You Guys Just Blew Me Away

Sometimes, good things rise up out of bad.  Sometimes, sad events spur us onto something beyond the ordinary.  And when that happens, it is a wonderful thing to see.  Heartwarming.  Hope-restoring.   The knitting community did exactly that last week.

A Colourway For Karrie

When my friend and colleague Karrie Steinmetz of the KnitPurlGurl podcast passed away suddenly on Nov 26, her husband asked me to create a colourway in her honour.  I knew that the loss of a wife and mother, so suddenly and unexpectedly, would send any family reeling in practical ways as well as emotional, so I decided to use this colourway as a way for the knitting and crochet community to help Karrie’s family through this time.  I decided to dye her yarn in Aurora and called it “A Colourway for Karrie”, and offered it for pre-orders with 50% of the sales price going to Karrie’s family.  Not know what sort a demand there might be, I limited it to an initial run of 24 skeins.

They sold out within 90 minutes.  And I suddenly began getting tons of emails and Rav messages asking for more.  So I ran over to the studio to see if I had any more Aurora in stock…  10 skeins.  I put them up and they sold out almost immediately.

A Colourway For Karrie

And that was it — that was all the yarn I had.  But the emails and messages kept coming — some offering straight donations –and I realised, by limiting the run, I was also limiting how much we could raise for Karrie’s family.  So I opened it up for a second run to be delivered somewhere in January and, this time, I put no limit on the number of orders before the deadline.

The response was phenomenal.  Phenomenal.  And as the orders came flying in and the responses were being posted on Ravelry, I realised what you all are made of.  You are made of compassion, of kindness, and of generosity.  You are made of love for a fellow knitter and crocheter, and of genuine concern for her husband and children.  I watched the orders coming in and I was blown away.

$1598 raised!

Ninety-four skeins sold.  One thousand, five hundred, and ninety-eight dollars raised.  I am deeply thrilled to write this cheque for Karrie’s family.  And humbled because, though it is my name at the bottom, it is all of you who made this happen.  Thank you all so very much.


Yarn Update

The first run is all dyed up and currently drying.  If you nabbed one of those 34 skeins, expect your yarn to go in the post sometime next week!  And for those of you who got in on the second run, your yarn is being spun at the moment and is still looking good for a mid-January delivery.


The SpaceMonster Club Closes in Three Days!

And, hey, don’t  forget that there are only three days left to grab a subscription to the SpaceCadet’s newest yarn club, the SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club!  If you love the fabulous smooshiness of big yarns (not to mention the quick knits they produce!), then this is the club for you.  It’s all worsted, chunky, and bulky — and exclusive colourways designed to bring out the best in them.  But subscriptions close on Sun Dec 16, so — quick! — click here to find out more.

 The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club from SpaceCadet Creations

For Cyber Monday: A Fantastic New SpaceCadet Club!

It’s Cyber Monday and everywhere you look, there are ads screaming at you about dealsdealsdeals!  And it’s exhausting, isn’t it?

So, instead of joining in with all that noise, I decidedto give you something really special.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a long, long time, and I can’t believe the day is finally here…

I am thrilled to announce…

SpaceMonsters, the SpaceCadet’s Mega Yarn Club

Specially designed for those who love working with thicker yarns!

 

The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club, from SpaceCadet Creations

There is nothing in the whole world like a skein of lovely, smooshy, thick yarn to make you want to pick it up, squish it… dive right into it! Big, bulky yarns call out to you, beg you to pick them up and press them against your cheek. And when you cast on, they always work up so fast! Big yarns are gorgeous.

 

The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club, from SpaceCadet Creations

Members of the SpaceMonsters Mega Club will receive:

  • a fantastic parcel delivered to their door every other month, containing a beautiful skein of SpaceCadet® Creations yarn in worsted or bulky weight, hand-dyed in an exclusive colourway* created to bring out the best in thicker yarns.
  • The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
  • A fantastic SpaceMonsters gift tucked into every third parcel. We’re known for the fabulous gifts we include in our club parcels — and for this club, we’re seriously upping the fab. You’re going love it!

