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…

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!

 

I feel like I have soooo much to tell you! TNNA was amazing: we’ve got orders from some wonderful new shops, met so many wonderful people, and we’re collaborating with some fantastic designers on really cool projects.  So much good stuff!  But you’re not going to believe what I’m actually about to tell you…

We got home from TNNA late on Sunday night.  I took a much-needed day off (sleep! and recover!) and then we jumped right back in to pack all the parcels for the Storm Damage colourways that had been drying while we were away.  I am so grateful to all of you for supporting us as we got our studio repaired from the damage of all the rain pouring through the ceiling, that I wanted to get your yarn out asap.  And there were so many orders that it actually took two days get them all boxed and labeled!

the little creek across the road from our studio — see the crushed vegetation and the debris deposited in the safety fence?

As I pulled into the post office parking lot just before closing on Wednesday, I looked up at the clouds darkening rapidly.  One of the postal workers helped me unload my car and she spotted them too. “That’s quite a storm coming.”  It made me chuckle a little to realise that I was dropping off yarn inspired by one storm under the dark skies of another storm rolling in.

But Wednesday night’s storm was no laughing matter.  It dumped a colossal amount of water and caused flash floods all over the area — so much that our township and the ones surrounding have declared a state of emergency.  There’s damage all over the place, and the little creek outside our studio became a raging (and I do mean raging) river that burst its banks and flooded businesses and homes up and down our street.

When they cleared the debris yesterday enough to open the road, we headed to the studio to see how it fared and, as we drove, the damage actually made me gasp.  But though I could see that the creek had crossed the road and covered three-quarters of our parking lot, the watermark showed that it had come to a stop just feet short of our front door.

Sadly the rain came under the door and our carpet in the first room is completely soaked.  I think it was probably just the sheer force of the water, and its now squelchy underfoot and smells of fish and muck and yuck.  We spent the afternoon hauling ruined shipping boxes out to the dumpster and moving bags of undyed yarn (thank goodness it was all in bags!) to higher ground.  And I just couldn’t believe it had happened twice in one year.

But do you know what?  I don’t mind one bit!  We’ll pull the carpet out and paint the concrete underneath and it will be fine.  Compared to the damage we had earlier in the year, this is easy.  Compared to the damage faced by so many others around us, this is an absolute blessing.  I am grateful that pulling up some carpet is all we have to do.

So that was this week: from all the excitement and fun of TNNA to squelchy carpets and weird smells!  And after all that, I’m ready to indulge in a little fibery good news, aren’t you?  I’ve got a ton to share but, before I do, just one really important thing:

You guys were so generous when I create the Storm Damage colourways to raise funds for the studio repairs and I loved having the opportunity to earn that support by doing what we do best.  That was important to me.  Now, we don’t need to do repairs like that this time but I just wanted to say that the thing that really supports our studio month in and month out is our clubs.  More than regular yarn sales and or orders from LYSs, it’s the clubs that give us the kind of reliable income that keeps everything in the studio running.  The SpaceMonsters Club opens today at noon — if you love the work that we do and the yarn we create, I hope you’ll join us and let us continue to earn your support!

I think of handknitting as a thoroughly modern craft but it has ancient roots and the larger knitting world (read: industrial machine knitting) has really fascinating modern applications.  This article explores the latter and it’s so interesting to see behind the scenes of the production of the fabrics we all use every day.

Not about fiber arts but still about making, I was kind of blown away by the simple solution this rolling pin presents for an age old problem: how to make sure your pastry is even and exactly the right thickness? You just roll until the edges touch your tabletop.  Now, at nearly $50 per pin, I’m not sure my only-occasional baking habit can justify buying one, but I sure can recognise genius when I see it!

When you knit or crochet, do you do it to blend in or stand out?  Carolyn, an awesome member of the SpaceMonster Club, sent me the link to this amazing collection of camouflage knitwear.  And when I say camouflage, it’s not what you think.  Really, really cool.

I always find that the more I knit, the more knitting ideas I have (to the point where I have a very very hard time finishing my projects because I’m always rushing to cast on the next idea!).  Are you the same?  I found this article about What Happens In Your Brain When You Create to be fascinating.  And suddenly it makes sense: the more you create, the more creative you are.  Cast on!

This picture cracked me up.

