The Week of Fabulous!

08FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

This Sunday: Indie Knit & Spin Boutique

Whatcha up to this weekend? For me, the spring yarn show season will be starting whilst there’s still snow on the ground, with a lovely little show on Sunday called Indie Knit & Spin Boutique.

I’m so looking forward to it! It’s going to be a small, really intimate event — just five local fiber artists coming together to share with you the very best of their recent work. I’ll be bringing lots of yarns that have never been in the shop (and may never get in the shop either!). Tons of one-of-a-kind and fun experimental colourways.

Come out and see us!

Indie Knit & Spin Boutique
Sunday February 10th, 2012, 12:00-5:00
At the Cosymakes Studio, 1406 South Negley, Pittsburgh PA
(Click here for a map!)
Vendors: SpaceCadet Creations, Cosymakes Studio,
Gwen Erin Natural Fibers, Fibernymph Dye Works, and Burgh Baby Gear

KnitCircus Interviews the SpaceCadet

I was absolutely tickled pink several weeks ago when Jaala Spiro asked if she could interview for KnitCircus. I’ve known her for a few years now, and always enjoyed her work, so I said yes immediately — chatting with Jaala is always so much fun!

And I think you can tell we enjoyed doing the interview. I got to talk about how I started dyeing, my upcoming projects, and how much fun I have dyeing for our customers. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, click here to read the whole thing.

The Love Actually KAL Casts On this Thursday

Valentine’s Day is on its way and this year we’re bypassing the chocolates and mushy cards and going straight for what really matters: casting on a fabulous new project in gorgeous yarns. The Love Actually KAL starts on Feb 14 and I simply cannot believe the response — so many people have signed up!

If you’ve not joined yet, there’s still time. And just a few of those fabulous Love Actually KAL Kits left in the shop! Click here to read all the details about the KAL and click here to grab one of the last kits!

Annoucing the Love Actually KAL

01FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I’ve been dyeing(!) to tell you about this… and hinting about it on Twitter and Facebook… and now, at last, it’s February 1. Today is the day!

This is knit-designer, and my lovely friend, Sara Bench. And that fantastic cowl is Love Actually, her new pattern that was released on Knitty last week.

Isn’t it gorgeous? Double-knit, so it’s thick and warm, and totally reversible — the hearts that you see on one side appear (with the colours reversed) on the other side. How cool is that?

So I was thinking… a pattern like that deserves celebrating! And what better way to celebrate a knitting pattern than a Knitalong?

The Love Actually KAL

With Valentine’s Day coming up, this is the perfect quick (yet interesting) knit to keep your fingers flying through those cold February days.

And here’s the best bit: Sara is going to do the KAL with us, and guide us every step of the way. So even if you’re unsure about colourwork, or have never done double-knitting before, you can join with confidence. Not only will you have all your fellow knitters there to help you, you’ll also have the designer knitting right alongside you!

Oh! And there are giveaways! Each week of the KAL, everyone who posts a picture of their progress will be entered in a random drawing to win some really great swag. That’s right — free stuff… just for knitting!

C’mon! Wouldn’t you love to make one with us?!?

The Details

Here’s everything you need to know:

The cast-on date is Valentine’s Day, February 14, and the KAL will run through March 14.
To join the KAL, just click here and leave a message telling us you’re in! Please, no chit-chat in that thread, so that it’s easy for us to keep track of who has joined — just give us your name and your Rav name, and we’ll make sure we’ve got you in.
The KAL will be coordinated by Natalie (peacethrufiber). If you’ve ever come to see us at a show, then you’ve met Natalie: she’s the one whose hands are always knitting — she knits while she chats, answers questions, helps you choose your yarn… She’s an amazing knitter! So if you have any questions during the KAL, either about how it runs or about the knitting, she’s another great resource to go to.
Click here and meet your fellow KALers! Tell us about yourself… who you’re making your project for, what yarn you’re going to use, what you’re looking forward to about the pattern. Don’t forget to include where you’re from and if you’ve ever done double knitting before. And, hey, while we’re at it, tell us what the world looks like outside your window right now (it’s snowing here and looks ever so wintery!).
Make sure you tag your project on Ravelry with “LoveActuallyKAL” so all your fellow KALers can find it.
Spread the word! Let others know about the Love Actually KAL by sharing it on Twitter, Facebook, and maybe posting about it on Ravelry. The more we have in the KAL, the merrier it will be!
Tweet #LoveActuallyKAL
Grab your Love Actually pattern here.
Choose your yarn! You’ll need two skeins of DK yarn in two colours. You can buy fresh yarn, choose from your stash or… or….

