Etsy

Pattern RollCall: The Knits You Loved at HSYP!

By Stephanie

At HomeSpun Yarn Party, we had finished two pieces that got so many comments, so many questions, so many compliments, that I knew they had to be showcased in a Pattern Rollcall!

Paint the Sky

The first was the Paint the Sky wrap by Susan Wolcott of Y2Knit, a beautiful rectangular scarf with delicate yarn overs that rise up the length of it like bubbles through water.  Knit in a semi-solid yarn, the pattern would really shine, but done in a varigated yarn, it becomes an absolute gorgeous riot of colour.

© Susan Wolcott, Used with Permission

We knit ours in one skein of Lucina yarn in a gentle pink-and-purple colourway called Sweet Dreams, and it was gorgeous!  But it would look stunning in any of these yarns that have just gone in the shop:

yarn, hand-dyed, sock yarn
(clockwise from upper left): Lucina sparkly yarn in Most Ardently, Swollen, Carnival, and Baroque

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Fleurdelise

The second finished piece that got so much attention was the Fleurdelise One Skein Triangle Shawl by Michelle Miller of Fickle Knitter Designs.

© Fickle Knitter Design, Used with Permission

This was knit for me by my friend Natalie (as my birthday present!) using one skein of Lucina in SouthEasterly,  a yarn that is varigated but all without a great deal of contrast in the colours.  With a more complicated lace pattern like this, it often works best to use a yarn that’s either semi-solid or has a simpler change of colours.  Personally, I’d love to see how it comes out in two of our most popular colourways, Sugared Violets and Beguile.

yarn, sock yarn, hand-dyed
(left to right) Lucina Yarn in Sugared Violets and Beguile

You can see why these patterns got so much attention at HSYP, can’t you?  So beautiful!

Last Day to Join the InterStellar Yarn Alliance!

By Stephanie

Sunday was the HomeSpun Yarn Party and we had a FABULOUS time!!!!  Thank you to everyone who came out to Savage Mill — it was great to meet you all, and to talk about yarns and fibery things.  You guys made it so much fun!

And SpaceCadet yarn was popular too.  The booth was packed for most of the day…

spacecadet, space cadet, yarn, sock yarn, knitting, hand dyed
The booth was packed!

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We really didn’t expect to be so mobbed — at times the line seemed to extend right out of the booth space itself!

hsyp, spacecadet, space cadet, yarn, sock yarn, knitting
The line!

.And it’s wonderful to get that kind of support, but we were very sorry that our customers had to stand in line so long to buy our yarn.  So, we’ve all talked it through and come up with a couple of ideas that should make everything a bit faster and easier for our customers next year.

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Speaking of fast…  The opening time for subscriptions to the SpaceCadet’s yarn club has flown by:  Today is the last day to sign up for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance!!! If you’ve been thinking about it, wanting to do it….  but haven’t made it happen yet, sign up TODAY!  You can click here to read all the details of the club, or click here to go straight to the shop and sign up.   Come on!  We’d love to have you join us!

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And finally, we’ve been busy this week getting things organised and getting yarns back in the shop.  There are some in there now, but lots and lots more to go in over the next few days — and lots of new colourways.  Keep your eyes open for them!

(And, just between you and me, if you liked Beguile and Sugared Violets — the chocolate-and-pink and chocolate-and-purple yarns that sold out at Pittsburgh Knit&Crochet — make sure you keep checking in!)

Emptying the Shop!

By Stephanie

Don’t panic!  There’s a good reason to empty the shop and it’s only temporary.  More on that further down.  But first, we head out this weekend to Savage, Maryland to be part of the HomeSpun Yarn Party on Sunday, and this place is a flurry of activity getting last-minute prep done.  And I know I mentioned in my last post what a busy time it’s been around here, but I did I forget to mention what an exciting time it’s been?  I think I did..

Profiled on the HomeSpun Yarn Party website

Exciting is not just because of all the prep Homespun, but also because HomeSpun Yarn Party did a feature post about SpaceCadet Creations on their website.  It was such a rush to see our name and our yarns up there with all the other fantastic indie dyers and spinners who go to HomeSpun!

HSYP, homespun, knitting, hand-dyed, indie dyer, yarn

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Interviewed on Falling Stitches

And, to add exciting on top of exciting, the designer Ariane Caron-Lacote interviewed me on her blog, Falling Stitches.  I’ve been a fan of her designs for a while, and I was so delighted that she asked me to be interviewed.  Pop over and have a read and, while you’re at it, check out her designs (including my favourite, Dalia).

falling stitches, knitting, yarn, dyer, knit design

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Emptying the Shop

I will remove most of the yarns and fiber from the shop while we’re at Homespun (to ensure that we don’t inadvertently sell any of the same yarns twice!), but I will get everything back in again as quickly as possible.  I will probably take the stock out on Saturday night, and then you can look for the shop to be fully stocked again sometime between Sunday night and Tuesday morning.  If there’s something in the shop right now that you really love, grab it now!

And, of course, I will keep the subscription buttons for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance live, so that you join and become a member any time you like!  Remember, there’s less than a week left to sign up for the Yarn Alliance — subscriptions close March 31, 2011!