Quick Calendar:

• TODAY at noon (eastern): The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club Opens!
• Friday June 29: A very limited number of spaces in the Gradient Explorers available

 

The SpaceMonster Club opens TODAY at noon!

I’m going to tell you more about the yarn above next week but, when you look at it, and you see all those colours, can’t you just tell how much love (and determination!) went into it?  That’s because it’s a SpaceMonsters colourway and there’s something really, really special about dyeing for the folks who join our clubs.  They’ve agreed to come on a colour adventure with us and, to me, that’s an amazing honour!

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, set a reminder on your phone now and click here at noon (eastern) TODAY to join us in all this lovely squishy yarny fun!

Gradient Explorers: Very Limited Spaces Open June 29!

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!

Lindy Pop by Meghan Jones

I met Meghan Jones at TNNA this past weekend and absolutely loved her.  She’s warm and down-to-earth and brimming with creativity — I’m looking forward to working with her in the future!  But in the meantime, let me share this fabulous wrap with you and the thing that I love about it most: instead of weaving in allll those ends, Meghan turns them into a fringe that emphasises the bold colour play!  Designed for sport weight yarn, it would be gorgeous in Lyra or even more amazing in SpaceCadet Mini-Skeins held double.  Go dig through your stash and find some colours to pair up!

Fire Circle by Simone Kereit

So, you have that stash of our gradient Mini-Skeins and you’ve been looking for the perfect pattern — something that will really do them justice, right?  Welllll… I think I might’ve just found it for you!  Choose one gradient bundle for the main colours and then a contrasting mini to make them pop and cast on.

Oh, and while you’re at it, let me just tell you that Simone is another designer who is simply a lovely person, so grounded and fun to chat with.  I mean, when you’re putting your all into a gorgeous project like this, it’s nice to know it comes from good people, right?

Granny diagonal block sweater by Ana D

Yesterday was the summer solstice and when the days are long and warm, I do love a lacy crochet top.  And when it comes to crochet, it’s hard to beat the ease of a granny square.  I love how this top takes that traditional granny square stitch and turns it on its side (almost literally!) to create a corner-to-corner look that’s super eye-catching.  And crocheted garments always work better in a yarn with a little drape, so I’d recommend either Oriana or Maia to soften the stichwork and allow this sweater to really flow!

all image © the respective designers, used with permission

Ok, it’s time I finished my coffee and got started with the day.  I’m headed to the studio to see if anything is any drier(!) and then dyeing some fun colourways (because dyeing yarn feels like the cure for just about anything as far as I’m concerned).  I hope your day is going to be great too and, until next time, all my best!

Ok, I have to be quick because we are about to get in the car and head to Cleveland for one of the industry’s biggest events of the year, TNNA.  If you’re not familiar it’s THE tradeshow where hundreds of yarn shops from around the country and around the world come to buy their new stock for the upcoming season, and it’s an amazing weekend!  If your local yarn shop is going to TNNA, do tell them to stop by and see us — we’re in booth 247, in the first row right as they get off the escalator.

our full palette of colourways, all laid out to go to TNNA — don’t they look amazing all together like that?

But that isn’t what I wanted to tell you!  What I wanted to share with you was something that occurred to me this week as we were prepping the club shipments for the SpaceMonsters…  Maybe I’ll elaborate when I have more time next week but, as we packed up the SpaceMonster’s colourway and I looked at the huge pile of gorgeous gorgeous yarn (and it really is gorgeous — I can’t wait for the club members to see it!), I realised what a wonderful creative outlet our clubs are.  Seriously, the clubs are where we get to really stretch ourselves and dye with…  well, with passion!  I love all our regular colourways, of course, but the clubs are different — creating their colourways is a really special thing.  Next week, I’ll share with you the SpaceMonsters colourway we just sent out so you can see what I mean!

you can’t see it (because this image is black&white) but there’s a lot of complexity in this colourway!

Ok, we’d better get onto this week’s fiber news before I have to hit the road.  I’ve got coffee today (lots and lots of coffee — it’s going to be a long day!) and, if you’ve got your cuppa too, let’s go!

We have a checklist at the studio to make sure that everything is turned off before we leave, and I find I have peace of mind later that evening if I first say the date out loud and then call out the number of each dyepot as I check it’s off, even if I’m alone.  I know that’s a little odd, but reading this article made me feel a lot better: I guess I’m not the only one who worries later that the stove isn’t turned off!