*guaranteed not to be offered on the SpaceCadet website for at least 6 months

But bigger yarns mean bigger projects, right?

Don’t you worry — in this club, you can buy extra skeins! For a whole month after you receive your parcel, you’ll have an exclusive opportunity to order more skeins custom-dyed in the latest club colourway. You’ll receive an email with all the details a few days after your parcel goes out — and then all you have to do is pick your project!

 

The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club, from SpaceCadet Creations

And the price is pretty exciting too: a 6 month subscription (3 parcels) is only $99, and a 12 month subscription (6 parcels) is just $194. …Know anyone on your holiday gift list who’d love to receive a right-to-her-door supply of gorgeous, smooshy yarn?

But subscriptions are open only until Dec 16 and spaces are limited… so you’ve gotta be quick!

 

Ready to join the SpaceMonsters?

Click on one of the buttons below to grab your spot in the SpaceMonsters Mega Yarn Club

Click Here to grab a 6 Month Subscription to the SpaceMonsters MegaYarn ClubClick Here to grab a 12 Month Subscription to the SpaceMonsters MegaYarn Club


Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out on or near the first of February, April, June, August, October, and December. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US..
Normal subscription openings/renewals will be available in June and December of each year.
Any other questions? Ask us! spacecadetcreations (at) gmail (dot) com

Black Friday Weekend ONLY: Gift Subscriptions to the InterStellar Yarn Alliance!

 

It’s Black Friday weekend, which means all kind of gift-buying craziness.  Now I don’t know about you, but I am not getting up early to fight the crowds — so here, back by popular request, is a fantastic way to give the gift of yarny goodness and mouthwatering colour…  all without every getting out of your jammies!

The SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club

Give the Yarn Alliance for the Smooshiest of Holiday Gifts!

Holiday Gift Subscriptions to the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance are available for one weekend only. Spaces are limited, so don’t wait!

Exclusive colourways and fabulous gifts from the SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance is SpaceCadet’s fabulous yarn club. If you like SpaceCadet ® yarns, then you’ll love being in the Yarn Alliance!

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance Holiday Gift Subscription includes two parcels delivered to the recipient’s door, containing:

  • SpaceCadet ® Creations yarn (light to medium weight) in an exclusive Yarn Alliance colourway (guaranteed not to be offered on the SpaceCadet website for at least 6 months)
  • A great Yarn Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
  • The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
  • The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.

InterStellar Yarn Alliance, Quotes of Member Happiness

 

Black Friday Weekend ONLY!

This special Holiday Gift Subscription is $85 but if the knitter or crocheter on your list deserves more even more Yarn Alliance goodness, you can add on a 6-month membership ($199 inclusive) or a 12-month membership ($320 inclusive), and they’ll enjoy exclusive SpaceCadet yarny goodness long into the New Year!

 

Choose your subscription level by clicking on one of the buttons below:

The SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club Holiday Gift SubscriptionThe SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club Holiday Gift Subscription PLUS 6 MonthsThe SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club Holiday Gift Subscription PLUS 12 Months

SUPER IMPORTANT: If this is a gift, please do NOT forget to fill out the box for the recipient’s postal and email addresses. We gotta have them to make this work!

Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US.
Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels and are normally priced at $125; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels and are normally priced at $235.
Holiday Gift Subscription parcels will be sent out on or near Jan 1 and March 1 2013 . Parcels for the 6-month add-on will be sent out on or near the first day of May, July, and Sept 2013. Parcels for the 12-month add-on will be sent out on or near the first day of May, July, Sept, Nov 2013, and Jan and March 2014.
Normal subscription openings for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance are two weeks only in March and September of each year.