Welcome to Monday! No, Tuesday. No… Wait…

By Stephanie

Is it Wednesday already?  Wednesday?!?  Ach!  I meant to blog yesterday!  Errr… I mean Monday.  And do a shop update.  Have I done the shop update?!?

It’s been crazy here the past week.  There are only a few days left before Homespun Yarn Party and we are working like mad to finish the dyeing and get the last of the loose strings tied up (ha ha — no pun intended!).  And, as well, I’ve been putting together the Welcome Packs for the the new members of InterStellar Yarn Alliance.  It’s been so much fun seeing people sign up, that I can’t wait to get started on the first parcels in April!  Busy busy days…  but exciting too.

yarn, knitting, handdyed, hand-dyed, spacecadet, space cadet, sock yarn
Shop Update, clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Sincerity, Stella yarn in Heartthrob, Estelle yarn in Avarice, and Lucina yarn in Swollen

HomeSpun Yarn Party

So, if you live in the DC-Baltimore area and you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, please come see us at the HomeSpun Yarn Party.  It is a fantastic event, a showcase of over 30 indie dyers and spinners, so you know you’ll have a fab time.  And we’d love to meet you!

Homespun Yarn Party
Sunday March 27, 12noon – 5pm
Historic Savage Mill 8600 Foundry Street, Savage, MD 20763
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InterStellar Yarn Alliance

Don’t forget, there’s just over a week left to sign up for the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance!  It’s been wonderful fun watching people join and introducing themselves in the Yarn Alliance group.  It’s going to be a great yarn club, so if you like the idea of having a parcel full of yarny goodness arrive on your doorstep every other month, come and join us!

And finally, the shop update

yarn, knitting, sock yarn, spacecadet, space cadet, hand-dyed, handdyed
Shop Update, clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Cove, Stella yarn in SeaFoam, Estelle yarn in Translucence, and Estelle yarn in Petrolhead

With everything going on, I’ve managed to sneak in a quick update!  Here’s a bit of colour to brighten up your Wednesday.

…Is it Wednesday already?  Wait!  How did that happen?!?

Win A Skein of SpaceCadet Yarn!

By Stephanie

I am so excited about the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, the SpaceCadet’s new yarn club which opened for subscriptions on Monday, that I can’t wait for the fun to start!  The first parcels will go out in April, but I really want to do something to kick it off right now…

So I’m going to give away a free skein of lovely SpaceCadet Creations yarn to one  of you this week, and all you have to do to enter is talk about the Yarn Alliance in a post on Ravelry!  It can be anywhere on Ravelry except the SpaceCadet Creations and Interstellar Yarn Alliance groups. Once you’ve done that, leave a comment here with your Ravelry name, and you are entered to win a free skein of SpaceCadet yarn!

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, hand dyed, handdyed
Shop Update (clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Carnival, Estelle yarn in Tree Snake, Estelle yarn in Sunshine, and Celeste Yarn in First Love

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And if you’ve like to earn a second entry after that, just retweet a link to the Yarn Alliance webpage or link to this blog post in a post on Ravelry (and please be sure to mention your Twitter name here if it’s different from your Raverly name).

The giveaway opens now, and closes at the end of Thursday, so you have to be quick!  I’ll announce the winner here on Friday.

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, handdyed, hand-dyed, hand painted
Shop Update (clockwise from top left): Celeste yarn in Forgiven, Estelle yarn in Evening Fog, Celeste yarn in Spice Trade, Celsete yarn in Spare Change

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Which means that by the end of the week, one of you will be the owner of a new skein of SpaceCadet yarn.  Because you need more yarn in your stash, don’t you?  Don’t you?!?

Of course you do!

spinning, fiber, fibre, merino, alpaca, hand-dyed, handdyed, hand dyed, hand painted
Shop Update (clockwise from top left): Alpaca & Merino fiber in Translucence, Alpaca & Merino fiber in SuperNova, BFL fiber in HandJive, Alpaca & Merino fiber in Beguile

The details (they’re not difficult, I promise!): Contest closes on March 17 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry (that is, mentioning the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance in a post on Ravelry) before completing the ‘extra’ entry (tweeting a link to the Yarn Alliance). Completion of entries must be mentioned in a comment on this blog post to qualify, and comments must include the commenter’s Ravelry or Twitter name (as applicable). Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.  See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?

3.. 2… 1… Launch the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance!

By Stephanie

I have been looking forward to writing this post for weeks — no, months.  This started as a little kernel of an idea just before Christmas and I have spent the last few months coming up with ideas, making plans…  and getting just so excited!

So, I am very very pleased that this day as come at last.  Because today is the day that we launch…

yarn club, yarn, knitting, handdyed, indie dyer

If you like SpaceCadet yarns, then you’ll love being a member of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance!  Each member will receive an exciting parcel delivered every other month containing:

  • SpaceCadet CreationsTM 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 Alliancegift tucked into every parcel!
  • The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
  • An InterStellar Yarn Alliancegroup on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow Yarn Alliance members.
  • A 15% off coupon every six months

Subscriptions open today and will be available only until March 31. You can subscribe for either 6 months (3 parcels) at $125 or for 12 months (6 parcels) at $235, and parcels will be sent out in late April, June, August, October, December, and February.

I hope you are as excited as I am!  It’s going to be great fun, so please come join Yarn Alliance.  I can’t wait for you to be a member!