1.. 2… 3… Wait, 1.. 2…

01JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Counting from one to five shouldn’t be tough, but this month I totally stumped my assistants Jade and Amy, and had them counting… and then recounting… and then starting over again.

They were bundling the June Mini-Skeins and, for the Ombre & Gradient Mix, the rule usually is that the most intense skein is number one, working to the gentlest skein at number five. Easy, right? But this month, I did something a little different.

But first, let me show you the Multicolour Mix. June always feels like such a bright, clear month — no snow, bright skies, blazing sun — that it felt right to dye clean, clear, happy colourways. Don’t they make you smile?

Now, which of these do you think I should do as Limited Editions? The pink and green? That happy yellow with pops of peach and green? Leave a comment and tell me which ones are calling your name!

But it was the Mini-Skein Club Ombre & Gradient Mix that was giving the SpaceCadet assistants pause… You see, most months, the Mini-Skeins have a definite start and a definite end, and Amy and Jade know exactly where to start.

But this month, I did something a bit different. I dyed five skeins that formed a complete circle, and all blended into each other. So, instead of starting a project at Skein 1 and working through to Skein 5, you could start a project anywhere in the set, and the skeins will still all work together.

Fancy that gorgeous Skein 3? Start there! It will blend into Skein 4, which blends into Skein 5, which blends into… and here’s the trick… Skein 5 blends neatly back into Skein 1. So you can start anywhere and still work your way right through the full bundle, creating a beautiful gradient effect no matter where you choose to begin.

Such a simple change, and yet it has a really big impact on your project. And I am so chuffed with the result! Don’t you just love it? So tell me, which skein would you start with?

Wanna get Mini-Skein bundles delivered straight to your door? Click here to find out more!

So Cool! The Latest SpaceMonster Parcel

20JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I was soooooo excited while we were packing the latest SpaceMonsters parcel that I thought I was going to burst! I think this might be my most favourite SpaceMonsters colourway ever, and the gift… oh, I love it so much and I’d be waiting for weeks to send it out to my club members. I just couldn’t wait to hear what they think of it!

First, the Colourway

Now, this is one that didn’t go right the first time I dyed it, but isn’t that how you get sometimes get the best results?!? Inspired by a beautiful day in late May, it started as glorious swirls of blues and greens, highlighted with touches of gold, the colours flowing and blending gently across the yarn. But once the yarn was hanging up to dry, I knew it wasn’t right — I needed to rework it, to add more colour, more layers, more depth. When I pulled it out of the dyepots the second time, I knew it was right! It was far more interesting and nuanced — everything I could have hoped it would be.

Then, the Gift

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I told you about the fabulous Knerd bags we found at TNNA? The ones that had us squealing with excitement right there on the show floor?

Well, what I couldn’t tell you at the time was that I’d already got Renee secretly working away creating the most awesome custom-printed project bags for the SpaceMonsters. And why were they so awesome? Well, besides having that fabulous rough-edged Knerd coolness, and besides having the adorable SpaceMonster printed on the bag, Renee did something extra special for us…

wait for it…. wait for it…

The SpaceMonster glows-in-the-dark!!! I know, right?!? So cool! So fun! Now you can see why I was barely able to contain myself?

SpaceMonster Subscriptions Close on Sunday

We have such a fab time in the SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club. I don’t know what I love more — developing the gorgeous colourways, choosing the fab gifts, or seeing all the members’ projects on Ravelry. If you’d like to join us for the next session*, the SpaceMonsters Club is open for subscriptions until Sunday June 22 only, so click here to grab your spot now!

*the colourway and gift shown here are exclusively for members in the club during the Dec2013-June2014 session. New joiners won’t get these same items but don’t worry, we’ve got equally fabulous stuff in store for you!

