We are leaving shortly for a weekend of shows (details below) but before I leave, I just wanted to share this with you. This week, we packed up the September Yarn Alliance parcels on what had to be one of the most beautiful days of the year. The temperature was so mild and the breeze was deliciously fresh so, instead of hiding away inside, we set everything up on the porch.
First, we built a wall of boxes at one end.
Then, we began filling them with delicious SpaceCadet Yarn Alliance yarn. This colourway is a real eye-popper — I can’t wait to hear what the members think! (The image, of course, is black and white — can’t give away the surprise)
And working there on the porch, in the dappled light and cool shade of the trees, it had to be one of the most pleasant work environments I’ve ever experienced. Oh, for every day to be like that day!
We’re doing two shows this weekend. If you’re in the Central PA or Baltimore area, please come and see us. You get the yarn in person, and we’d love to meet you!
Knitters Day Out
Sept 6 & 7
Central Pennsylvania College, Harrisburg PA
Plus, I’m bringing all the new stuff I’ve been experimenting with lately, including a whole bunch of Ombre Kits, Mini-Skein Kits, those fab little Zoom Looms, and some gorgeous new colourways… including this one called Firewalker.
You’ll have to be fast to grab it. Hope to see you there!
I’ve just gotta share this with you because, this week, we have been doing the happy dance — a lot. As you may recall, we had a slight disaster midway through the summer when a big (biiiiiiiiigggg) storm rolled in and dumped approximately 25 feet of water in 15 minutes (or maybe a little less) which completely overwhelmed our drain and so the water surged in under the door instead and partially flooded our family room. If you never saw it, all the sorry details are here.
Fortunately, the damage didn’t reach the levels of a lot of lower lying areas around us, and I was able to get most of our stuff up and away from danger, but the carpet was a complete (uninsured!) write-off. And the asbestos flooring we discovered underneath it meant that the room was wholly unusable until the carpet could be replaced.
That was seven weeks ago. Seven weeks ago. And it’s taken this long to get the room dry, the carpet ordered, and the installation booked. But on Wednesday….
…on Wednesday, THEY INSTALLED OUR NEW CARPET!!!!!!! Wooooot!!!! I know it’s only our family room we were missing but, somehow, it feels like we have our whole house back again. Things that have spent the last seven months in the wrong place are finally able to go back to where they belong. And we are able to sit in the family room again of an evening, have a cup of tea, and discuss the day just like we used to do. I know we could do that anywhere in the house, but somehow it feels so much more right now.
And all I want to do, every time I see that lovely expanse of fresh, new, clean, lovely carpet is to cheer. Hoooooooray!!!!
Speaking of cheering, here’s something to make some noise about. If you’ve been waiting for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance to reopen for subscriptions, your wait is almost over. The SpaceCadet’s premier yarn club opens this Sunday Sept 1 (actually, midnight on Saturday) until Sept 16. Spaces always go really quickly, so be ready.
And for those of you who’ve clicked here and got yourselves on the Yarn Alliance mailing list, I may just open up subscriptions a wee bit early for you. …Such are the perks of reading all the way to the bottom(!).
Y’know, sometimes I live up to the SpaceCadet moniker just a little too well (…I say “sometimes” mostly because it makes me feel better, but I suspect there are a number of people reading this who are thinking, “Really, Steph? Just sometimes?”).
But I digress. Sometimes I live up to the SpaceCadet name just a bit too much, and this week would be one of those times*. Because early this week I sent out a pretty big announcement to the members of the Mini-Skein Club. And then I happily went about my week — dyeing, twisting, packing for shows — and I totally forgot that I should probably tell the rest of you about it.
So let me put that to rights right now. The big news in the Mini-Skein Club is….
Ombré & Gradient Mini-Skeins!
I’m sure you’ve seen the ombré and gradient kits that have been flying out of the shop lately. I absolutely adore dyeing ombré kits — not only are the results gorgeous but, as a dyer, the process is endlessly fascinating to me. But it was when I was looking through Mini-Skein project ideas that I realised how perfect the two would be together. Projects such as Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark’s Sweet Hexigon Cowl (below left) and Emily Ross’s Burano (below right) are just begging to be made in ombré and gradient yarns.
And really, so many Mini-Skein patterns would not just work beautifully in ombré and gradient colours but, in many cases, would work so much better, whether the bundles were used individually or as several months’ worth combined together.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I would be much better serving the members of the Mini-Skein Club (particularly those who prefer a gentle colour mix) if I offered an Ombré & Gradient option. I put a few feelers out on Twitter and Facebook, and the response was overwhelming: everybody said yes the ombré mix!
