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Giveaway Winner AND a Facebook Update

By Stephanie

You remember how, last week, I talked about the kindness of knitters and crocheters?  I told you about Mel’s request for handmade washcloths for Haiti and about how one member of our SpaceCadet community was so generous as to buy a Mauna Kea kit for us to give away?  I found both of those things so incredibly inspiring — simple reminders that we have the power to use the smallest kindnesses to lift us out of our day-t0-day existence.

It's a Mauna Kea giveaway, from SpaceCadet yarn! 2

But if last week was inspirational, this week was just plain fun!  I loved the response you guys gave to the washcloth appeal — sharing patterns, encouraging one another, and at least one person was so inspired she immediately knocked out a slew of washclothes (ten of them!).

And as for the Mauna Kea giveaway…  you guys went NUTS!  We had a ton of entries, and reading through your comments on what you like about the pattern was not only incredibly fun but actually really helpful and informative for both Mel and for me.  Thank you all for participating!

It's a Mauna Kea giveaway, from SpaceCadet yarn! 1

Now I know you’re dying to find out who is getting the kit so, without further ado, let’s announce the Mauna Kea giveaway winner!  It’s…

Luv2CUSmile

And her (or his) comment was,

“Love the story and that there are some people in our community who are just giving because they can and have a heart to do so.

Thx for the chance to you and to your anonymous donor.

This sweater is lovely with the defined sides following the torso shape. Love this and the blues it is shown in. Can wear with jeans, slacks or a skirt!”

I couldn’t agree more!  And it’s a sentiment that was echoed again and again in the comments, so I think I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are for the generosity of our wonderful anonymous sponsor.  Really, just such a cool thing to do!

Luv2CUSmile, please send an email with your name and postal address to info(at)spacecadetcreations(dot)com, and we’ll get you on the dyeing list for your Mauna Kea kit!

 

Facebook Update

I just have to share this with you guys.  You remember when I showed you this?

The Power of Likes on Facebook

This is the power of likes and comments on Facebook posts.  You can read the full story here, but the long and short is that when you don’t regularly like/comment/share someone’s Facebook posts, Facebook starts showing you their posts less (and less and less…).  And when you do like/comment/share their posts, Facebook puts their posts more regularly into your timeline — and starts showing their posts to lots of other people too.

And here’s the proof…  After that I wrote that blog post, tons of you started clicking like/comment/share a lot more often, and just look at what that did!

Facebook 1

Isn’t that awesome?!?  So you guys get to see more SpaceCadet updates in your timeline and, in turn, Facebook then shares SpaceCadet with lots of other people too.  Everyone wins!

And that “share” button?  That’s where the real power is.  Check this one out — lots of “likes”, lots of comments, but it’s the sharing that made the different here:

Facebook 2

But then…

But then…   if the Knitty blog happens to pick up your post and happens to share it with all of their readers on their Facebook page, THIS happens…

Facebook 3

And then your website immediately crashes!  Which is, y’know, kind of awesome too.

But listen, isn’t it amazing how powerful those likes/comments/shares actually are?  And there’s news this week that Facebook has tweaked its algorithm yet again, so that it pays even more close attention to which posts you interact with, to determine what to show you in your newsfeed… and what to leave out.

So if there are companies (or even friends) that seem to have fallen off your Facebook radar, make sure you take a moment to click something on every post they put out.  It means you’ll see more news from the folks you love to hear about  …and they’ll suddenly be just as blown away as I’ve been!

Sneak Peek: the Latest Yarn Alliance Parcel

By Stephanie

A couple of weeks ago, we sent out the final parcel of the last Yarn Alliance subscription period, and I was so excited about this colourway that I just have to share it with you!!!  The inspiration struck me like lightening, and I knew not only the colours to dye, but also the perfect yarn to put them on.

(Spoiler Alert! If you are a Yarn Alliance member* and you haven’t yet received your parcel, look away now if you don’t want to ruin the surprise! In fact, here’s a neutral image to act as a buffer…)

Yarn Alliance packing day!