Limited Editions: The Glorious Summer Sky

13JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

It’s Friday the 13th and, though I’ve never really been fazed by that particular superstition (it’s Monday the 13th that seems like a bad combo to me — I mean, Friday the 13th is still a Friday), I know it might not feel like the friendliest of days*. But I’ve got a little something that will cheer things up a bit…

When we put together the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club bundles, it’s usually the Ombre & Gradient Mix that really calls out to me. But, when we were packing May’s parcels, I found myself falling head over heels for the Multicolour Mix. Here, see for yourself.

Seriously, as we were packing, I just kept picking the bundles up and staring at them. It was so hard to send them all away!

But there are three particular colourways that I loved so very much and were so much fun to create, I just knew I had to dye more. So… I am!

June Limited Editions

For the next seven days, we’re offering three stunning colourways inspired by the glorious summer sky — Nightwatch, Gaze Skyward, and Horizon Fire — as Limited Editions for custom dyeing. Available from June 13th to 19th only, they’re sure to go quick. Click here to nab yours!
Nightwatch is the incredible blues and purples of twilight, fading into deep gray-black as night falls.

Gaze Skyward is the glorious mid-day sky, so intense directly above and burning out to white along the edges of perception.

Horizon Fire is all the heat and shadows streaking across the breathtaking summer sky as the sun sinks slowly beneath the horizon.

Aren’t they gorgeous?!? I just love them, can’t wait to get dyeing them for you! Want one? Click here!

———————

*What else? It’s also a full moon. shudder!

The SpaceMonsters is Open for Subscriptions!

05JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Woot! It’s SpaceMonster time!

You love big smooshy yarns, doncha?

Now there’s a yarn club just for you!

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.

SpaceMonsters, the SpaceCadet’s Mega Yarn Club

Specially designed for those who love working with thicker yarns!

6 months: $99———————————-12 months: $194

So, whaddya get?

As a members of the SpaceMonsters Mega Club, you receive:

a fantastic parcel delivered to your 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!

And the price is pretty exciting too:

a 6 month subscription (3 parcels, starting in August) is only $99, and
a 12 month subscription (6 parcels, starting in August) is just $194

…Wouldn’t you love to receive a right-to-your-door supply of gorgeous, smooshy yarn?

But subscriptions are open only until June 22 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

6 months: $99———————————–12 months: $194

Very Important: if you are giving this as a gift, please remember to include the recipient’s postal and email addresses in the notes when you check out. We gotta have that to send the recipient their parcels!

Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out at the beginning 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. The first parcel for new subscriptions is the August 2014 parcel. Normal subscription openings/renewals will be available in June and December of each year. Because of the nature of the club set-up, we can accept returns or exchanges of club shipments for faulty yarns only. By joining the club, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions. All images here are examples of past yarns/colourways/gifts — please note that new members will not receive the same items, but will receive yarns/colourways/gifts of approximate equal value and fab-ness.

Any other questions? Ask us! info (at) spacecadetcreations (dot) com

Seriously Cool Stuff from TNNA

03JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

This time last month, Jade and I were at TNNA, the knitting industry’s biggest tradeshow — an amazing opportunity to see the very latest in fiber arts trends, and a chance to chat with old friends from around the country and make new connections. It’s the kind of event where everything is all go from the moment you wake up until late late late into the night (ask me how late…. go on, ask me*). It’s energising, exciting, idea-generating, and then in the end… deeply deeply exhausting. But, just as we do every year, we came away from TNNA with pages and pages (and pages) of notes and new ideas, and some fun new things that I can’t wait to reveal to you later in the year.

But in the mean time, I want to share with you one seriously hot new product that we spotted — something that had us both squealing with delight! The TNNA show floor is split roughly in half, with most of the knitting-related stuff on one side and the needlepoint booths on the other, and most of our time is spent on the knitting side. But as we ventured over toward the needlepoint side, tucked into a corner we found… Knerd. And both Jade and I were immediately head-over-heels.

Do you know Knerd?