 

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance Through the Rest of the Year

When you include an additional 6 month or 12 month Yarn Alliance subscription to your Holiday Gift Subscription, your recipient receives all the benefits that other regular members enjoy! With the additional regular subscription, each member will receive an exciting parcel delivered every other month containing:

  • SpaceCadet ® Creations yarn (light to medium weight) in an exclusive Yarn Alliance colourway (guaranteed not to be offered on the SpaceCadet website for at least 6 months)
  • A great Yarn Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
  • The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
  • The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
  • A 15% off coupon every six months

Regular subscription prices: 6 months (3 parcels) $125; or 12 months (6 parcels) $235

Parcels will be sent out on or near the first day of November, January, March, May, July, and September. Subscription openings will be available in March and September. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US.

InterStellar Yarn Alliance goodness!

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance will not open again
for subscriptions until March 2013


Wait! Before you go, just wanted to let you know that there’s going to be another fabulous offer on Cyber Monday. Keep your eyes open for it!
(…But this offer closes at 11.59pm EST on Sunday. How’s that for a dilemma?  **insert evil laugh**)

The Moment of that Knitterly Connection

Tell me, do you get a little thrill when you discover a new acquaintance is a knitter or crocheter?  You both realise that you’ve got this wonderful shared understanding of what’s Really Important in life, and you can ditch the small talk (or business talk) and turn instead to yarn, needles, and your latest projects.  It’s a delicious moment, isn’t it?

Vermillion Star Press

 

That’s exactly what happened when I got hold of Vanessa at Vermilion Star Press to put together the gifts for the latest InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcels.  I’d admired her work for a long time, beautiful letterpress stationary and invitations, created on a 100 year old Chandler and Price letterpress (that’s “slower than molasses” — check out her adorable thank you note in the photo above).  I had a vision of how she and I could work together to create something really special for the Alliance Members.  So I emailed and asked her what she thought…

“Shut the Front Door!  I am a dedicated addicted knitter!  Yes, let’s do it!”

And there it was, that knitterly bond —  I knew right away that this was going to be a beautiful collaboration.  We chatted back and forth, came up with some adorable designs, and then Vanessa got to work…

Vanessa at Vermillion Star Press

Now, before I show you her work, let me just quickly show you the yarn (and if you’re in the Alliance and you haven’t yet received your parcel, look away now!).  I’d had all kinds of ideas of what I might dye but, by the time we got back from Rhinebeck, my head was so filled with the gorgeous colours of fall that there was no way I could possibly dye anything else.  And so I created the shades of my Rhinebeck Reflections.

SpaceCadet Creations yarn in the colourway Rhinebeck Reflections for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance Yarn Club

(Take a really close look at that label…  Can you spot the mistake?  Yeah, I didn’t even realise I’d done that until just now.  Oops!)

When Vanessa’s parcel of letterpressed goodies arrived, I was so excited!  I ripped open the box, took out a set, and ran my finger across the  indented letters.  There is something about being able to actually feel where the press pushed the words right into the paper that is just scrumptious.

SpaceCadet Notecards from Vermillion Star Press

And they were made by a fellow knitter!  What’s not to love?!?

 


Hey, what you up to this weekend?  If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, don’t forget that this Saturday is Indie Knit & Spin, a fabulous market of the region’s best indie fiber artists.  Click here for all the details  …and come and see us!

Pittsburgh Indie Knit & Spin: You Coming?

Indie Knit & Spin: a Pittsburgh Yarn & Fiber Artists' Marketplace

It feels like we only just got home from the last show when it’s time for the next one!  Pittsburgh Indie Knit & Spin is next Saturday and you don’t want to miss it.  This is only its second year, but my friend Cosy has put together a fantastic line-up of dyers and fiber artists (and more!).  Check out who’s coming:

Beads by Eileen
Burgh Baby Gear
Cooperative Press
cosymakes studio
Dusty Tree Soap
Fibernymph Dye Works
Fiddlehead Fibers
Great Lakes Hand Dyed
Gwen Erin Natural Fibers
Luxe Fiber Arts
SpaceCadet Creations
Spinning Fates
Splashdoodles
Stormy Blue Pottery
Willow Mist Acres Farm Boutique
Wren & Rita

These are some seriously talented makers and, for me, I am honoured to be amongst them. But, for you, it means a wonderful selection of yarn and fiber (and soap and books…), all of it handmade, all of indie.  Do come!