Ok, you still with me?  Great! Let me introduce you to…

Storm Clouds, the Yarn Alliance Colourway for Sept 2014

There may be no relief so welcome as that of a thunderstorm that rolls in, fresh and forceful, to push away the heavy heat of summer and replace it with that delightfully cool that always carries the delicious smell of wet earth. Inspired by turbulent summer weather, Storm Clouds captures the majesty of the storm as the clouds move in fast, tumbling over one another – gray and blue and tinged with purple — and the light behind making them almost glow.

But how to capture that amazing glow? I realised it would come from the yarn itself – from Maia, the SpaceCadet’s new 80% bamboo, 20% superwash merino yarn — and from the way the light seems to almost float around and through that glorious sheen.

Storm Clouds

Do you love it as much as I do?  I was over the moon with the result — exactly what I’d hoped for.  Now I just have to see if I can snag a skein for myself before all the extra skeins are sold out!  Mmmmm…   what to make?  What to make?

 

The Yarn Alliance closes TONIGHT

We’ve got a few spaces left in the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance, but the subscription period closes tonight at midnight PST.  We have a ton of fun in this club so if you’ve been thinking about joining but haven’t reserved your spot yet, click here and grab it quick!

The SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance closes for subscriptions tonight 580

And don’t forget the Mauna Kea Giveaway!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of a member of the SpaceCadet community (who purchased a Mauna Kea kit specifically for us to give away!), you’ve got an awesome chance to win your spot in the Mauna Kea Knit-Together.

To enter, simply click here and leave a comment on last Friday’s post, telling us what you like best about the Mauna Kea design.  Entries close on Thursday, and we’ll announce the winner here on the blog.

 

It's a Mauna Kea giveaway, from SpaceCadet yarn! 2

And then once you’ve done that, won’t you please pay it forward by sharing this giveaway on social media?  When one of our community has been this incredibly generous, I think the best way we can show gratitude and share the love is to spread that generosity as far and wide as possible.  Don’t you agree?

Share it!

For Twitter: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway

For Facebook: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway

For Ravelry: The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click here to enter: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny

 It's a Mauna Kea giveaway, from SpaceCadet yarn! 1

*This can be confusing, I know, so just to clarify: this yarn shown here was the last yarn for existing members of the Yarn Alliance, before the current subscription period opened on Sept 9.  If you have just joined (between Sept 9-22), your first parcel will be in November — and while it won’t be this colourway, I promise, it’ll be seriously awesome too!

Giveaway: the Generosity of Knitters & Crocheters

By Stephanie

It is a fairly commonly held belief that knitters and crocheters are just really “nice” people.  But I have to admit that, when I hear that, I sometimes find myself cringing a bit.  It seems too simplistic, too stereotyped.  I mean, it’s also a commonly held belief that we’re all little old grannies who knit or crochet because we’ve got nothing better to do — and we all know that’s not true!  So when I hear about this fabled “niceness” of knitters and crocheters, it often feels just as cliched.

Why I Knit -- SpaceCadet Creations

But while I hate the stereotype, I do have faith in the people.  The truth is that knitters and crocheters are simply people, with good days and bad, good points and bad — no different to any other people.  The stereotype is built on silly assumptions, but the truth comes from what they do.  When knitters and crocheters are nice, by gum, they really are nice.   So nice that I find myself taken aback…

#SimplyShare with Mel

Mel from the With Mel podcast

My friend Mel, of the With Mel podcast and the designer of the Mauna Kea sweater, blogged this week about a wonderful way for knitters and crocheters to share a little kindness with someone in need.  Here’s what she says,

“A Medical Team dedicated to helping local community centers in Haiti will be leaving my hometown in a few weeks. They sent out a request for washcloths: “You can grab an old towel and cut it in to small squares for washcloths” it was said. My heart hurt at this request. My community of knitting friends and I can make a washcloth, a clean, fresh washcloth and share something much, much better…”

Each person who comes into the clinic in Haiti can receive a hygiene package, containing soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a washcloth.  Basic hygiene is so important in areas that are recovering from major disasters, but can we take an opportunity to make this something more than simply basic?