So, from the September parcels onwards**, the Mini-Skein Club is going to change.
The Gentle Mix will become the Ombré & Gradient Mix — five Mini-Skeins that morph gently from dark into light or from hue to hue.
And the Wild Mix will become a Multicolour Mix — essentially very similar to what it is now: an assortment of variegated and semi-solid yarns that work together and yet still provide exciting contrasts.
Isn’t this exciting?!? I think it’s going to be great fun for all the club members and I can’t wait to see the projects they come up with. I am already searching Ravelry for patterns that will work beautifully with the two new mixes (have you seen something that would be perfect? Do tell!).
And, maybe most of all, I’m kinda really relieved that I finally remember to tell you guys…
*sigh* SpaceCadet indeed.
*Really, Steph? Just one…?
** Is this a permanent change or temporary? I’m not sure, but we’ll try it for a while and then change it later if that feels right. The Mini-Skein Club has always been something of an adventure of discovery, so let’s just go with it and see!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’ve been a fan of the Singlehanded Knits podcast ever since I first discovered it. I mean, Mel records right on the beautiful beaches of Kauai, with the waves rolling in and palm trees swaying — what’s not to love?
And I knew she’s been a member (and huge fan) of the Mini-Skein Club almost since it first began as well, so I felt comfortable asking her to share her thoughts on it in a new video for the Mini-Skein Club page. Here, come escape to Hawaii for a few minutes and sit on the beach with Mel and chat about yarn. (I don’t think it can get any better than that, can it?)
As you can tell from the video, Mel is an absolutely lovely person — warm and genuine, and with a positive attitude that’s just infectious. Watching her podcast is always a surefire way to bring a little sunshine to any cloudy day.
So I was startled to find myself with tears in my eyes as I read this beautiful blog post she wrote about her dear friend Miss Carol, and the money she is helping to raise for the MARSOC foundation in Miss Carol’s memory. The response from the knitting community has been swift… and incredible! But there is still a way to go to hit the goal, so I urge you to click here and read Mel’s story about Miss Carol for yourself.
Ohhhhhhhhh…. did I mention there are prizes? Oh yes there are! Lots of wonderful yarny prizes to encourage you to read and donate, including a SpaceCadet Gift Code worth $40. So seriously… Go. Click. Read. Give. It’s all good.
And now something I just have to share with you guys… I was stunned — stunned! and thrilled! — to discover that SpaceCadet was featured in the latest issue of Knit Simple magazine, in a round-up of their favourite yarn clubs. Go look — it’s on page 12. Or here, wait, have a look here…
Isn’t that exciting?!? I’m over the moon! Squeeeeee with me!!!!!
And hey listen, the club that Knit Simple mentions there, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, opens for new subscriptions next month for two weeks only, from Sept 1 to 16. This is the club that everyone talks about — beautiful hand-dyed yarn, fantastic SpaceCadet gifts and loads of fun! Spaces are limited and last time they went incredibly fast, so if you’re not already on the mailing list, click here to get on it and be the first to know when it opens!
Apropos of absolutely nothing (except that I am kinda dying to show it to you), is this…
I have been wanting to try my hand at throwing pottery for absolutely ages, ever since we had a little taster in art class when I was nine years old. I knew instantly, all the way back then, that it was something I’d love (and it was my first realisation that, while I’m really quite terrible at two-dimensional art, making in three dimensions comes fairly easily).
Somehow, life got busy and, even though I thought of it from time to time, I never did manage to try it again. But then a friend told me that a new pottery studio had recently opened nearby… And so I finally took that nine year old up on her wish, and booked myself a lesson.
I loved it. Loved it! It was everything I remembered and everything I hoped it would be — tactile and messy, and with a wonderful, earthy smell. It made my arms ache with the sheer effort of cajoling the clay into shape, but it was so deeply satisfying in that way only making something with your own two hands can be. Making things — nothing else feels so grounding to me.
My teacher was soft-spoken and patient. When I stopped focusing and started to talk to him instead, the clay rebelled …and collapsed into a sullen heap. But so long as I concentrated, it flowed between my hands and did everything I wanted it to do. I can’t even describe the feeling — it was just amazing to watch it slowly form from a shapeless lump to something so beautiful, right there in my hands.
So this is my pot. It’s not big, the size of a small rice bowl, but it is perfect to me. I love it so much and yet… I’m almost afraid to use it. For now, it sits on a shelf, looking wonderful, and I sit in a chair, knitting or reading a book, and sneak little glances at it.
…And feel rather proud of myself.