SpaceCadet’s Love Actually KAL Kits

…Or you can choose the yarn we’ve dyed especially for this KAL, in the most perfect-for-Valentine’s-Day colours. And as a special thank you for joining the KAL, we’re even knocking 10% off the price!

There’s Tainted Love, a gorgeous grey and red combination, where the grey is gentle and the red is bold. But look closely, there’s a lot of depth of shade there — see how the colours move and change through both skeins? These ain’t no flat colourways! And life in those colours are going to look amazing in Love Actually.

Or go for the Chocolate & Roses combination! These are the colours from our popular Beguile colourway, pulled out into two separate skeins specifically for this KAL. The first shade is the deep rich brown — Valentine chocolates, anyone? And the second is a beautiful vibrant pink that would make the most perfect rose. Together, they are simply stunning.

For now, I’ve dyed only 20 kits. If they sell out, I may dye more, but time is short so there are no guarantees. If these colours are calling to you, click here to grab yours — at 10% off and before they’re all gone!

January Brings… Lots of Exciting News!

18JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

2013 has started off with a bang! We’ve been so busy getting ready for all the great stuff we’ve got coming up that I’ve hardly had a chance to stop and tell you about it.

Which is totally dumb, because what is the point of having all kinds of cool stuff in the pipeline if I don’t share it with you? Let’s fix that right now!

SpaceCadet is at the Loopy Ewe!

I’ve kept quiet about this for a couple of months now because… ooooh, I was afraid if I said anything, maybe it wouldn’t come true. But it has! I am so excited to announce that SpaceCadet yarn is now available at The Loopy Ewe. Sheri is well known for her fantastic customer service, her free shipping on orders over $75, and her ability to create a collection of the most amazing indie dyers out there. I can’t tell you how excited and deeply honoured I am to be part of that collection!

And the most amazing thing about this? Sheri told me she’d first heard about SpaceCadet from her own customers, who were asking her to start carrying our yarn. So thank you for that — it’s proof positive that I have the most awesome customers a girl could possibly ask for!

Now please, go and buy some SpaceCadet from The Loopy Ewe, and show Sheri and her team that you guys were right!

Exciting Mystery KAL with Laura Nelkin!

Here’s something else to go squeeeeeeee about: the fabulous knit designer and Craftsy teacher Laura Nelkin has asked me to create the kits for her exciting new mystery knit-along! Now, I’ve seen some of the sneak-peeks of her design and it’s so gorgeous I wish I tell you all about it but… well, it is a mystery, so I can’t say much right now. But her last KAL was such a runaway success, I just cannot wait to see this one get started!

What to be the first to hear when it goes live? Make sure you’re on her mailing list, in her Ravelry group, or following her on Twitter or Facebook. And then… just you wait, you’re going to love it!!!

New Intense Colours on the Way

I don’t know what it is about January, but as soon as the holidays ended and the new year began, I was suddenly craving some seriously deep, intense colours. And even though I have a ton of other dyeing to do, I took a couple of days and just indulged myself in some wonderful, soul-enriching colour experimentation.

The result is such intense colour that I just cannot stop looking at it. And honestly, I can’t seem take a picture that does it justice. But believe me, that blue on the right there? It almost pulsates with colour!

I’ve never explored colour this intense before and, suddenly, I cannot stop exploring it. I am totally inspired, and you are going to be seeing the results that inspiration popping up all over the place soon! Keep your eyes open.

And if you’re in the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, you’re going to get some of the first tastes of this experimentation. Not to spoil anything but… well, the “wildness” of this month’s Wild Mix colourways is less about variegation and more about deep, intense, gorgeous colour. I know it’s a bit of a departure from the norm, but I think you’re reallllly going to like it!

And if you’re not in the club but you love these kinds of colours, now is one of the best times to join, because the Mini-Skein Club is the place where I really let my imagination come out to play! One-of-a-kind colourways, experimental yarns, and a good mix of SpaceCadet favourites too… all wrapped up in the sweetest little tiny skeins. It’s a great way to see what all the fuss is about!

So tell me… what do think of them?!?

After A Long Winter’s Nap

04JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The first day back to Real Life after the holidays can be like waking up from a long slumber. And sometimes it’s a gentle start to the new year …and sometimes it’s not. 2013 has started with a bang! There’s tons of stuff to look forward to and I can’t wait to tell you all about it in the coming weeks. But first, let’s start with this…

It’s Yarn Alliance parcel time! You know what? The first club parcel of year might just be my favourite. The depths of winter are such an inspiration… the new year is always so full of promise… and, after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s so nice to sink comfortably into Selfish Knitting Month.