“…I am not saying an old towel ripped up wouldn’t serve a purpose. What I am saying is: I do not want an old towel to take an opportunity away from me to do something kind!…  So please consider the simple washcloth. A square. Knit it in garter with two strands of sturdy cotton held together and you can have it done over a cup of coffee…”

And here is where my faith comes into play.  I know that Mel’s viewers and followers will come through.  I know they will respond from the heart, grab their needles and whip out simple washcloths to send to people who are in need not only of hygiene kits, but perhaps of that personal touch as well.  Want to be a part of it? Click here for all the details.

 

A Mauna Kea Giveaway!

And here is something that I didn’t expect but that has only served to increase my faith in our community.   Just before the Mauna Kea kits closed earlier this week, an order came in with a note that read, “I just can’t resist [this], but this kit is not for me.  I’d like to sponsor an anonymous giveaway.”

You could have knocked me over with a feather.

How amazing is that?!?  One of your fellow fiber-lovers has been so generous as to buy a Mauna Kea kit simply to give away just so someone else can enjoy the fun on making it!  Here it is, proof positive that when knitters and crocheters are nice, they are really really nice.

It's a Mauna Kea giveaway, from SpaceCadet yarn! 1

So, if you missed out on a Mauna Kea kit, here is your chance to join in on the fun!  You’ll get five skeins of SpaceCadet yarn in the Dark Skies ombre colourway, the Mauna Kea pattern, and membership in the Mauna Kea Knit-Together, with access to an exclusive site with great community support, tutorials, and on-site helps.  How awesome is that?!?

Entering is easy!

Simply leave a comment here on the blog post and tell me what most appeals to you about the Mauna Kea pattern (see official rules below).

And then, please take the opportunity to pay it forward by sharing this giveaway with your knitting friends on Twitter, Facebook, and Ravelry.  I’m not getting anything out of it, the kit sales are already closed — but when one of our community has been this incredibly generous, I think the best way we can show gratitude and share the love is to spread that generosity as far and wide as possible.  Don’t you agree?

Share it!

For Twitter: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway

For Facebook: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway

For Ravelry: The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click here to enter: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny

It's a Mauna Kea giveaway, from SpaceCadet yarn! 2

Yarn Alliance Closes on Monday

Don’t forget, the Yarn Alliance closes to subscriptions this Monday, Sept 22. If you haven’t got your spot, grab it now!

The SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club, open Sept 9-22 only

There’s always small print — official rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to entrants worldwide, age 5 or older. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Sweepstakes ends 11:59 p.m. EST on September 25, 2014. Official entry is made by commenting on the SpaceCadet blog post titled “Giveaway: the Generosity of Knitters & Crocheters” . Alternative entry method: send a postcard by September 25 2014, containing full name, address, and email address, with the words “Mauna Kea Giveaway”, to: SpaceCadet, PO Box 113312, Pittsburgh PA 15241.  Limit one entry per person. One prize, consisting of one (1) Mauna Kea kit in Dark Skies, valued at $135. Total prize value: $135. Winner will be selected by random drawing. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash. Prize cannot be substituted. Employees and family of employees of SpaceCadet Inc are ineligible. A list of winners will be available on the SpaceCadet blog on or after September 26, 2014.  Sponsored by SpaceCadet Inc, PO Box 113312, Pittsburgh PA 15241.  For full official rules, go to http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny

Variegated Yarns: Fabulous Resources for Pattern Ideas

By Stephanie

This weekend, I’ll be doing a trunk show at KNOTS in Chardon Ohio and, along with a huge pile of yarn, Mini-Skeins, and Ombre Kits, I’ll also be taking a stash of some really amazing one-of-a-kind colourways.  They are the result of several weeks of pure colour-play, experimenting with the dyes and seeing what happens when I just follow where the colour takes me.  Some are moody, some are intense, some are wild — all  of them are stunning.