SpaceCadet returns to KNOTS on Aug 24
I was absolutely delighted when Kate and Laura at KNOTS (Knitting On The Square) in Chardon Ohio invited me back for a trunk show. I did one there last year and had such a blast, I can’t wait to go back! I’ve been dyeing like mad for it and doing lots of experimenting so, as well as my regular colours, there will be fabulous new and one-of-a-kind colourways. If you’re in the Cleveland/Erie area, please do come and see us!
Saturday, Aug 24, 11-5
153 Main St
Chardon Ohio 44024
(440) 285 KNIT (5648) Click here to map it!
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance opens soon!
I cannot believe that our premiere yarn club, InterStellar Yarn Alliance, will reopen for subscriptions in just a few weeks! Click here to learn more and to get on the mailing list, so you are the first to hear when it opens!
August is not always the month for knitting, is it? Both of my main WIPs (I’m current working on a Vitamin D and The Old Man and The Sea) are at that bulky stage where you have to carry a whole garment around if you want to grab a little knitting time. And… I don’t want to carry all that around. It’s mid-summer, I’m hot, and all I want to work on are quick projects that I can grab easily and go. What’s that? You too? Yeah, I figured maybe!
What I’ve been reaching for the most lately are my mini-skiens. Little tiny bundles of fingering weight yarn seem just right for the season and, on hot days when my concentration is so short, I love moving through quick changes of colour and onto the next yarn. I’ve been using them like crazy on my Zoom Loom — it’s so addictive! But more on that in a minute — in the meantime, I’ve also been searching out patterns that are perfect for Mini-Skeins, and I’m dying to share a couple of my favourites with you.
First off, be prepared to be knocked off your feet. At least, I was as soon as I saw Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark‘s stunning Sweet Hexagon Cowl. I don’t know what it is about it but I just swooned when I saw it. And then I tweeted…
The whole thing is created from interlocking hexagons knitted in the round, and I think there is just so much scope for colourplay and creativity here. You could work it in a soft palette that gently blends from one colour to another and back again. Or you could go wild, choosing strong colours and placing each hexagon strategically to really play up the intriguing construction.
I kind of have a million possibilities in my head now. …And, looking at my mini-skeins, at least five different colour palettes all mapped out. Oooooh! So much fun!
Also, while we’re on the subject of Mercedes… we hung out at the bar at TNNA and I’m now an even bigger fangirl than I was before because (a) she had the most awesome earrings on, (b) she rocks her gray streak — and I do love me some gray-worn-bold — and (c) she turned me onto Songza, which I’d never used before but it is magic. Seriously, go get it.
I first came across Burano by Emily Ross when my friend and customer Amy knitted hers using SpaceCadet Mini-Skeins. Knit in garter stitch, it’s got this fabulous multi-coloured border with stripes that you can modify and alter to be anything you want it to be. Just a few colours? Perfect. Twenty colours? Do it! Strong contrasts or gentle changes… this shawl can become pretty much whatever kind of colour combination you can come up with.
Here, it’s shown in the bright bold colours that inspired the original design. But check out Amy’s version (click here to see it) — she chose a much softer palette and it completely changes the end result. What a fun knit! And, if you’re as addicted to Mini-Skeins as I am, what a great pattern to use them in.
You may remember me saying that we discovered the Zoom Loom at TNNA. And you probably saw all the pictures of my weaving that I tweeted/FB’d/IG’d. Well, it’s been a little over a month since TNNA and I haven’t stopped weaving on it since. This thing is seriously addictive!
And it’s easy. And quick! Did I mention easy? I mean, c’mon, I’m the SpaceCadet(!) and on these hot days when I can’t even think straight, the Zoom Loom is that perfect combination of mindless and intriguing. I love taking a variegated yarn and watching how the colours play out as they morph over and across each other. Each little woven square works up differently from the next… each one a little adventure all of its own.
I’ve been enjoying it so much, I had to get a few for you guys too! I’ve put them in the shop with two options: you can pick the Zoom Loom on its own, or with your own little starter bundle of SpaceCadet Mini-Skeins so you have everything you need to get you going for some great summer yarny-goodness. Click here to grab yours!
And if you’re dying to cast on one of the patterns you’ve seen here, check out the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club. Each month you’ll receive a fabulous bundle of hand-dyed fun: five 20g (approx) skeins of SpaceCadet fingering yarn in mix of variegated and semi-solid colourways. The Mini-Skein Club is my chance to really experiment and play with colour, and your chance to try out the different SpaceCadet yarns. Join anytime and stay in until you have enough mini-skeins for your project. It’s flexible and tons of fun. Click here to find out more!
