From Paris with love…and yarn 💛

 

Y’all I am soooooo excited!

Ahem, I mean…

Je suie ravie!!!

I could not be more thrilled to announce that our featured Fall Hot Loops Wall dyer is none other than La Bien Aimée!

I met Aimée for the first time back in 2017 when my daughter Mallory and I were in Europe filming Knit Stars Season 2. I had seen Aimée’s stunning hand dye work and heard rave reviews of her bright-yellow-painted yarn shop on a bustling streetcorner in Paris. 

But nothing could have prepared me for the charm of the shop…the breathtaking beauty of the yarns…and the creative tour de force that is dyer, CEO and author Aimée Gille.

And now here we are, five years later, and we’re going to be debuting an entire wall of La Bien Aimée yarn. Including a brand-new base and a Knit Stars exclusive colorway called “There Goes My Yarn Diet.” 🤪

But that’s not even the best part. 

Aimée is flying from Paris all the way to our Flagship store in Tulsa! 

So instead of just our usual, worldwide Hot Loops Wall Reveal virtual event, we decided to make a whole weekend of it.

2-4pm Saturday, Sept. 17 
Book Signing with Aimée (in person only)
Aimée will be on hand at our Tulsa Flagship store to chat and sign her first pattern book titled "Worsted." Note: The Hot Loops Wall will be visible during this event, but velvet-roped off and not shoppable until the online event later that evening.
FREE (first come, first served)

6pm Saturday, Sept. 17
Hot Loops Wall Reveal (virtual only)
Join us on Zoom for what has become the New York Fashion Week of yarn! Together, Aimée and I will reveal our 36th Hot Loops curated project wall. There will be appearances from your favorite designers, prizes and loads of fun! This is your first chance to shop the new Wall and lots of yarns always sell out right away.
FREE - but you must pre-register here.
First 500 to register get a Knit Stars silicone wine cup as a party favor with their merchandise order that weekend.

2-4pm Sunday, Sept. 18
Shopping with Aimée (in person only)
Visit the Flagship Store and let Aimée help you put together the perfect project. She’ll have a trunk show of 30 projects from her book that you can try on and plan for your next knit!
FREE (first come, first served)

If you’ve been considering a trip to the Tulsa Flagship Store, this is a perfect opportunity! To help plan your trip, download this handy Flagship Store travel flyer.

 

 

As we prepare to debut our new Hot Loops Wall, we’re making room by clearing out the previous Wall as well as some overstocks. By purchasing from our previous Wall, you’re supporting all of those dyers plus Gaye “GG” Glasspie, who co-curated the Wall with us and received a commission on every skein.

Be sure you’re following us @knitstars on Instagram for extra-special daily deals up to 40% off!

Amano “Mayu” is one of my favorite hidden gems in our Flagship Store. Dip-dyed in Peru, it’s 60% Royal Alpaca, 20% Cashmere and 20% Silk. Bunny-soft but with sheen and stitch definition, it’s pretty much perfection for any DK-weight project in your queue! 

I made these “Cafe Au Lait” mitts, a free Ravelry pattern by Paula McKeever, with 2 skeins of Mayu. Collect your colors at 20% off here, while the sale lasts.

 

Or make “Ramble” by Andrea Mowry with 3 skeins each of 2 contrasting colors of “Mayu” - shown here in Stone Grey and Frost White. Our model knitter, Leigh, raved: "Ramble was delightful to knit up. The brioche section may look intimidating but is formed with a pretty straightforward repeat of brioche stitches. The Mayu is lovely and soft and a joy to knit with."

Our sales are such a great time to try out new luxury fibers! Like “Wicked MCN” by fellow Okie Ross of Twisted Ambitions.

Pick up 3 compatible skeins of Wicked MCN and make Joji Locatelli’s “Odyssey” shawlette. Each color section ends with a lace band that features striking big eyelet and wavy texture. We used one skein each of Purple Rain, Bold As Love, and Duckling for our version down below. 

Find Wicked MCN on sale here while it lasts.

 These sharp-looking, unisex Ripcord Hat kits using Twisted Ambitions yarn are on sale, too! Grab one here.

Another of my favorite yarns in the shop, “Sweet 16,” is on sale as well! This 16-micron merino (think softer than most cashmeres!) is dyed exclusively for us by Urth Yarns in sophisticated palettes with fun, locally-themed color names.

 

 

Tarte Bourdaloue (or Pear Frangipane as Aimée like to call it)
 
This is Aimée’s favorite tarte recipe! She likes to use seasonal fruit, but strawberry and rhubarb is her favorite! Aimée used to bake it in her café, L'Oisivethé. Pear and chocolate was always the most popular.

What you'll need
- 200g of sweet shortcrust pastry
- Almond cream (see recipe below)
- One large can of tinned pears (or any other fruit you'd like)
- one tart dish
 

Almond cream (or Frangipane)
- 125g of butter, soft
- 125g of caster sugar
- 125g of powdered almonds
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 30g of flour, or Maizena (corn starch). I use Maizena, it makes for a lighter Frangipane.
 
Make the Almond Cream: 
1. Beat the butter until it’s foamy. I heat the bowl in the microwave and let the cold butter sit in the bowl for a bit to soften up. Do not melt the butter completely.
 
2. Add half of the powdered almonds and half of the sugar. Beat with a hand held electric whisk until the mixture becomes white.
 
3. Add 1 egg and whisk.
 
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
 
5. Add the flour / Maïzena.

 

Make the Tarte:

1. Butter the dish, lay out the pastry 

2. Add the almond cream 

3. Add the pears

4. Bake for 30 min at 200° C.