
in a beautiful carrying box waiting for the perfect pattern. And
most of my needles and accessories are tucked away in my
carrying tote bag which never leaves my side when working
on a project. Everything I need at my fingertips at all times
and this bag was also a perfect gift from my son. I tend to
only work one or two projects at a time. I just get more
satisfaction once they are completed.
What’s your favorite trend in the yarn world right now?
My favourite style of yarn is the drapey
and light weight yarns. I love the way
they flow and drape over the body.
Yumiko Alexander’s style is exactly
what I love. The tops she creates
can either be dressed up or down
depending on your outing. Linen is
so clean and fresh looking and perfect
for these fabrics. In my yoga
dancers pose picture I am
wearing The Must Make Wrap made
from linen and cotton yarn and the drape is just the style I
enjoy wearing whether I am in a yoga position or taking a stroll
on a summer night.
An interview with
Susanna Dechamps was introduced to LoopsClub early this year by receiving a lovely gift of
membership from her daughter. It has been a delight to witness her curiosity, growth, and
progress throughout the year as she has stepped out of her comfort zone to try new things.
My impossible dream for 2021 is:
Going to Dubai to visit my daughter,
her husband and her beautiful dog Bella.
With the hopes that this pandemic can
permit us to fly without any restrictions,
I will continue to keep myself as
healthy as possible.
Share with us a photo of your current WIP or
Finished Object.
My current WIP is the Smaragd Pullover by Svetlana
Volova using Kim Dyes Sugarcookies sock yarn. The
color is a dark navy with teal and glimmer.
What’s something people would be surprised to
know about you?
Several years ago I was in a very bad accident. I was
walking and a car struck me and left me with multiple
fractures with the worst being my lower spine and
pelvic. Therefore leaving me with almost two years
of physical and mental therapy. From having to learn
to walk again and trying to mentally overcome the
fear of walking close to car traffic and anything else
that I would think would harm me again if I was
accidentally struck. Several years of pain relievers and
therapy but the pain was constant. Standing or sitting
let alone trying to focus on my love for my craft was
extremely difficult. It was finally suggested to me by my
doctor to try yoga as a therapy. With meditation and
discipline and lots of breathing, I came to love yoga. And
of course my knitting and crocheting slowly came back
with much more focus and tolerance of the pain. For me
the two, yoga and needles, are my creative side.
Alexandra Hand Spun/Hand-Dyed
Truly the ultimate luxury yarn - hand-spun, hand-dyed, 50% cashmere/50% silk yarn, created just for
Loops. So luscious...every stitch feels like a little vacation!
One skein makes the elegant “Cashmere Vacation” bandana-style cowl, a Loops Original by Shelley
Brander. To make the optional mini-fringed version, add a contrast-color skein or dip into your stash. Use
your LoopsClub discount and order it here on LoopsLove.com.
Trish Anderson of Alexandra, The Art of Yarn gives us the scoop on this incredible yarn and the behind
the scenes story of how it all came to be!
From left to right:
Alexandra, Heidi, and Trish.
What’s your story behind hand spinning
yarn?
My dream was formulated long ago when I finally
was allowed to have a dog. I picked Shetland
Sheepdog. I used to dream about living on a farm
having sheep and spinning their wool. My parents
were from England and I spent several summers in
the English countryside on farms.
Fast forward to the Rodney King riots in Los
Angeles. While under martial law, I decided to move
to Oregon and learn how to spin and have sheep.
So, I packed up the family and did just that. I was
a spinning demon. I spun all the time even sheared
my own sheep. My Mom was a knitter and we soon
realized that we needed an outlet for all this yarn.
My Husband returned to Los Angeles to finish
his career. And, I held down the farm. When the
children left home for college. It was soon apparent
that I needed my own thing. I decided to sell
hand spun yarn to yarn shops. My daughter Becky
finished college and decided to make my “hobby”
into a business, Tanglewood Fiber Creations. From
there things sort of spiraled and even exceeded my
ability to make yarn.
A chance meeting brought the avid knitter, Alexandra,
up to her elbows in fiber. And after working with
me for a few years - she was hooked and started
her own company dyeing commercially spun yarn.
When things took off for her she decided to move to
Oregon and really work her business fulltime.
When my husband retired and we moved off our
farm into the suburbs, we decided that I should
retire, and we moved to Silverton where Alexandra
had moved to several years before. Once again we
were within a couple of miles of one another. After
several years, I missed the old life and my dear friend
Shelley, among other yarn shop owners.
Alexandra, her partner Heidi and I came up with a
plan for making yarn together! I’m happily making
yarn while Alexandra makes that possible. We are
looking forward to much more happiness making
fabulous looking and feeling yarn.
What’s your inspiration behind the colors?
Alexandra, Heidi and I wanted to do fresh, new colors
especially the blues featured in the photograph, just
like the Loops colors. We came up with 4 colors that
pleased us the most. We tweaked some colorways
both Alexandra and I had dyed in the past and we
knew to be pleasing to the knitters eye.
What’s your big “impossible” dream for
2021? And, what’s the first move you
will make toward making your dream a
reality?