Ok, I know you’re a whiz at knitting or crocheting (or at least, you’re on your way to whiz-dom), but how are your finishing skills?  It’s buttons that always get me, so I love this tutorial on how to expertly attach the perfect button for your FO.

Speaking of which, I was chuckling the whole time I watched Issac Mizrahi explaining the history of buttons.  Did you know people used to “wriggle into clothes”? LOL!

We use a lot of those blue Ikea bags at the SpaceCadet studio.  They’re handy for everything: moving yarn around the studio, taking equipment to shows, I even use them at home instead of laundry baskets.  But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a use for those blue Ikea bags that’s as pure genius (and genuinely hilarious) as this.

 

Quick Calendar:

• This weekend: TNNA! We’re booth 247 — if you’re going to the show, come see us!
• June 22: The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club Opens
• June 29: A very limited number of spaces in the Gradient Explorers available
• The Storm Damage colourways are dyed and drying…

 

The SpaceMonster Club opens for New Subscriptions on June 22

The SpaceMonster Club is our worsted and bulky weight club, and I absolutely love dyeing for it, because big squishy yarns are… well, they’re what got me started knitting in the first place (you too?).  They knit up so quick, they’re so much fun to hold, smoosh, snuggle, and wear.  If you feel the same way I do, make sure you’re here on June 22 at noon (eastern) to join the rest of the SpaceMonster members in all that lovely squishy yarny fun!

 

Gradient Explorers: Very Limited Spaces Open June 29!

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 get on the Gradient Explorers mailing list to get a early reminder.

The Storm Damage Colourways: Update

We had our Storm Damage Dyeing Day at the end of last week and there were so many orders that we actually had to dye all through the weekend too!  And everything was so busy with yarn and pots and dye mixtures everywhere that, of course, I completely forgot to get pictures.  Whoops!  But no matter — the yarn is dyed* and hanging up to dry.  Once we get back from TNNA, we’ll start twisting and tagging it, and then schedule a packing day and get all out to you guys!

*except for one batch that had QC issues. Sometimes that just happens with hand-dyed yarn.  We’ll redye that as soon as possible and, if it’s going to delay any orders, I’ll get in touch.

Kronblad by Verena Cohrs

When I saw this gorgeous design, just one thing popped in my mind…  well, ok, two things.  The first is just how much I love the graphic quality of the yoke design.  There’s something about those crisp lines that completely revolutionises the whole look of a colourwork yolk sweater and I am just crazy about it!

And the second thing is — stay with me here — what if this was knitted in one of our ombre sweater sets*…  so the body of the sweater works it way evenly through the colour flow with, say, the darkest colour at the bottom and the lightest colour at the yoke…  but then, you saved some of that darkest colour and used that for the contrast colour in the yoke?  And used some of the lightest colour as the contrast in the hem and the sleeves.  Wouldn’t that look incredible?!?  Somebody pleeeease, knit that!!!

(*I think Audacity, Infatuation, Transcendence, or Downpour would work best.)

image © Ricarda Schueller, used with permission

iSea by Gretha Mensen

Talk about eye-catching!  This gorgeous shawl jumped right out at me as I was looking through patterns this week.  The construction is simple but those gorgeous stripes create visual complexity and wonderful texture.  Designed for fingering yarn, it’s a fabulous stash-buster for SpaceCadet Mini-Skeins or that amazing variegated yarn you haven’t been quite sure what to make with.  Or recreate the look here with our gorgeous greys Sliver and Dark Skies.

image © Gretha Oceaan, used with permission

Hocus Crocus Beanie (DK) by Lisa M. Barnes

Sometimes the best part of a simple is design is the way it lets the colour shine.  I’m a sucker for purple and green together, for mesh lace, and for quick knits, so this sweet hat is a natural fit!  Designed in DK (try Astrid or Lyra), it’s also available in a worsted version.  What colour combo would you go for?

image © Lisa M. Barnes, used with permission

Ok, my coffee is gone (what?!?) and it’s time we got on the road.  Please keep your fingers crossed for us at TNNA this weekend — that it is as productive as it is fun — and I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned as well.  And until next time, all my best!

