The Biggest News of the SpaceCadet’s Year

14SepApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

This week, very quietly, the biggest event of the SpaceCadet year happened. It wasn’t a show, it wasn’t a big order, it wasn’t a feature in a knitting magazine. But it was something I’ve been working toward slowly — inch by inch — for a looooong time. And then this week, it happened. Quietly, and with no fanfare, just as if it was the most unimportant thing in the world.

And, y’know, to you, it probably is — but to me, it’s huge. So when I tell you what it is, please do me a little favour, ok? Just for a moment, give a little squeal for me — I am just so excited!!!!!

Ok, you ready? Here it is… See that shop link right there on the right? The one for the SpaceCadet shop? Last week, it took you to an Etsy shop. But today, when you click on it, it will take you to…

The Brand-New SpaceCadet Shop!!!!!

(go on, click it!)

I’ve designed this shop to give you everything I wasn’t able to give you before — and I am just so tickled about that. You can start by browsing all the yarns in one place on the Yarn Info page, where you can easily compare them by fiber content, weight, and yardage.

And there’s a lot to compare — the SpaceCadet’s fleet of yarns has increased from eight yarn types to… eighteen. Everything from laceweights (silk! sparkles! linen!) to bulkies. And in between, a beautiful array of choices. I’m sooooo excited — check it out!

When you’ve chosen your yarn, you can click through to see which standard colourways are in stock. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s a link to show you that yarn in all the fabulous experimental colourways in the Department of Rocket Science.

My goal is to make it as simple as possible for you to find exactly the yarn you need for your project. Or… if you’re in a mood to just wander through the yarns and explore until you find one that captures your heart, you can do that too!

There’s still improvements I want to make — little things to tweak here and there, and a few big things too — but even though I want to keep going until it’s perfect, I know that, really, it’s perfect enough. And so, after months and months of preparation, the new SpaceCadet shop is ready at last. And while it feels like a HUGE thing to me, I know I’m biased. But secretly, I am really hoping that it’s pretty darned exciting for you too. So… will you squeal with me?

(Now, at the moment, there are only a select number of yarns in the new shop. I’ll be doing a shop update on Wed Sept 19 — see the banner on the main shop page — but, for now, most of the yarns are coming with me to… )

A Trunk Show at KNOTS on Saturday Sept 15

As soon as I walked into KNOTS in Chardon Ohio (for a class with Brenda Dayne earlier this summer), I knew it was exactly what a yarn shop should be. Cosy, welcoming, and packed with fibery goodness, I was thrilled when Kate asked me to do a trunk show there!

I’ll be bringing a ton of yarn, including lots of wonderful experimental and one-of-a-kind colourways. So if you’re in the area, please do come. I’d love to meet you!

SpaceCadet Trunk Show from noon to 5pm at
Knots – Knitting on the Square
153 Main Street
Chardon, Ohio 44024
(click here to map it!)

Only 3 Days Left to Join the InterStellar Yarn Alliance

Subscriptions to the Yarn Alliance have been going like hotcakes and there are only a few spaces and three days left before subscriptions are closed. If you’ve been thinking of joining and haven’t subscribed yet, grab your place quick before it goes! Click here for all the details.

A Dress? Now THIS is a Dress!

03AugApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

If you were listening closely in the middle of June, I am quite certain that you heard a loud noise in the distance. And you might have thought it was just a child yelling three streets over, or a dog who suddenly spotted a stray cat, or a distant explosion of some sort. But no, it was me, letting out a scream on the day I met a dress.

I was at TNNA and had run into Heather Dixon, the designer at Army of Knitters and the creative director at Clotheshorse magazine. And, after some lovely chit-chat about the Universal Importance of a good cup of tea, Heather suddenly said, “Oh, the dress!” and took this little number down from the rail…

Months and months previously, Heather and Mindy Brown, the editorial director at Clotheshorse (and the designer of the dress) had asked me to dye some Celeste in the colourway Stewed Cranberries for a segment they were doing on indie dyers. And so I dyed it up and sent it off and… went back to normal life. And I think maybe I knew it was for a dress, but I really didn’t have any vision of what it might eventually be like. I have no idea why, but my head had conjured up something like a heavy, elongated sweater with cables running down the front…

So when Heather pulled Bayeux, it was so completely NOT what I was expecting… And so incredibly gorgeous — with that fabulous combination of knitted top and crocheted skirt, lovely nipped-in waist, sweet capped sleeves, and asymmetrical crochet hemline — that I think I actually let out a little scream right there on the TNNA show floor.

And that is the noise that you heard. But then, if you’d suddenly realised that the yarn you’d dyed and sent away those many months ago had been turned into something so incredibly stunning as Bayeux, you’d have squealed too, right?

I’ve put a bunch of Celeste in the shop that will be perfect for this dress, in Stewed Cranberries, Honey, and a really gorgeous experimental green. And a bunch of other great yarns too… Click here to check it out!

(Also, everyone please cross fingers that the next shop update will be in the new shop! There’s a lot of work between here and there, but I am really looking forward to having that big button above take you to the brand new SpaceCadet shop! Wooot!)

