The Yarn Alliance is the SpaceCadet’s supercool yarn club. And it’s one of the most fun things I get to do in my job! Seriously. While I’m in the studio creating the colourways, or while I’m writing the dyer’s notes, or coming up with all the fab goodies, I’m always hoping the members will love the results as much I do. And do they? Well, check it out…
And, y’know, while I was putting together the new Yarn Alliance images for the website, I realised I was taking a trip down yarn club memory lane. So much luscious yarn, so many colourways I love!
Members of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance receive fabulous parcels delivered to their door every other month, containing:
SpaceCadet ® Creations 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 Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
A 15% off coupon every six months
Subscriptions are for either 6 months (3 parcels) for $125, or for 12 months (6 parcels) for $235.
I’ve been dying to share with you the inspiration for the latest InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcel and, as I sent them out a week ago today, I think it’s safe to show you. But if you’re a member and for some reason you haven’t opened your parcel, close this page now — I don’t want to ruin the surprise!
…
…
…Ok?
Ok, I think we’re safe. shhhh… Let’s have a look at the parcel. But first, I want to show you the picture that inspired the colourway. The thing is, just lately I have become obsessed with Spring. I am soooo ready to shed the grey, dull end of winter and welcome the sweet arrival of fresh green grass, new blooms, and warm warm days. So when I saw this picture on Pinterest, it just sang out to me.
It was taken by Mattie of Still Pond Photography and I just love it. Love it. For days, the mood of this photo stayed in my head, and I found myself returning again and again to just gaze at the colours of those eggs.
So when it came time to dye the Yarn Alliance colourway, there was no doubt what it would have to be.
I’ve been dyeing Spring greens and blues for the shop but, when I started designing this colourway, I wanted to take those colours to another level. Just like the eight eggs, I wanted to have myriad shades of blues and greens, so that the yarn would seem to change every constantly — from row to row, stitch to stitch. I began with one blue and one green, and then layered on another shade, and another shade, and another until I had depth and tone I was looking for. I called the colourway “EggShells”.
Doesn’t it sing Spring to you?
And as excited as I am about EggShells — and I am! — I think that I might be just wee bit more excited about the goody. It was a long time in the making, but the effort was sooooo worth it. Check it out — every member got a fabulous custom SpaceCadet project bag!!!
I’ve had such a blast doing the InterStellar Yarn Alliance this past year — so much fun. And I can’t wait to get started on next year’s yarns and goodies!
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance will open for subscriptions March 16 to 31 ONLY
You can join for either 6 months or 12 months. Every other month, members of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance receive fabulous parcels delivered to their door containing:
SpaceCadet ® Creations 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 Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
A 15% off coupon every six months
If you’d like to join, remember to mark your calendar: the Yarn Alliance will open for subscriptions from March 16 to 31 only. And when it does, get yourself over to this page to grab your spot!
It was Brenda Dayne — she who creates the fabulous podcast Cast-On (you do listen to it, don’t you? Don’t you?!?) and who just knit this hat with SpaceCadet yarn — who introduced me to the concept of January as “Selfish Knitting Month”.
For knitters and crocheters, the months leading up the holidays are almost always about making things for other people. All our own projects come to a screeching halt as we realise there’s only a few months left(!) and begin to work like mad on our gifts instead. And then, come January, all that is over. And it is time to return to our own projects, our own knitting and crochet. The idea of Selfish Knitting Month magically turns January from cold and dull into something welcome, warm, and cosy. Time to knit for ourselves again!
And I have really taken the Selfish Knitting concept to heart in 2012, in two ways. The first was actually at the end of December, as I was coming up with the newest colourway for the members of InterStellar Yarn Alliance. I wanted to create a something that would be a real treat for the members… to welcome in the new year with something so luxurious and indulgent that it would single-handedly banish January’s cold and grey post-holiday funk.
I saw cold days ahead and they transformed into a warm, moody plum; I felt a bitter wind, and it was a streak of blue-purple; the welcome respite of a cosy fireside became a rich vein of copper gold; and the whole colourway shot through with dramatic streaks as dark as the blackest night. And to make it extra special, I laid all these colours down over the sparkles of Lucina.