On A Winter’s Eve

Selfish knitting should be sheer pleasure, so I started with the luxurious cashmere softness of Aurora — this is a yarn you really have to feel to believe. And I layered onto it the colours that were calling to me — deep purple-blues of a cold winter’s night and the soft silver-greys of the stars above, and the snows that reflect them. And as they dyed, I let the colours mingle together, creating a gentle undulation from one shade to another.

I really, really love this colourway.

Now, the gift! I’m excited about this. I met Kristine Keller at TNNA two years ago, just after, Stormy Blue, her lovely yarn-and-pottery shop opened in Murrysville PA, and I liked her straight away. She’s down to earth and fun, so I was delighted to run into her again a few months ago at Indie Knit & Spin, where she was selling her gorgeous yarn bowls.

And as I was looking at her booth, I spotted these lovely hand-made shawl pins — every single one completely unique — and immediately thought of the Yarn Alliance. I phone Kristine a few weeks later and asked if she’d make some custom SpaceCadet shawl pins and she was totally up for it. I love them!

So, now that the holidays are over and all your gift-knitting is finished, how will you celebrate Selfish Knitting Month? C’mon, it’s time to make something luxurious and wonderful …and all for yourself. What will you cast on?

You Guys Just Blew Me Away

14DecApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Sometimes, good things rise up out of bad. Sometimes, sad events spur us onto something beyond the ordinary. And when that happens, it is a wonderful thing to see. Heartwarming. Hope-restoring. The knitting community did exactly that last week.

When my friend and colleague Karrie Steinmetz of the KnitPurlGurl podcast passed away suddenly on Nov 26, her husband asked me to create a colourway in her honour. I knew that the loss of a wife and mother, so suddenly and unexpectedly, would send any family reeling in practical ways as well as emotional, so I decided to use this colourway as a way for the knitting and crochet community to help Karrie’s family through this time. I decided to dye her yarn in Aurora and called it “A Colourway for Karrie”, and offered it for pre-orders with 50% of the sales price going to Karrie’s family. Not know what sort a demand there might be, I limited it to an initial run of 24 skeins.

They sold out within 90 minutes. And I suddenly began getting tons of emails and Rav messages asking for more. So I ran over to the studio to see if I had any more Aurora in stock… 10 skeins. I put them up and they sold out almost immediately.

And that was it — that was all the yarn I had. But the emails and messages kept coming — some offering straight donations –and I realised, by limiting the run, I was also limiting how much we could raise for Karrie’s family. So I opened it up for a second run to be delivered somewhere in January and, this time, I put no limit on the number of orders before the deadline.

The response was phenomenal. Phenomenal. And as the orders came flying in and the responses were being posted on Ravelry, I realised what you all are made of. You are made of compassion, of kindness, and of generosity. You are made of love for a fellow knitter and crocheter, and of genuine concern for her husband and children. I watched the orders coming in and I was blown away.

Ninety-four skeins sold. One thousand, five hundred, and ninety-eight dollars raised. I am deeply thrilled to write this cheque for Karrie’s family. And humbled because, though it is my name at the bottom, it is all of you who made this happen. Thank you all so very much.

Yarn Update

The first run is all dyed up and currently drying. If you nabbed one of those 34 skeins, expect your yarn to go in the post sometime next week! And for those of you who got in on the second run, your yarn is being spun at the moment and is still looking good for a mid-January delivery.

The SpaceMonster Club Closes in Three Days!

And, hey, don’t forget that there are only three days left to grab a subscription to the SpaceCadet’s newest yarn club, the SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club! If you love the fabulous smooshiness of big yarns (not to mention the quick knits they produce!), then this is the club for you. It’s all worsted, chunky, and bulky — and exclusive colourways designed to bring out the best in them. But subscriptions close on Sun Dec 16, so — quick! — click here to find out more.

For Cyber Monday: A Fantastic New SpaceCadet Club!

26NovApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

It’s Cyber Monday and everywhere you look, there are ads screaming at you about dealsdealsdeals! And it’s exhausting, isn’t it?

So, instead of joining in with all that noise, I decidedto give you something really special. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long, long time, and I can’t believe the day is finally here…

I am thrilled to announce…

SpaceMonsters, the SpaceCadet’s Mega Yarn Club

Specially designed for those who love working with thicker yarns!

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.

Members of the SpaceMonsters Mega Club will receive:

a fantastic parcel delivered to their 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) is only $99, and a 12 month subscription (6 parcels) is just $194. …Know anyone on your holiday gift list who’d love to receive a right-to-her-door supply of gorgeous, smooshy yarn?

But subscriptions are open only until Dec 16 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

Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out on or near the first 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..
Normal subscription openings/renewals will be available in June and December of each year.
Any other questions? Ask us! spacecadetcreations (at) gmail (dot) com