One of a Kind yarn from SpaceCadet

But when I take yarns like this to shows — yarns that resulted organically rather than by careful design — I always find a few customers who pick them up and are completely stumped.  They turn the yarn over in their hands and, especially if it’s highly variegated, look at it in frustration and say, “But what would I make with it?”

The key to using a wildly multicoloured skein is to find a pattern that manipulates the yarn to use those colour shifts to their best advantage.  Sometimes a colourway is so beautiful that straight stockinette can do that, but more often, a pattern that uses slipped stitches, dropped stitches, or other techniques that move the colour vertically as well as horizontally will create amazing results.  And multicolour yarns also really shine paired with a semi-solid yarn in a pattern that alternates between the two.

Fabulous Pattern Idea Resources for Wildly Variegated Yarns, from SpaceCadet

We are such a fans of variegated yarns here at SpaceCadet, and of all the possibilities they hold (so many awesome possibilities!), that we decided to create two wonderful resources for our customers who need inspiration for those amazing multicoloured yarns they’ve just fallen in love with.

The SpaceCadet Variegated Yarn Project Ideas Board on Pinterest

We’ve curated a wonderful collection of variegate pattern ideas to wander through.  The idea here is not so much to choose a pattern (although you might find the perfect one — just click on the pattern’s image to find it on Ravelry) as to immerse yourself in possibilities.  Scroll through interesting stitch patterns, new techniques, and innovative ideas that you can try with that beautiful new colourway you’ve bought.  Here, why not grab a nice cup of tea and click here to wander through it yourself?

The Variegated Yarn Pattern Suggestions Thread on Ravelry

What’s better than a Pinterest board full of stunning project images?  A collection of pattern ideas that YOU can help create!  Our Variegated Yarn Pattern Suggestions thread on Ravelry is put together by our fans and customers — people who love SpaceCadet yarn and know what works beautifully with it.

The ideas our group shares are fantastic and the rules are simple: (1) every pattern suggestion has to include an image and (2) chatting is encouraged but when you post a reply to the thread, you have to include a new pattern and image as well.  The result?  A fun, interactive lookbook of variegated project ideas.  Click here and come join in!

The SpaceCadet's Variegated Yarn Pattern Suggestion Thread on Ravelry

Last Few Days to Order a Mauna Kea Kit!

Don’t forget this weekend is your last chance to order a Mauna Kea Kit and get in on the KnitTogether fun!  Worked in either stripes or a gradient fade, Mauna Kea features raglan shaping, 3/4 sleeves, and incredibly flattering rib detailing down each side.

The KnitTogether starts Oct 31st, and orders close on Monday Sept 15.  Click here to grab your kit!

Mauna Kea Kits from SpaceCadet

The SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club, open Sept 9-22 only

Come Join the Yarn Alliance!

By Stephanie

Woot! It’s that time!  We are super excited to announce…

The SpaceCadet's InterStellar Yarn Alliance yarn club

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance is Open for Subscriptions!

If you like SpaceCadet® yarns, then
you’ll love being in the Yarn Alliance!

Sept9-22 only

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The Yarn Alliance is the SpaceCadet’s premiere yarn club.

What do you get when you join?

…beautiful yarns, colourways you might never have dared try but suddenly realise you love, and some seriously fabulous gifts!

Members of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance receive fabulous parcels delivered to their door every other month, containing:

  • SpaceCadet ® 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

 

New for this year: Extra Skeins!

One gorgeous skein just isn’t enough? Now you’ll also have an exclusive opportunity to order more skeins custom-dyed in the latest club colourway. You’ll receive an email with all the details about a week after your parcel goes out — and then all you have to do is pick your project!

