SpaceCadet Newsletter: Things Have Gotten Kinda…  Funky.

SpaceCadet Newsletter: Things Have Gotten Kinda… Funky.

So, can I tell you what a studio with a rainwater soaked carpet smells like after a week?  Nooooo… no, I don’t think I can adequately describe it.  The word “funk” comes to mind, and not in an awesome 1970s Stevie Wonder kind of way.

The good news is that the carpet is no longer squelching underfoot, and it (and most of the smell) is confined only to the packing room, and it is definitely coming out! (just as soon as the insurance company has done all their stuff).  But you know what?  There are folks just down the road from us who lost everything, so I count us lucky.   And the weather is warm:  we can open the windows and doors, we can hold our meetings in the park nearby, we can even pack parcels at my house if the smell is too bad.  This is totally do-able!

the latest SpaceMonster Colourway, “Determined” and our awesome gift, a bracelet loom from Purl&Loop

In the meantime, we are dyeing up a storm (because the smell of wet wool is delicious and beats out over the funky competition!), developing some beautiful colourways, and spent the last week sending out a ton of orders and awesome club parcels (did you see the most recent SpaceMonsters‘, above?).

You know what else I did?  Gathered some fabulous fiber updates for you!  So before the day gets all busy, let’s grab a nice cup of tea and find a comfy spot, and let me show you what I found…

Newsletter

We hosted double-knitting wizard Alasdair Post-Quinn in our booth at a spring show and I was blown away by his amazing designs (and, by the number of people who swooned when they saw them, I wasn’t the only one!).  He emailed last week to let me know that his book Extreme Double-Knitting has been revised and re-released, and is available now for pre-order.  Ready to try double-knitting?  Click here to get on the list!

note: yonote: you do not need to be a fire-breather to conquer double-knitting but it might help

One thing about doing bigger shows (like TNNA last weekend) is that you often have to sit in a long line waiting for your turn at the unloading dock.  And what does a knitter do when she’s stuck waiting in her car?  Yep,  you know it.  So I enjoyed reading this article about a trucker who rekindled a childhood knowledge of knitting in order to fill time waiting in his truck cab –and to quit smoking.  Excellent!

I was absolutely delighted when Dayle, a teacher at Georgia Elementary & Middle School in  St Albans VT and longtime SpaceCadet club member, emailed to share this heartwarming story of how second graders at her school incorporated knitting into their learning.  As well as gaining invaluable knitting skills, the kids learned perseverance and problem-solving and, when their projects were complete, they were donated to an awesome cause.  Scroll to the bottom of the page for a video that is totally worth watching!

Yarn bombing always makes me smile but when it’s as big and powerful as these crocheted portraits of iconic women in history, it’d probably stop me in my tracks.  Love Across The USA is a series of installations by the artist Olek, who brings teams of (hundreds of) crocheters together to create the massive portraits of key women in US history.  Her goal is to install one piece in every US state over the next two years.  You can make your own mini-portrait by clicking here or even design one of your own using the Love Across the USA pattern maker here.

Instagram just introduced IGTV, their answer to YouTube.  The idea is that videos can be much longer and are permanent, organised into “channels” like on television.  I’m intrigued but not really sold yet…  now there’s a feed to check, plus stories, plus IGTV…   It’s all starting to feel fragmented to me.  Thoughts?  If you’re sold on IGTV and want to share why, I’d love to know!

Quick Calendar:

  • TOMORROW at noon (eastern): A very limited number of spaces in the Gradient Explorers open!
  • Sunday July 8: The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club subscriptions close

Gradient Explorers: Very Limited Spaces Open Friday!
Literally only a handful of spaces available

Each month in the Gradient Explorers, we dye a stunning colourway that flows into the next month’s colour… and into the next month’s colour …and into the next.  With limited availability, we open new spaces only when they become available and, this month, we have a handful spots free!  I’ll be opening them up on Fri June 29 at noon (eastern), and there are so few spots available that I think they’ll go quickly, so mark your calendar and, if you’re on the Gradient Explorers mailing list, you’ll get a 10 minute headstart!

The SpaceMonster Club is Open until July 8

The SpaceMonster Club opened last week and the response has been amazing — so many new joiners and I’m thrilled to have you with us!  I’m already thinking about your first yarn — I want to make sure it’s extra special!

Would you like to join me on this colour adventure?  The SpaceMonster Club is our worsted and bulky weight club, because big squishy yarns are smooshy and soft and so much fun to work with (they’re so quick!).  I mean, they’re what got me started knitting in the first place (you too?).  If you feel the same way I do, and you love colour like I do, click here to join us in all this lovely squishy yarny fun!

 

It’s really full-blown summer at last and so the thing that keeps catching my eye is everything light and lacy.  Here are three patterns I’m really loving…

Namorita by Lotta Groeger

image ©Fleischer, used with permission

Tiny little shawlettes are great for summer and when it’s as pretty and detailed as this one, it’s perfect!  Named after a Marvel heroine and princess of Atlantis, it’s designed in laceweight but, if that’s not your thing, you could easily modify to fingering and get a slightly larger finished piece.  Try Pyxis for a lace version or Celeste for a light fingering version.

My Autumn Flower by Corrina Ferguson

image © Corrina Ferguson, used with permission

So, I know it’s not really the season for cowls but when I see one as light and airy as this, it feels less about warmth and more about showing off gorgeous stitchwork and amazing colour.  Designed in light fingering, it’d work perfectly in SpaceCadet Maia or perhaps those Maia Mini-Skeins from May’s Mini-Skein Club parcel.  Either way, it’s sure to make any summer outfit look amazing!

Love & Madness by Simone Kereit

image © OwlCat Designs, used with permission

Can I tell you want really caught my eye about this pattern?  I’m used to seeing stockinette in a semi-circular shawl, sure, but always at the beginning of the work.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one that starts with a big, bold lace section, then chills out into a stockinette section, and then finishes with a lace edge.  It’s unusual but so effective.  Click through to see how amazing it looks all spread out!

Ok, its time for me to get  to work.  I’ve got some paperwork to sort through, then down to the studio and get a little dyeing done and, while I’m there, I’ll organise yarn for a really exciting holiday project we’re putting together.  Sounds like a busy day!  I hope you’ve got a great day planned too (with lots of yarn breaks) so, until next time, all my best!

 

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