Renee Magee left her corporate job to join her husband’s screen printing shop, and eventually used it to branch out into her own crafty niche. She takes brilliant witty-knitty sayings like, “Does a Bear Knit in the Woods?” and “My Drinking Group has a Knitting Problem,” and prints them onto fab t-shirts (cut for women!), cute stickers, and rad rough-finished project totes. They are so. seriously. cool.

When we got home, I spotted Knerd’s bags featured in the latest issues of Interweave’s KnitScene and Yarn Market News (the industry trade magazine), so you know they’re hot. And if you want to grab one before anyone else in your knit group, get yourself over to Knerd and check them out.

**record scratch**

EXCEPT if you’re a member of the SpaceMonsters Mega Yarn Club!!!!

If you’re a SpaceMonster then you just sit tight, ok? *wink* All I’m gonna say is watch your postboxes because there’s fun stuff on its way to you …and beyond that, my lips are sealed!

Speaking of SpaceMonsters…

I’m super excited to announce that the SpaceMonster Mega-Yarn Club opens for new subscriptions on June 6th!

This club is all about bulkier yarns — so quick to work with and just such fun! There are lots of extra benefits — exclusive colourways, extra skeins, and always a seriously fab gift — so don’t forget to mark June 6 on your calendar. We’d love to have you join us!

BUT LISTEN… we always open the club up a day or two early for the folks on the SpaceMonsters mailing list! Want to grab your spot early? Click here and get your name on that list!

*So what time did we get in? 4am. That’s right… four in the morning. And there’s a story behind it — the kind of story that could only have happened at four am. I’ll tell you all about it in one of my upcoming blog posts…

Adding Colour to Little Things and Big

27MayApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Ok, it’s not actually Monday but, at least here in the US, it feels like a Monday, so let’s brighten the morning up with some great Mini-Skein ideas!

Y’know, as I was scrolling through Mini-Skein ideas this week for the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Ideas board on Pinterest, the thing that struck me was how versatile they actually are. I mean, when the Mini-Skein craze started, it was all about hexipuffs — tiny little six-sided pillows that give instant gratification and are eventually all put together into the stunning Beekeeper’s Quilt.

And those little puffs get us thinking about using Mini-Skeins for mini-sized projects. Two of my favourites that I spotted on Pinterest this week are the Itty Bitty Stripes hat, knit by deliknits from a pattern by Susan B. Anderson, and the Luxury Holiday Garland, knit by harleagh from a pattern by Kristen Ashbaugh-Helmreich. Both of patterns use small amounts of yarn highlight colour in a whimsical (and delightful way). Who can look at that sweet little hat and not smile? Or resist that garland of happy stars when holiday-time rolls round? Yes, Mini-Skeins really lend themselves to mini-projects like these.

But I think what is really cool is the way people are using Mini-Skeins now to add tiny pops of colour to full-sized projects. More and more on Pinterest, I see designs that use yarn as if it were a crayon to add colour here there and everywhere… Sweaters or cardigans with a gorgeous bright edging… Or maybe a gently contrasting collar or cuffs. Or… or… something really innovative and exciting — like the Stripes Ahoy! sweater, knit by machamaya and designed by Asa Tricosa. Isn’t it fantastic?!? I love how she’s used colour in a unexpected way to turn a simple design into something really eye-catching.

And finally, I want to share Moore, a design by one of my favourite designers, Ruth Garcia-Alcantud of Rock & Purl. It’s eye-catching of course because of its unusual off-center shaping, and side-to-side construction. But imagine if you took those stripes and, instead of doing the pattern in just two colours, you used Mini-Skeins to add a whole spectrum of colour? It’d be stunning, right? No need to imagine — just click here and see how it would look!

You see what I mean about how versatile Mini-Skeins can be? The more I go through ideas on Pinterest, the less I think of them as yarn and more as yarn-crayons, to add colour where-ever it’s going to add impact to a project. What more of that? Follow the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Ideas board on Pinterest and get inspired to colour your world too!