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A 6 month subscription (3 parcels) is $135
and a 12 month subscription (6 parcels) is $249.

Ready to join the fun? We’d love to have you on board!

Click below to choose your subscription:

 

12 Month Subscription



 

6 Month Subscription



 

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Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out in early January, March, May, July, September, and November.

Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US. Normal subscription openings for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance are for two weeks only during March and September of each year.

Got questions? We’re happy to help! info(at)spacecadetcreations(dot)com

The Reason You Won’t See Me on Facebook

By Stephanie

Facebook is an amazing resource — a way for everyone to keep up with their friends’ news, family photos, hear about upcoming events…  and maybe even look up an old boyfriend or two.

And it’s a great way for me to keep in contact with you.  Not only can I share with you what we’re up to at the SpaceCadet studio (or just what I’m up to on a Saturday morning) but, unlike many other channels, Facebook gives you and me a wonderful opportunity to interact — to ask and answer questions, to have a conversation, for everyone to share thoughts as a community.

Hydrengia

 

Where has SpaceCadet gone?

But maybe you haven’t seen so much of SpaceCadet in your Facebook stream lately?  Maybe you think I’ve gone quiet?  Maybe we’re not up to much lately?

Hapa

Nope, the real reason you don’t see much of SpaceCadet any more is that Facebook recently changed its policies for business pages like ours.  Whereas in the past, our posts used to show up in the news feed of everyone who liked our page, Facebook now shows our posts to only a tiny fraction of the folks who follow us.

Let me show you what I mean.  The SpaceCadet page has over 1200 followers, but look at the number who got to see these recent posts:

Collage, how many people reached

200?  100?!?  Sometimes it’s been as low as only 50!  That’s hardly any of our followers, and it’s really disappointing when I want to share stuff with you guys but I know that only a few people are going to get to see it.

Now, the reason Facebook is doing this is that they want me to pay to “boost” my posts and to be honest, as a business person, I’m ok with Facebook wanting to make money.  SpaceCadet has an advertising budget and I’m happy to spend it, but paying Facebook to “boost” every single thing I post is not really the best use of that budget, so I don’t do it very often.

Besides, if Facebook is a community, it feels a bit creepy to turn every comment I make into some kind of a paid advertisement.   A lot of times, I’m just sharing cool stuff with you guys.

Saturday office

There’s an Easy (and Free) Solution!

BUT there is an better way for you to receive SpaceCadet posts again.  I can’t increase the number of posts you see without paying for “boosting”, but YOU can pull our posts back into your news feed easily — and for free!  All you have to do is start clicking “like” on our Facebook posts (or, even better, leave a comment or share the post).  The more you interact with our posts, the more of our posts Facebook will share with you.  That’s all you have to do — just start clicking “like”.

And it’s not just your timeline you’ll be affecting.  When you click “like” and “share” or comment on a SpaceCadet post, everyone else gets to see more of what we’re up to as well.  Want to see how powerful it is?  Check this out…

The Power of Likes on Facebook

When you click “like” or share and comment on my posts, you’ll begin getting all the latest SpaceCadet news in your timeline again (along with behind-the-scenes pictures from the studio and some random shots of my lunch or my WIPs…).  And, y’know, I’ll be so excited to see you again!  I love sharing all the cool stuff we’re working on each day — and I love it even more when I get to hear back from you about what I’ve posted.

So here, hop over to our Facebook page right now and just click “like” on a bunch of posts (or please, leave us a comment or share a couple of posts).  And before you know it, SpaceCadet will be back on your Facebook radar again!

 

Mauna Kea

PS –I really do love the interaction that happens on Facebook, and so I’d love for SpaceCadet to have more followers.  If you think something I’ve posted would interest your knit-friends on FB, I’d be really grateful if you’d share it with them by clicking “share” as well as “like”.  Thank you for spreading the SpaceCadet love!

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