Hey, I just have to tell you about this because I am so excited! Do you remember a few weeks ago I introduced you to the wonderful Melissa and her new podcast SingleHandedKnits, which she records beneath the palm trees and on the beaches of Hawaii? Well, Melissa is putting together a fantastic KAL in honour of the upcoming election. It’s called Sock the Vote, and Melissa has asked me to dye custom colourways for two the “parties”. It’s going to be a BLAST! But spaces are limited and going fast so — quick! — click here to take a mid-day trip to Hawaii and let Melissa explain all about it.

…You know what? Go ahead and click that link regardless. Because no matter where you are or what you’re doing right now, somehow everything just feels that much better when you see those palm tree swaying in the background. And, seriously, Melissa is just such a lovely, positive person, you can’t help but smile as soon as you see her. Go on, click!

Exciting News: Upcoming SpaceCadetYarns & a New Shop

27JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Summer is a lazy time — long days, blue skies, and sunlight dappled through the trees. Maybe some cold drinks and, if you’re very lucky, a hammock. Boy oh boy, I need to grab me some of that!

But, I have felt anything but lazy! While summer is going great guns* outside, I am busy preparing for the cooler months that will follow. I have several hundred pounds of yarn to dye, some great LYSs to send orders to, and some fabulous yarn festivals to prep for (including…. Rhinebeck!!!! Squee with me!!!).

Yep, it’s a busy time here. But as well as all that, there are a few other exciting things that I’m working on, and I am dying to share them with you. So, before I go back into the studio, let me just give you a sneak peek…

A Brand New SpaceCadet Shop!

I have been dreaming about this for nearly two years now and I can’t believe it’s almost here! My Big Summer Project is to put together a brand new SpaceCadet shop — one that I can totally customise to make it super-easy for you to search for the yarn you know you want …or browse for the one that you never knew you needed so much! Easy and adventurous — isn’t that the way that yarn shopping should be?

As soon as the new shop is ready, I’ll make sure you know about it (believe me, I’ll be singing it on the rooftops!). In the meantime, it’s still very much a Work In Progress but here’s a quick look:

(Please, do a little happy dance with me, will you?)

Fabulous New Yarns!

Ok, this just has me giddy with excitement! As I started laying out the new shop, I realised what I really, really wanted to go along with it is a truly great fleet of yarns. So we’ve spent these last few months auditioning new yarns: dyeing them up, trying them out, (and, of course snorgling them!). And, after a really difficult elimination process, we’ve finally decided which we liked best.

The result is a fleet of yarns that is going to make your fingers itch to cast on! Folks, we’re going from seven yarns to 18. There will be some beautiful heavier yarns — sport, DK, worsted, and bulky — and a fantastic line up of lighter yarns, including four laceweights and no less than eight fingering yarns! Wanna see them? Welllll… they’re not dry enough to photograph yet, but the tags might give you a little clue. Here, have a quick look…

(Intrigued…? Stay tuned, they’ll be available very soon!)

The Yarn Harlot’s Omlet Could Be Yours!

Ok, this last one has nothing to do with my special summer projects, but I just have to share it with you! As you might know, the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, picked up a skein of SpaceCadet laceweight yarn from one of my trunk shows in Cleveland and has been knitting it in a beautiful pattern called Omelet. She finished it this week and I have to admit, when she posted the photos on her blog, I was blown away. It’s a stunning shawl.

And it could be yours! Yep, that’s right — the Yarn Harlot has knit the most intricate, ethereal, gorgeous piece of lacework that nobody should ever dream of giving away and… she’s auctioning it off to the highest bidder! It’s all to raise funds as she takes part in the 14th Annual Friends For Life Bike Rally in support of Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. Through the amazing generosity of knitters, she has already raised thousands of dollars — but she’s doing this one last push before the bike rally begins this weekend.

If you’d like a chance to win the Omelet shawl knit by the Yarn Harlot, click here to find out how to bid for it. As for me, I am so just thrilled that she’s chosen to make such a beautiful project out of a skein of SpaceCadet yarn (which I honestly thought she was buying just to be polite!). …And then is using it for such a good cause.

*Do people say “going great guns” over here? Is that a phrase you use in the States? If not, it means everything’s going along just fine.

Pattern Roll Call: Perfect for Laceweight

07JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Did you hear that almighty THUD the other week? That was me, hitting the floor when I discovered that… wait for it… the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, was knitting with SpaceCadet laceweight yarn. Not just knitting with it, she found herself actually being called by the colour, and I honestly don’t think a dyer could hope for any higher praise than that!

The second thud — you heard that one too, right? That was me when all my laceweight sold out in what seemed like only minutes. It was crazy to see the awesome power of the Yarn Harlot”s influence! But also so cool because I love these laceweights and it was exciting to see them take center stage at last.

Stephanie chose to knit Omelet, a beautiful and intricate lace shawl. It was a great choice for the yarn — and it’s exactly what most people think of first when they pick up of skein of laceweight yarn. But I also know that a lot of people end up putting that skein right back down again, because lace like that can be really intimidating.

So I wanted to show you a beautiful alternative: this is Mythos by Laura Nelkin and, knit in a laceweight yarn, it is the most perfect light summer cardigan to slip on whenever the evening brings the slightest chill.