My dream is to make hand spun textiles out of
fiber raised and processed in Oregon. In my studio,
I’ve begun mentoring people to start a Wool Fiber
Shed. This next year, I’m planning on bringing all the
threads I’ve been spinning together to create home
textiles for the upscale market. So many of my sheep
friends are able to produce far more wool than there
is a demand for. Our small mills are years out on
processing fiber. Knitters and weavers are ready to
work, but the processing bottleneck and figuring out
all the business end is above my abilities. We need to
come up with a well thought out business plan and
figure out how everyone gets paid (without having
to mortgage my house)....so those are our challenges
and tasks for this brave new year!
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coming
designer
soon!
spotlight
Your next blue bag!
Your next Blue Bag arrives in mid-March and is a collaboration of two stars of the knitting world:
Rising Star Louis Boria of Brooklyn Boy Knits and Hedgehog Fibres CEO Beata Jezek. Check out
Beata’s mood board for a taste of the images that inspired the colorway for this kit’s yarn!
This fabulous duo took some time to answer a few of our LOOPS questions related to learning,
organization, trends, photos and surprises!
Beata Jezek
What are you into learning about right now?
Knitting baby things and baby proportions as I’m expecting a baby boy.
What’s your favorite trick/tool for keeping your yarn stuff organized
right now?
Lots and lots of project bags
What’s your favorite trend in the yarn world right now?
Tweed yarns and ‘recycle, reuse and repurpose’ mentality. Our Tweedy is a
perfect marriage and a favourite yarn at the moment. I’m making a brioche
cardigan, very slowly. Check it out!
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m a very prolific gardener and I grow over 90% of all the vegetables
we eat year round!
designer
spotlight
Louis Boria
What are you into learning about right now?
Right now, I’ve been learning to bake. I mean...BOY HAVE I BEEN
BAKING!!! Just like knitting, I love to be in the kitchen as often as
I can. This year I’ve been experimenting with a lot of fun cookie and
pastry recipes.
What’s your favorite trick/tool for keeping your yarn stuff organized
right now?
Keeping your yarn organized can be tricky. When I moved to my
3 bedroom in 2018, I decided to convert my master bedroom into my
Knitting Studio. I lined the walls with wall to wall shelving. each side
of the room has its own section (e.g. collaborations, gifting yarn, yarn
to sell, and of course... Play yarn). I try to keep like yarn companies
together. For instance, all Madeline Tosh yarn has its own section,
Lolabean yarn a different section and so on. I’ve created a system that
works for me. May not sound like the best, but it does for me lol.
What’s your favorite trend in the yarn world right now?
My favorite yarn trend right now would have to be folks creating
unique one of a kind yarn from start to finish. Meaning...from the
person spinning fiber into yarn and then dying it afterwards.
The amount of time that goes into creating yarn like this takes
hours. I have so much respect for the process and for those that
create this yarn. My latest Cowl design is the Morovis Cowl. This super
Bulky Cowl is such fun knit and super quick to knit. I collaborated with
Fiber For The People Yarn Company on this project.
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
Something people might be surprised about is that I’m obsessed with
Christmas movies. Even the cheesiest Christmas movies make me happy
lol. So for the whole month of December, it’s nothin’ but Christmas
movies and a box of Kleenex for this Brooklyn Boy. I find that crying
heals my soul. December can be a heavy month for so many folks.
A good warm Holiday movie and Baking (lol) is my remedy for the
Holiday blues.
▲ Above is my latest Cowl design:
The Morovis Cowl. This super Bulky Cowl
is such fun knit and super quick to knit.
For this design, these yarns at Loops
would be perfect: Malabrigo Rasta,
Kim Dyes Yarn Souffle Bulky.
▲ Beata’s mood board and our inspiration for this kit’s yarn.
▲ Beata’s WIP - a brioche cardigan.
My impossible dream for 2021 is:
to finally get my first book out.
Recently I’ve been taking time each week to work on
writing my story and creating special patterns for the book.
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possible
impossibilities
seize the day(light)
My impossible dream for 2021 is:
Prioritizing and caring for ourselves means making small
decisions that lead to being whole and healthy.
Go outside.
Our bodies rely on sunlight to set our internal clocks, but in
the winter too often we find ourselves leaving for work and
returning home in the dark. It is important to go outside
and be in the natural light (not to mention breathing air that
hasn’t been recycled) for at least a few minutes a day. Even
just five minutes outside during your lunch break can lift
your spirits; a long walk will clear your mind and remind you
that it is good to be alive.
Move.
We often want to bundle up and hibernate during the dark
days of winter, but when we do, we can quickly begin to
feel sluggish in body and mind. Physical activity helps us
to feel calm and focused, and has a lasting effect. Exercise
doesn’t have to be a formal affair, but it does need to happen:
it increases oxygen to our brains and blood flow to
our extremities, and elevates our mood. One of our Loops
Troopers practices “apartment running” when the weather is
frightful, running back and forth within the confines of her
home. Stretching, jogging in place and squats can all be done
without leaving home or changing clothes. Better yet, bundle
up and head outside.
Be.
It is important to set aside time that is not for doing, but
for being. We all have the need for quiet space in our own
minds. Creating that quiet space may not look the same for
everyone: for one person it might be setting aside an hour
each day for meditation or prayer; another person might use
that time for reflection and journaling; still another might
find it in a long, hot bath.
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TOGETHER
email us anytime!
support@loopsclub.com
Available January 12, 2021!
Pre-order the book today!
www.theneedlebook.com