Do you ever have those times when it feels like life has revved up to 10million miles an hour?  This week feels like one of those times, and my head is swirling with excitement and a little trepidation.

First, the thing that’s sending shivers of nervousness down my spine: next week, we are headed to TNNA, the knitting industry tradeshow, and there is still so much to do.  I’m super excited about it — I love the chance to meet with designers and suppliers and, most of all, to show off our yarn to LYS owners planning their stock for autumn and winter — but it’s such an important show and such a big endeavour that I get really nervous about it.  What if we don’t do as well as I’d hoped?

There’s a way you can help with that, and I’ll tell you in a minute, but first, the other thing that’s making my week super-busy, and this time it’s something that fills me with warm-fuzzies: Friday is our big Storm Damage Dyeing Day!  That’s when we’re laying the colour on all the yarn that you guys purchased to enable us to raise funds to cover the unexpected costs from the storm damage our studio suffered earlier this year.  And the reason I’m excited about it, besides just the pure fun of creating these beautiful colourways and sending them out to our lovely customers, is because it gives us the opportunity to earn the support you guys are giving us — and that means so much to me!

Ok, back to what you can do to help us with TNNA: it’s super simple, just tell your local yarn shop you’d like to buy SpaceCadet in person and to please stop by our booth when they come to TNNA.  We’ve gotten our best yarn shops through customer recommendations (seriously!) and it feels amazing when a shop owner says that their customers told them about us.  So please do let them know we’ll be at the show and that we’d love to meet them!

But first, let’s get to the serious stuff: it’s time for our weekly dose of fibery goodness.  So grab your cup of tea or coffee (it’s tea for me today), get comfy, and let’s get started…

My lovely friend, the designer and podcaster MelSki, is leading an intrepid group of knitters on a Mini-Skein adventure as they use SpaceCadet Mini-Skeins to test knit a new design of hers during their annual summer retreat. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?!? And we all get to follow their progress on this journey and cheer them along on Instagram.⠀Mel shared this post  (above) and I want you to see the amazingly beautiful effect she is creating with one of our Ombre & Gradient Mini-Skein sets. Look how perfectly the colour flows — there’s a secret to it, can you guess? And the best bit is that, when the adventure is complete, Mel is giving this pattern as a free gift to the members of our Mini-Skein Club!  Make sure you are following me and her on Instagram to see how this adventure unfolds.

I came across the knit Texxture app this week, a growing stitch dictionary in digital form.  It’ll never replace the romance of a holding a real book full of beautiful stitches, but I love having a stitch dictionary in my pocket.  And I love that it’s ever growing.  (Serious question: what’s your must-have knitting or crochet app? I’m always looking to grow my collection!)

I am convinced we can achieve world peace through knitting and crocheting (can you imagine if everyone at the G20 meetings were knitting? They’d be so chill!).  But we’ll never get the whole world hooked* if we don’t represent!  This Saturday is World Wide Knit in Public Day, so get your project ready and click here to find a nearby event.  Or, heck, just get out there and knit!  (*pun intended)

Lots of people start their knitting adventure by making socks, but lots of other people are kind of intimidated by them (and then there’s Clara, who just blew my mind).  If starting socks has always made you a little bit nervous, I love this simple tutorial as a great way to get started.

 

Quick Calendar:

• Today: Last chance to order the Storm Damage colourways
• June 22: The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club Opens
• June 29: A very limited number of spaces in the Gradient Explorers available

 

Today: Last Chance to Order the Storm Damage Colourways!

As you know, our studio suffered storm damage a couple of months ago and so I dyed two colourways to raise funds to help cover the extra costs we incurred while the contractors repaired our water-logged ceiling and walls — creating something beautiful out of all that ugliness!  The result was Water Water Everywhere, inspired by the rain coming through our ceiling, and Alien Invasion, inspired by… wait for it… the mold and mildew they found all over the wet insulation inside our studio walls.

But today is the last day to order them before they are gone forever.  You can jump in on fun and support our studio repairs at the same time by clicking here before midnight tonight! 

