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!

Sweater Kits and KALs

30AprApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

When we went to our Spring shows this year, we brought a huge pile of Sweater Kits. They were something of an experiment — I hadn’t really announced them or talked about them ahead of time — but they were a big hit! I loved watching customers digging through all the Sweater Kits to find the one that was just right. And tons of you emailed and tweeted to ask, would the Sweater Kits be available in the shop? Could you get them even if you can’t get to the shows? The answer is yes, but in the rush of all the stuff that was going on after the shows (including this!), I never got the chance to put the kits in the shop after we got home.

Sweater Kits for the Hana Hou KAL

But then I realised the other day that KAL for Singlehanded Knit’s fabulous Hana Hou is starting in just a few days — remember that lovely slouchy cardi that you knew you’d wear for just forever? Yeah, I suddenly realised I should make those Sweater Kits available for anyone who’d still like to join the KAL. We’ll have more kits in the works soon, but if you want to get in on the KAL, click here quick and grab one of the ones we’ve got in stock!

(And if you fancy knitting in it an Ombre or Gradient colourway, there’s a few of those left too.)

Sari Cardi KAL Starts, More Kits on the Way!

And May 1st sees the start of the KAL for Jenise Reid’s gorgeous Sari Cardi. The Sari Cardi is knit in Thebe, our wonderfully airy Silk-Linen 2-play, and is an intriguing knit that incorporates unique shaping to create its beautiful sari-like draping. Now you know that we sold out of the Sari Cardi Kits super fast, but we have more stock coming in and will be dyeing up additional kits to send out as soon as possible. If you’d like to get on the waiting list for a kit and join the KAL when they’re ready, click here to order your Sari Cardi Kit!

More Sari Cardi Kits Available

14AprApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Sometimes being wrong turns out to be kinda cool. Before we launched the kits for Jenise Reid’s Sari Cardi KAL, she and I discussed how many people we thought would likely join in. Then I dyed up kits for that number, and kept another 33% of undyed yarn in reserve, just in case. I thought that would probably cover us.

Well! I was wrong.

As soon as the kits went live, they started flying out the door! It was unbelievable. By 9am, we’d sold out of all the Sage and Sea Emerald kits, so I quickly went in and listed the reserve yarn as additional kits. By 11.30am, those were completely gone too, as well as almost all of the other colourways: Dark Skies & Honey, and Tickled and How Dare You! (there is now just one kit of Dark Skies & Honey left in the shop).

I’ll tell you what, it was a wild morning! And while no one ever wants to be wrong, that was a pretty darned cool way to be wrong.

But if you missed out on getting your kit, don’t worry — Jenise and I have decided to give more people the chance to join the KAL. I’ve placed an order for more yarn, and set the shop to accept your orders for additional Sari Cardi Kits.

We will dye these additional kits as soon as we receive the new yarn — around the end of April — and we’ll be dyeing them immediately to get them out as quickly as possible. The additional kits will be available in the shop for the next week or two and, if you place your order now, you should receive your kit in the first half of May (international deliveries may take longer).

Click here to grab your kit!

I am absolutely delighted to see so many of you so excited about this KAL! I’m just tickled to have the opportunity to offer extra kits so even more of you can join. Being wrong isn’t really something most people aspire to but you know what? I gotta say… if you’re going to be wrong, this has to have been just about the best way to do it!

The Sari Cardi KAL and a SpaceCadet Dyeing Class

11AprApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

You know that phrase, “The best things come to those who wait”? Well sometimes the waiting is pretty darned hard! For the past couple of months, I’ve been working on two new projects that are just so exciting, I thought I’d burst. And at last I get to share them with you!

Sari Cardi pattern and KAL with Jenise Reid

The wonderfully talented Jenise Reid (you know her from her gorgeous Persian Dreams blanket) has chosen SpaceCadet Thebe for her new design, the Sari Cardi. Created in paired coordinating colours, the Sari Cardi has a versatile draped construction, beautiful texturing, and intriguing shaping. Knit at a loose gauge in Thebe, the SpaceCadet’s (very!) heavy laceweight in 65% silk and 35% linen, it gets softer and more beautiful the more its worn.

The pattern is released on April 15, the KAL kicks off on May 1 and, when Jenise told me about it, I knew we just had to put together some kits to support it! Each kit contains three skeins of Thebe — two in the main colour and one in the coordinating colour — and a download code for a FREE copy of the Sari Cardi pattern. They are available in limited quantities, so click here to grab one quick and come knit the Sari Cardi along with us!

SpaceCadet Dyeing Class at Camp Aloha Friends

Today was the first day all year that it felt like summer might actually be on its way and, when it does, I’m going to summer camp! Mel of Singlehanded Knits has asked me to be a camp counselor at Camp Aloha Friends, her super-fun packed-with-crafty-stuff summer camp. Want to come?

I’ll be teaching a class that has me super excited, because I’ll be walking you through the exact same steps I took when I first started experimenting with fiber and colour: learning with dye with drink mixes. It’s crazy fun, because it’s easy to learn, the colours are vibrant, and the results are quick. I can’t wait show you guys!

And I’m just one of a whole bucket load of teachers at Camp Aloha Friends! There are classes in all sorts of crafty pursuits: sewing, tatting, crochet, bead making, weaving… and the list goes on and on. In fact, click here to watch a fab video taking you through everything you’ll get to do.

Exciting stuff, right? I know I can’t wait to get started — and I so hope you’ll be joining me too!