Mythos is one of the samples we take to our trunk shows and it’s amazing how almost everyone falls in love with it on the spot. It can be knit in either a fingering yarn or, as shown here, a laceweight yarn held double. And with simple stitchwork and straightforward shaping, it’s a really appealing way to use those gorgeous laceweights that sometimes seem so inaccessible. What could be better for laid-back, lazy summer knitting?

Shop Update!

I’ve been busy dyeing to get those laceweights back in the shop! So, here’s the first batch — some of the 100% Merino that the Yarn Harlot has been knitting, and some of the gorgeous Silk and Merino Luna Laceweight — all in those rich, gently undulating colourways that are perfect for these delicate yarns. Click here to see them!

Pattern Roll-Call: Yarns for Color Affection

24MayApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

You know I love dyeing yarn — I love thinking up the colourways, and I love whole adventure of creating the colours. But when I send a skein off to the customer, it always feels like I’ve somehow stopped halfway through the process.

A skein of yarn is nothing more than a lovely, smooshy bundle of potential. The process is never complete until a knitter or crocheter has chosen that skein, picked a pattern, and cast on. That’s when all that potential begins its release at last, completing the journey from colour to yarn to project ..and finally to something beautiful in your hands.

Doing the trunk shows the other weekend, I got the chance to be a part of that process. All through the shows, I got to help customers choose their perfect yarns and match them with the perfect pattern. What fun!

And time and again, I found customers were asking for those yarns in sets of three…

Three Yarns, Two Words: Color Affection

Everyone is knitting Color Affection by Veera Välimäki, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a gorgeous shawl that showcases stand-out colour with an intriguing off-center construction. Traveling three different yarns across four sections, the colours mix and separate (and maybe mix again) in ways that make every project unique. In love with it yet?

But picking three colourways that both compliment and contrast can be difficult, and here’s where the SpaceCadet’s collections really come into their own. All the colourways in each collection are designed to work together, so all you have to do is choose maybe two semi-solids and a variegated, and there you go — your project is sorted.

You could go for soft….

(l to r: Lucina in Gentle, Lucina in Translucence, Stella in Quilt Blue)

Or you could go for bold…

(l to r: Izarra in Dept of Rocket Science G120405-003, Izarra in Honey, Izarra in Dept of Rocket Science G120405-006)

So go ahead, mix and match — see how the same colourways can work with lots of different options?

(l to r: Estelle in Quilt Green, Estelle in Dept of Rocket Science C120319-005, Estelle in Mercy)

(l to r: Estelle in Quilt Green, Estelle in Usui, Estelle in Quilt Blue)

And Now With Two Colours

But what if three colours seems a bit too much for you? No problem, you can start a little more gently with two other Veera Välimäki designs, Different Lines and the Stripe Study Shawl. Both have that same interesting asymmetrical shaping, and both have that striping that allows the yarns to play off each other so beautifully. But for these shawls, you only have to choose two colours.

So go with warm…

(l to r: Izarra in Pride, Izarra in Honey)

Go with bright…

(l to r: Celeste in Plum, Celeste in Plumberry)

Choose a pair of semi-solids…

(l to r: Izarra in Venus Sea, Stella in Plume)

Or swap one out for a variegated…

(l to r: Izarra in Venus Sea, Izarra in Dept of Rocket Science G120405-003)

No wait, swap the other!…

(l to r: Izarra in Dept of Rocket Science G120405-003, Stella in Plume)

See what I mean? The collections… they make it so easy. So go ahead — choose your yarn and cast on!

Shop Update: The Colours that Won’t Behave!

07DecApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

So, I’m standing there in the studio, mixing colours in the dyepots, when my husband appears in the doorway. It’s a rare treat when he stops into the studio and I’m always pleased to see him. We start chatting, while I apply this colour and then that to the yarn…

And when I look down, I realise the yarn looks completely different from what I’d been trying to dye. Completely! Different! And… I don’t know what I did to achieve it. Chatting and dyeing — they do not mix. And what’s more, I love this new colourway. Whatever it is, however I did it, I looooove it.

But I should be able to figure this out, right? I mean, I know the colours I mixed, I just applied them in some strange order. It shouldn’t be too hard to reverse-engineer. Right? Right?

People, I’ve been trying. Trying and trying! And while I haven’t quite hit it yet (damn! what did I do?!?), I’ve produced some really beautiful yarns in the process. And they went into the shop today!

And those aren’t the only colours I’ve fallen in love with lately. Check out these purples…

And I did some warm browns and jewel tones… Oh! Aren’t these lovely?!?

And then… and then… I decided to play with the negative space a bit, and try lay down the softest, lightest, most barely-there layer of colour I could. What do you think?

If you like them as much as I do, get over to the shop and nab them before they go!

And if some of these colourways look a bit too wild for you and you’re not quite sure how you’d use them, then keep you eyes open for my new ebook, Launching Into Hand-Dyed. It’s a 42-page guide designed to walk you through choosing and using even the most highly variegated colourways. I’ll be launching it in the next week, so do look for it!