 

The SpaceMonster Club opens for New Subscriptions on June 22

The SpaceMonster Club is our worsted and bulky weight club, and I absolutely love dyeing for it, because big squishy yarns are… well, they’re what got me started knitting in the first place (you too?).  They knit up so quick, they’re so much fun to hold, smoosh, snuggle, and wear.  If you feel the same way I do, make sure you’re here on June 22 at noon (eastern) to join the rest of the SpaceMonster members in all that lovely squishy yarny fun!

 

Gradient Explorers: Very Limited Spaces Open June 29!

We sent out the latest Gradient Explorer yarns this week and I am so excited for our members to see the next stop in our colour adventure!

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 get on the Gradient Explorers mailing list to get a early reminder.

Over the weekend, I came across Paola Albergamo’s work on Ravelry and fell in love!  You’ll be able to see why…

Nereid by Paola Albergamo

The first thing that caught my eye is that amazing colourwork, inspired by sea nymphs and the swirling waters they swim in.  While it looks incredibly complicated, the spirals are knit in modules, worked using just one color at a time and joined seamlessly while knitting.   And the best part?  It’s actually designed to for Mini-Skeins!  If you’re in our Mini-Skein Club, do a stash-dive and find as many sea-inspired minis as you can, and then pair them with a skein of Honey.  And if you’re not in the Club, click here.

Nereid is one of the patterns in Paola’s Happiness Make-A-Long, which runs from June 1 to July 31

The Prism Effect by Paola Albergamo

As I may have mentioned(!), I’m a sucker for modular knitting, so this pattern absolutely leapt off the screen at me.  Worked in consecutive vertical strips made of short row triangles joined as-you-go with no seams, it’s a deceptively simple pattern that creates a seriously eye-catching result.  And for a knockout colour combo, I suggest Lyra in Dark Skies or Drizzle paired with Windswept, Molten Cool, Tantrum, or Vortex.

Reptile Skin by Paola Albergamo

And then there’s this beautiful creation in oh-so-hot-right-now brioche!  Completely reversible, it incorporates double increases and decreases to force the fabric into three-dimensional shapes and an intriguing texture that resembles reptile skin.  Sound like fun?  For a cool-toned colour combination like this one, I suggest Oriana in Crisp and Feather; for a warm combo, try Honey and Headstrong or Blood Moon.

all images © Paola Albergamo, used with permission

Ok, well, with all the stuff going on this week, I’d better get to it!  First thing on the agenda: heading down to the studio to see how a new club colourway I dyed looks once it’s dry (that’s always a moment of truth!).  I hope you have a lovely day ahead of you too and, until next time, all my best!

Before I say anything at all, I want to thank you.  You know our studio suffered storm damage a couple of months ago and so I dyed two colourways to raise funds to help cover the extra costs we incurred while the contractors repaired our water-logged ceiling and walls. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure how it would go… I didn’t know if if anyone would like the colourways or would even show up to support us.  As it got nearer to midday, I became more and more nervous and started telling myself that no one would show up to buy them…  and tried to convince myself that that would be ok,that I’d be fine if no one turned up when the clock struck noon.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong.  You guys blew me AWAY!!!  So many people, so much support.  I was shocked and humbled and am so, so grateful.  This is the video I posted to Instagram about 10 minutes after sales opened.  I think you can see how stunned I am.  Thank you so much for supporting our little studio — I can’t tell you what it means.  And I can’t wait for our Storm Damage dyeing day when I can create your beautiful skeins!

If you missed their debut, the Storm Damage colourways are available until June 6, and then they are gone forever.  You can jump in on fun and support our studio repairs at the same time by clicking here. 

But there’s more to this newsletter than me just getting all soppy and sentimental — you want fun fiber news, don’t you?  Good, because I’ve got a bunch of stuff to share.  So if you’ve got your cup of tea, I’ve got mine…  let’s get to it!

(Also… yep, I know it’s Friday and the newsletter usually arrives earlier in the week but… well… having Monday off completely confused my SpaceCadet brain and I’ve been a day out of sync all week!  You know how it goes, right?)

 

It was the flamingo pattern that caught my eye, but I love all the birds in this article.  They’re not knitted or crocheted, but such an intriguing use of textiles in art that they are well worth a look!  (Why did the flamingo catch my eye?  Members of the Gradient Explorers will know soon enough! *grin*)

I absolutely loved this article: Knitting My Own Clothes Let Me See My Body Clearly.  It’s one for savouring slowly, curled up on the couch with enough time to enjoy it.