Pittsburgh Indie Knit and Spin
Saturday, November 17th from 10 to 4
Wilkins School Community Center in Regent Square
7604 Charleston Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 (map it!)
Entry is FREE!

Also, this will be our last show this year, so if you’ve been wanting to smoosh the SpaceCadet’s yarns in person, don’t miss it!

 


Oh, and apropos of nothing at all, there’s this:  I was using my camera the other day and realised there were a bunch of pictures that I hadn’t downloaded of the house we rented for our weekend at Rhinebeck.  And I liked some of them so much, I just wanted to share them with you…

Images from the SpaceCadet's weekend in Rhinebeck

 You can see why it was so much fun, can’t you?  Oh, what a weekend!

Sharon Silverman’s Crochet Scarves

A couple of months ago, I recieved a lovely, lovely, lovely parcel.  Amid all the massive boxes of yarn that were arriving in the run up to Rhinebeck, there was one small manilla envelope waiting on the doorstep.  I honestly couldn’t think what it might be but, when I ripped open the package, I was immediately over the moon!

Sharon Silverman is a wonderful crochet designer and I’ve really enjoyed working with in the past.  She contributed to the SpaceCadet’s Guide to Using Hand-Dyed, and do you remember when she designed her stunning Moonmist Shawl in my Luna Laceweight yarn?  So when she told me she was writing a new book of crocheted scarves and asked if she could use SpaceCadet yarn, I jumped at the chance!

Crochet Scarves: Fabulous Fashions-Various Techniques

 

So when my copy of Crochet Scarves: Fabulous Fashions – Various Techniques arrived, I couldn’t wait to settle myself right down into a comfy chair and crack it open.  And it is — as expected — fantastic.  Twenty-one brand new designs, covering everything from traditional crochet to Tunisian (I love Tunisian!) to broomstick lace.  And all with really wonderful step-by-step visual instructions and easy-to-read charts.

Sharon Silverman's Step-by-Step Instructions

 

Now, can I tell you something?  I don’t care what kind of a day you’ve had — whether it’s been a facepalm kind of day or wildly successful.  And I don’t care what kind of week you’ve had, or month or year or life…  no matter how things are going for you, when you see your name in print, in a book, it sends such a thrill down your spine, I just can’t tell you.  So, I turned to the Cactus Scarf and saw SpaceCadet yarn right there on the page and… I squeed!  Alone in the house, still sitting in my comfy chair (well, jumping out of it actually), I was squeeing my heart out.

Sharon Silverman's Cactus Scarf featureing SpaceCadet Luna Laceweight yarn

SpaceCadet Luna Laceweight featured in Sharon Silverman's Cactus Scarf design

 

One of the hardest things about selling yarn online is that it’s incredibly difficult to express the tactile elements of each yarn.  It’s one of the reasons I love doing shows so much.  When customers can come and see the yarns in person — smoosh the yarns in person — everything changes.   For the Cactus Scarf, Sharon chose SpaceCadet Luna, a merino and silk cobweb laceweight that gives a stunning 1300 yards per skein (that’s nearly 3/4ths of a mile!).  It’s so fine and yet so smooshy, and the silk gives it an amazing sheen that I can never seem to do justice to in photographs!  That just kills me, because this is one special yarn.

SpaceCadet Luna Laceweight in Feather

SpaceCadet Luna Laceweight in Plume

 

But you know what?  I think the Cactus Scarf would look great in any of the other SpaceCadet laceweights too.  Pyxis is 100% superwash merino and a great, straightforward laceweight yarn — or for anyone taking their first steps into open stitchwork.  But I think this scarf would be amazing in Thebe — it’s a heavier laceweight in silk and linen that has an almost rustic feel and fabulous drape.  And then there’s Venus, with its incredibly subtle sparkles blended into merino and silk — now that would be one eye-catching scarf!

So, are you as excited about Sharon’s new book as I am?  Check out Crochet Scarves: Fabulous Fashions – Various Techniques and the rest of Sharon’s fantastic crochet designs here on her website.