I Need Your Help Choosing a Yarn

25JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

One of the really fun things about TNNA was just wandering around and looking at all the lovely yarns. I mean, really. For someone who loves yarn, who really gets quite giddy around large quantities of it, TNNA was heady stuff!

And the yarns ran the gamut from rustic bulkies to really stunning silk laceweights complete with beads and sequins — everything a fiberista’s heart might desire. And I really thought I’d be drawn to the finest, most delicate, most beautiful yarns… so when I realised that the one thing that kept jumping out at me was these smooshy, chunky, single-ply yarns, it totally took me by surprise. But they were wonderful — they looked like clouds, they looked so sheepy… I just wanted stick my face into them and snorgle!

And, they seemed to be everywhere. Even though I was trying to look at fingering yarns, my eye kept spotting these chunky single-ply yarns everywhere. So, I’m tempted to buy some for my autumn/winter dyeing. And y’know, when I say “tempted”, I kinda really mean “aching”. As in, I loved them so much, I am aching to get my hands on some and start dyeing!

yarn, knitting, crochet, indie dyer, hand-dyed — Man, I love this yarn...

But there’s a distinct possibility that instead of spotting the emergence of a fabulous new yarn trend, I might be just falling head-over-heels for my own personal preference. And that you, my fingering-and-laceweight-buying customers, might be reading all this and just going, “Whaaat…???”

knitting, yarn, crochet, indie dyer, hand-dyed — (that's a nickel, by the way, not a dime -- I couldn't find a dime...)

So, tell me, what do you think? Do these pictures get your heart racing, and your fingers itching to cast on? Do you want to grab that skein and just smoosh it? Or does it leave you saying, “Meh…” and happily turning back to the much more delicate yarn of your current project? Please tell me — leave a comment below, I’d really love to know your thoughts!

Win Cool Origami Stitchmarkers! And a Shop Update.

20JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

In a moment, I’m going to tell you about a delightful little giveaway, but first let me show you some yarns I’ve put in the shop this week. I’m really excited about them because, before I held them in my hands together, I hadn’t realised what perfect compliments they are. But they are! They are absolutely perfect together. The variegated yarn makes a wonderful accent against either the purple or the pink yarn and I am sorely tempted to keep them all for myself… But I’ve put them in the shop instead, and I think I shall have to go into the studio and see if I can recreate them instead.

Left to right: Estelle fingering weight yarn in Truth, Faithful, and Throb

The Sexy Knitter Origami Stitchmarkers Giveaway

I was so excited about the fabulous stitchmarkers that Sarah at The Sexy Knitter made for the members of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance (that’s them, there on the left) that I wanted to give everyone else a chance to nab some of her origami stitchmarkers too. (Seriously, origami! Like you did in school — how cool is that?!?)

And Sarah immediately offered a set for me to giveaway to one lucky winner! Squeeee!

So, here’s what you have to do to enter:

First, make sure you are a subscriber to my blog. All you have to do is click on the Subscription button there in the right-hand column.
Then, just help spread the word about this contest by retweeting this tweet (if your twitter name doesn’t relate to the name you’ve subscribed under, please leave me a comment here helping me tie the two together)

And that’s it — you’re entered!

And if you want an extra entry, just mention this contest anywhere on the web (on Facebook, on a forum, in a blog post) and leave me a comment here with a link that allows me to confirm the mention.

The giveaway will end on Sun 31 July, and I’ll announce the winner in the next blog post after that. Good luck everyone!

Everybody loves smallprint: Sweepstakes opens when this blog post is published and closes on Sun July 31 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified, and must be a subscriber to the blog and then retweet the specified tweet in order for entry to be valid. The valid entry must be completed for any ‘extra’ entries can qualify and ‘extra’ entries must be mentioned in a comment on this blog post which includes a link to verify the entry. Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog after sweepstakes close and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. No purchase necessary. Only one entry per person. Odds of winning are dependant on the number of entrants. Retail value of prize is $5.00. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash. Sweepstakes open only to entrants aged 18 years or older and resident in the United States or Canada. A-a-and breathe out…

A Yarn Club, a Yarn Club, and… Another Yarn Club!

15JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Now that everyone in the InterStellar Yarn Alliance should have received their latest parcels, I really want to show you what they got!

And as the weather turned hotter and hotter, I found myself inspired to dye a skein rich in the full-on colour of summer. The yarn is Stella, a really wonderful 80/20 merino/nylon mix and the colourway is Starved for Colour.

And then for fun, I created mini-skeins of Lucina, a lovely yarn in merino and nylon with a little added sparkle, and dyed them in coordinating colours — some Alliance members got purple, some blue, some green. I kind of fell in love with the idea of using it to knit socks with sparkly toes and heels (I mean, seriously, how cool is sparkly toes and heels?!?), but it’d also look great as a border on a shawl, or collar and cuffs on a child’s cardigan.

Now, onto the really cool stuff… the goodies. I was so in love with the custom SpaceCadet Tool Tins that Sarah Wilson, The Sexy Knitter, created for the last parcel, that I asked her if she could create a custom version of her adorable origami stitchmarkers… And she did! They were so cool that I squealed as soon as I saw them! They came packaged in their own little glass vial. Don’t you love them?!?

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Guest-Dyer for the Cultured Purl

“Guest-Dyer” has a pretty nice ring to it, don’t you think? I was thrilled when Shirani at The Cultured Purl asked me if I’d be a Guest-Dyer for their Spectacular Summer of Socks Club. She asked me to create a summery colourway, so I took inspiration from lazy summer lunches eaten under a bright blue sky… And dyed Picnic, a custom colourway designed to create fun bursts of colour throughout the knitted fabric.