Weaving in ends is rarely fun, and that’s no matter what fiber art you’re practicing.  And with the rising popularity of hand-held looms as a great stash buster, I love the video tutorial Purl & Loop created to show how to work the ends into your weaving (all of their videos are pretty awesome, to be honest).  Psst..  SpaceMonsters, take note.

Did you know that all the sweaters are handknit in the current Broadway run of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel*?  They involve some pretty impressive colour work and, in the true tradition of hand-knits-on-a-deadline, came down to a nail-biting end.  Click here to read about the woman who spent three months of her life creating them.
(*as an aside, Carosel is one of my least favourite R&H musicals because the storyline never sat well with me, even though the music is lovely.  But in the age of #MeToo, I’m really intrigued how they approach Billy’s abusive nature)

 

We’re headed to TNNA!  June 15-17

TNNA is the industry tradeshow, where yarn companies big and small get to show their stuff to LYSs from around the country and take orders for the yarns you’ll see in shops this autumn — and we are SO excited to go!  Every year, it’s a great weekend but, still, I’m always so nervous (what if no one steps into our booth? What if the weekend’s a total flop?!?).

But listen, there’s a great way you can help us: tell your local yarn shop you’d like to buy SpaceCadet in person and to stop by our booth when they come to TNNA.  We’ve gotten our best yarn shops through customer recommendations (seriously! yarn shop owners listen to their customers) and it makes such a difference when a shop owner comes up at TNNA and says that their customers told them about us!  Please do let them know we’ll be at the show — it can be as simple as forwarding this email to your LYS with a short message asking them to come and see us.

And if you’re an LYS owner, we’d love the chance to show you our yarns in person.  We’re in booth 247, in the first aisle right as you come down the escalator.  I can’t wait to meet you!

The SpaceMonster Club opens for New Subscriptions on June 22

The SpaceMonster Club is our worsted and bulky weight club, and I absolutely love dyeing for it, because big squishy yarns are… well, they’re what got me started knitting in the first place (you too?).  They knit up so quick, they’re so much fun to hold, smoosh, snuggle, and wear.  If you feel the same way I do, make sure you’re here on June 22 at noon (eastern) to join the rest of the SpaceMonster members in all that lovely squishy yarny fun!

Gradient Explorers: Very Limited Spaces Open June 29!

We sent out the latest Gradient Explorer yarns this week and I am so excited for our members to see the next stop in our colour adventure!

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 get on the Gradient Explorers mailing list to get a early reminder.

 

Cyril Ruana by Lisa M Barnes

I am such a sucker for squishy garter mitred squares that I actually let out a little squeal when Lisa shared a photo this gorgeous pattern with me.   Designed specifically for gradient Mini-Skeins, it’s simple to knit and easy to wear.  And absolutely show stopping wherever you go in it!  If you’re a member of the SpaceCadet Mini-Skein Club, check your stash (I think Nov-Dec-Jan would look amazing!), and if you’re not, come join our Ombre & Gradient adventure!

image © Creative Knitting, used with permission; Cyril Ruana by Lisa M. Barnes of LMB Designs published in Creative Knitting Summer 2018 available in newsstands and at Annie’s online catalog at: https://www.anniescatalog.com/detail.html?prod_id=142777&cat_id=26

Hourglass Scarf by Sharon Silverman

When a designer asks for yarn to for a new pattern, it’s incredibly exciting but I know it’s going to be quite a while before I see the result, especially when it’s for a book publication.  So when Sharon sent me the photos for this beautiful scarf crocheted in SpaceCadet Maia, I was over the moon!  I love how light and lacy it is (perfect for summer, especially in such a light and drapey yarn), how perfectly it compliments an outfit without overwhelming it.  The book comes out in Oct-Nov (hello holiday gift!) and is available for pre-order now.  Click here to get on the list.

image © Daniel Shanken, used with permission

Vegas by Jenny F

It’s no wonder this pattern jumped out at me: summer has arrived with a bang.  Suddenly it’s incredibly hot and so humid, and all I want are light summery projects to work on…  and this looks perfect!  It’s designed in sport weight which, if I’m honest, sounds a wee bit warm at the moment so I’m thinking it might be worth swatching with two strands of Maia held double.  With 80% bamboo, it’s so light that I think it’d create a perfect summer sweater.

image © Jenny F, used with permission

Oh, one other thing I just have to share because I’m so excited.  I was looking through our special projects to-do list the other day and realised just how many designers are currently working on new designs in SpaceCadet yarn!  It’s such an honour when a designer chooses our yarn.  I’ll be sharing their WIPs on Facebook and Instagram, so keep your eyes open for behind-the-scenes looks at designs by Rohn Strong, Kristina Vilimaite, Jenise Hope, Jessica Anderson, Hunter Hammersen, Corrina Ferguson, Lotta Groeger, Karen McKenna, and Emily Connell.  How cool is that?!?

Ok, that’s all for this morning.  I’ve got a busy day ahead of me and I’m going to try to get it started before the heat really kicks in and makes me want to melt.  I hope you’ve got a fun day ahead (and maybe a good way to beat the heat too?) and so, until next time, all my best!

Do you believe in jinxes?  Because the oddest thing happened yesterday.

Well, let me back up a little first.   You remember that our studio suffered serious storm damage earlier this year, right?  Rain pouring through the roof, the ceiling buckling like roller coaster tracks, and finally contractors coming in and ripping out the walls and ceiling to make everything safe again.  As you know, that work uncovered some additional damage and, to help raise funds to cover the costs, I decided to turn something ugly into something beautiful and dye a special colourway inspired by the damage.

Yesterday was a beautiful day — warm and pleasant so I set myself up on my front porch to take photos of the new colourways (two of them — I couldn’t just do one!).  My porch always gets great light so I take advantage of it whenever I can but, as I was taking the photos, the sunshine started slipping away quickly.  I looked up and saw a bank angry clouds rolling across the sky, blocking out the light, and looking like… well, looking like they were coming for some kind of vengeance.

I knew rain had been forecast but the sheer anger of those clouds took me by surprise and I finished the photos fast and brought everything inside …just as the heavens opened.  And open they did!  The rain was incredible: pounding on the roof like a drum, pouring down the eaves so fast and spilling right over the gutters (as if they weren’t even there!) and rolling out into the street, which was quickly beginning to imitate a waterslide at an amusement park.

It lasted for two hours.  Water came in our basement (not much, but some).  Firetrucks wailed in the distance, and I turned the police scanner app on my phone.  And then my assistant Jill texted: the creek along road to the studio had burst its banks and one of the hillsides had come down onto the street.  The police scanner squawked as the emergency services set up barricades and tried to clear the mudslide.

Now, I am feeling fairly confident that our studio is ok (knock wood).  It sits well back from the creek and the roof has been solidly repaired.  But today we supposed to go down and pack the Mini-Skein Club and… well, I’m not sure we can all safely get there.  This dumpster was floating down the street near the house of one of my assistants (as was this rescue boat).  And last I heard, they still hadn’t cleared the mudslide.

So instead, I’m going to start this morning gently (and give everyone who has to rush to work the chance to do that first).  I’ll drink my tea, slow down a bit, and then I’ll head down and see how the studio fared.  They say lightening doesn’t strike twice…  I wonder if that’s true for flood waters too?  Either way, please keep your fingers crossed.

Speaking of drinking tea and slowing down, I can’t think of any better way to do that than with a little fiber news round-up, can you?  So grab a cuppa, sit down with me, and let’s start today right, shall we?

image © Aroha Knits LLC, used with permission

This looks like fun: a five-day mKAL and photo challenge from Frenchie at Aroha Knits, all about incorporating mindfulness and self-care into our knitting.  It starts May 21, with five days of prompts for reflection and pattern clues. Click here for more details.

I came across two articles this week — here and here — on the cost and effort that goes into producing a knitting pattern.  They’re both eye-opening.  To be honest, some of it didn’t surprise me, because  I know how much work goes into producing yarn (and the bulk of it isn’t the dyeing — it’s the prep before and after, especially for Mini-Skeins, and then the photographing and getting it up on the website, and then sharing and promoting it) and designing patterns seems so much more complicated than dyeing yarn.  I found both articles fascinating — well worth reading!