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And… Another Yarn Club!

And, as if that wasn’t enough, I’ve been asked to dye for yet another club (squeee!). I don’t know yet if I’m allowed to tell you who I’m dyeing for or what colours I’m making, but I can tell you that I just sent a skein of the yarn to the (very fabulous) designer and I can’t wait to see what she creates with it. As soon as I know I have the go ahead… I’ll tell you all about it!

Dyeing the Angles (and a Shop Update!)

08JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I want to show you something that I think is fascinating. This is Translucence, a yarn I dyed — just playing with the colours, letting them lead me where they wanted — and then instantly fell in love with. Head over heels…

hand-dyed yarn, yarn, knitting, crochet, indie dyer, lace, lace weight, spacecadet creations, space cadet creations — Luna Laceweight silk/merino yarn in Translucence

When you first pick it up, you think it’s a simple blue-grey. But when you look closer, you see the most incredible, delicate play of colours: yes, the blues and greys are there, but they’re mixed in with warm pinks, watery greens, and soft purples. It’s an incredibly subtle and complex colourway.

(…You know what, I really should dye more of Translucence. I think I will — soon. If you like it as much as I do, keep your eyes open for it over the next few weeks.)

Ok, but here’s what I wanted to show you… Translucence is created from three colours that I mix up and then carefully apply to the yarn in a specific order: first one, then another, and then the third. In my mind, I see these three colours as points on a triangle, which I approach from one direction and work my way around.

And I wondered what would happen if I approached that triangle of colours from another direction. Are you ready? Here it is…

The same three colours, the exact same recipe, just applied in a different order. It’s incredible, isn’t it? What a difference!

This is Resplendence and it’s got burnished pinks, gentle blues, and warm greens, all peeking through a beautiful golden yellow that acts as the (maybe) defining colour of the mix. And, even though this is a variegated colourway and even though each of these colours is definitely holding its own against the others, it would still work beautifully for lacework — the colours blend so beautifully that they would work even with a complicated stitch pattern and you’d end up with one incredibly stunning result.

It’s as beautiful as Translucence, but completely different. And all I did was approach the triangle of colours from another direction. That kinda blows my mind. Does it blow yours too?

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Shop Update

Here’s more fun stuff: new yarns in the shop! I went for some seriously intense blues and greens. Think of summer sunlight, think of cool water, think of gentle shade under a leafy tree…

Clockwise from top left: Estelle fingering weight merino/cashmere/nylon yarn in Dry and Blue Sky, Tuesday Blue, Lost, and Cove

InterStellar Yarn Alliance Sneak Peek!

01JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcels are on their way, and I don’t mind admitting I am crazy-excited about this shipment! I had so much fun dyeing it, and I just can’t wait for you guys to receive it.

Right, here are the spoilers!

First comes the inspiration…

Then there is the yarn. There’s a bit of this…

And maybe a little something else too…

And there’s always fun goodies…

I can’t wait to find out what you all think of it!!! Make sure you go to the InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry to discuss how you like it and what you’re going to make with it.

(And if you really, really can’t stand it, and you really, really want to know what’s coming… if you click on one of the pictures above, you’ll get a full-colour sneak peek)

The Art of Hand-Dyeing

29JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I’ve been thinking about colour a lot lately — about what draws us to it, about what makes us shy away. And, most interestingly to me, what is it that pulls some knitters and crocheters time and again hand-dyed yarns?

yarn, knitting, hand-dyed, indie dyer, crochet — Lucina fingering weight yarn in Carnival

Hand-dyed yarns are very different from the rest of the yarn universe. One thing that struck me at TNNA is that there were only a handful of indie dyers scattered amongst the rows and rows of big yarn companies. And the big yarn companies were very impressive, with their extensive line-up of yarns in every colour imaginable. They sell dependability, repeatability, a yarn you can reach for time and again.

Whereas the magic of hand-dyed yarns lies in something completely different. It’s something about freedom, the pure abandon of colour that might submit to the knitter’s will or might… might just turn wild and uncontrollable. Hand-dyed yarns are about their untamed individuality, their uniqueness… With hand-dyed yarns, you never really know what you’re going to get.

knitting, hand-dyed, crochet, indie dyer, yarn — Celeste fingering weight yarn in Baroque

So, as I watched them for a while, the hand-dyers at TNNA, busy chatting with LYS owners, I suddenly saw the dilemma… For the indie dyer who wants to grow her business, there is the temptation to emulate the big yarn companies and to aim to pull those wild hand-dyed colours under control, to create legitimacy in a bigger marketplace by moving her line toward more predictability and controlled results. But I suspect that what initially drew every hand-dyer into her craft was a desire to delve into the colours and go where-ever took took her.

knitting, yarn, crochet, hand-dyed, indie dyer — Celeste yarn in African Violets

So, being pulled in both directions, which way does an indie dyer go?

I think the answer comes back to the customer — to you. The real question is, why do you buy hand-dyed yarns? Why do you seek out indie-dyers when there are so many wonderful, established yarn brands in your local yarn shop? And I suspect the answer is that you are a very special kind of knitter or crocheter. You are an adventurer. And buying hand-dyed gives you a yarn that is like no other yarn in the world, which acts as a base on which to create your own art — the unique work of your two hands. I think that people who buy hand-dyed yarn do more than just follow a pattern — they see the creation before it is created, they see the colours intertwined, they are drawn to the challenge of taming a yarn that they’re not quite sure will bend to their will.

In short, I think the knitter or crocheter who buys hand-dyed yarns is an artist herself, no less dyer whose yarn she works with.

So tell me, why do you buy hand-dyed yarns? What is it that draws you to them? And do you believe that when you create with them, you are also an artist?