When I read the title of this post (“Can We Talk About Moths?“), my first thought was no thank you!  But this time of year, I’m afraid we all have to.  The article is short and without much detail but the comments below are full of handy info.  And for the record, did you know that all our yarn — dyed and undyed — is stored in plastic tubs and bags for that very reason?  I’ll admit it looks pretty sterile and takes away a lot of the yarn’s romance but it’s 100% worth it to keep your yarn safe from creepy-crawlies!

Ok, I hear “Laurel”.  What about you?

I recently came across two games that are all about colour and which absolutely fascinate me (thanks Jill!).   The first is Color Match, which shows you a colour and then has you find it again on a spectrum.  I love this because, as a dyer, this is basically what I do all the time, but it’s so cool to see it scored (my highest match: 98 out of 100!).  The other is Blendoku and your goal is to put colours in (increasingly complex) gradient order.  It feels like creating a bunch of Sweater Sets at breakneck speed and I can only do it for so long before I am itching to get down to the studio and start making some for real.  If you download them, please let me know if you have as much fun with them as I do!

This Tuesday: the SpaceCadet Flood Damage Limited Edition Colourways!

Storm Damage + Unexpected Costs = Beautiful New Colourways!

It may seem like an unlikely equation, but I am determined to turn all that ugly flood mess and mold and blech into something good.  And I hope you’re just as excited to see the result as I am!  Here they are…

The first is inspired by the rain coming through our ceiling: first it was a beautiful clear bluey-grey and then, as it picked up muck and debris running through our walls and ceiling, it turned brown.  Sounds gross (and it was!) but, as a study in neutrals, I absolutely love the resulting colourway, don’t you?

And the second colorway was inspired by… wait for it…  the mold and mildew they found all over the wet insulation inside our studio walls.  You’ll see the bright pink of the fiberglass mixed with yellow-brown mildew and black splotches of mold.  Sounds so ugly right?  Well the walls were gross as they came down, but I this colourway is actually really beautiful.  Whodda thunk, eh?!?

These go live on this coming Tuesday May 22 at 12noon (eastern).  A very limited number are dyed and ready to ship, but I’ll keep this colourway open to orders for two weeks, and we will have a special custom dyeing day for the rest on June 7th.

(You’ll notice neither of them have names yet — I always find that the hardest part.  Please, send suggestions.  The wittier and snarkier the better!  I need to show these storms who’s boss.)

And also on Tuesday, I’m going to be releasing four other, new colourways to join our palette of permanent colourways.  Here’s a quick peak at them, but there’s something about them I want you to see…

Here’s what I want to show you:  look at what a gorgeous fade they make when you combine them with the two storm damage colourways!  Now, as I said, these four are joining our regular colourway line-up but, if you want to put together this fade, you’ll need to order within the two weeks that the storm damage colourways are available.

Do you love them as much I do?  I hope so, because I really want to make something good out of all the mess and hassle of the damage to the studio.  So I’ll see you on Tuesday at 12noon!

Making Advances by Jennifer Dassau

I love the way this shawl takes a simple triangleand unexpectedly enlongates it into a beautiful assymentrical shape.  And even more, I love the way the stripes accetuate it by swapping the roles of the main colour and contrast colour along the way.  Go wild with the colour by pairing a semi-solid with a variegated.  Or incorporate Mini-Skeins with a single semi-solid to create a colour story that changes right along with the shawl shape!

Pistachio Ice Cream Shawl by Brenda Castiel

The simple shape of this shawl belies its fascinating construction, using short rows to create wedges of colour to contrast with garter and eyelet rows that cross-cross the whole piece like ribbons.  Here it’s knit in two colours (and yay, it’s another great example of combining semi-solids and variegateds!) but I’d love to see it done with each wedge being a new colour from a set of gradient Mini-Skeins.  It’d be a show-topper!

Roselette Cowl by Mindy Wilkes

There’s something so sweet about the stitch pattern in this cowl that it jumped out at me immediately.  Stranded colourwork doesn’t seem nearly so daunting when it’s this delicate.  I love the soft colours and traditional patterning — and the fact that, knit in fingering, it’s perfect for using leftovers and scraps from other projects.  Choose your colours carefully, and the result will be delightful!

all images © the respective designers, used with permission

Ok, that’s it for today.  I’m going to get ready and head down to the studio soon.  Or try to, at least.  Keep your fingers crossed for me and, until next time, I wish you all the best!