The colourway, in honour of the month, is called “Selfish”. …Well, would you give it away?!?
And the other way that I took Selfish Knitting concept to heart? Well, it wasn’t voluntary, and it wasn’t so much me as my body that made the decision. After a December which was just insanely busy and in which everyone except me seemed to come down sick, my body decided enough was enough. This past week, I’ve been sliding ever-so-slowly downhill, until finally this weekend, I succumbed to cold chills, shakes, and muscles that made my neck and shoulders seize up solidly. I have spent the past two days mostly in bed, propped up gingerly on pillows, moving as little as humanly possible.
Except, I could knit. And as painful as my shoulders and neck were (oh, and they were!), it’s been a truly welcome respite to just sit quietly and knit — without having to stop for work-demands or family-demands or… well, not for anything except for another round of painkillers. Selfish or what!? Yep, deliciously so, and it felt great. I took my skein of Selfish and cast on Karrie Steinmetz’s Walnut Grove. When I can sit up well enough to take photos, I’ll let you see how it looks.
So, Happy Selfish Knitting Month! What are you doing to celebrate? Have you cast on something fresh and new, just for you? Leave a comment and let me know, or even link to you project on Ravelry — I’d love to see!
Oh, there was supposed to be a shop update today, but — for obvious reasons — it will have to come a bit later this week. Keep your eyes open for it. And if you liked the look the of this yarn and would like get in on the Yarn Alliance yourself, spaces will open sometime around the end of the February or beginning of March. Make sure you’re on the mailing list to be the first to hear about it!
…And if you’re in the Alliance, your exclusive email with a chance to get extra skeins of Selfish will be coming soon, so watch your inbox!
But the best colourways — the ones that I can’t stop looking at — are the ones where there’s an element of risk. A combination of colours that might’ve worked… or might not have. A dyeing technique that pushes the boundaries beyond what’s usual. That is the essense of hand-dyed and, when that happens — and happens well — the results are nothing short of breath-taking!
This weekend I’ll be sending out the InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcels, and the yarn the members will find inside is risky indeed. I laid down colours that shouldn’t have worked together, I dyed them in an unusual way. And, as I was twisting up the skeins, today… Oh! I am in love, I am in love, I am in love!
I so hope the Alliance members feel the same way. Risky yarns are… risky, I know. But all I can do is create the colours that call to me, and let them become the colourways I see in my mind. And them pack them all in their little boxes and send them on their way. Beautiful, beautiful, risky yarns…
Here’s a little sneak peek at the Yarn Alliance parcel…
What? You wanted to see the colours? Sorry — no one can see that until the Alliance members have received their parcels! But don’t worry — I’ll reveal this risky, beautiful colourway as soon as they’ve had time to be delivered.
the SpaceCadet’s yarn club, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance
$15 Off on Black Friday ONLY
It’s Black Friday, which means it’s time for twinkling lights, canned holiday muzak, and ka-ra-zee long lines at the stores! If you’re one of those intrepid shoppers who hits the Black Friday sales with gusto, then I expect you’ve been out since midnight and come home already.
But if, like me, you’re not quite that adventurous (and you’re still in your jammies!), then I have the perfect, never-have-to-leave-the-house gift for the knitter or crocheter on your list…
For a short time only, we’re opening a limited number of spaces in the InterStellar Yarn Alliance to offer you three special Holiday Gift Subscriptions. And because those of us in our PJs shouldn’t have to miss out on the Black Friday fun, for today only we’re giving you $15 off!
A Holiday Gift Subscription: Normally $85.On Black Friday $70
And if the knitter or crocheter on your list deserves more even more Yarn Alliance goodness, you can add on a 6-month membership ($184 inclusive) or a 12-month membership ($305 inclusive), and you’re still getting that special price on the Holiday Gift Subscription!
But hurry, because after Black Friday, you’ll still be able to get this fabulous Holiday Gift Subscription, but prices will go back to normal.
SpaceCadet ® Creations 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 Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
Black Friday ONLY! $15 OFF!
Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US.
Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels and are normally priced at $125; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels and are normally priced at $235.
Holiday Gift Subscription parcels will be sent out in late December 2011 and late February 2012. Parcels for the 6-month add-on will be sent out in late April, June, and August 2012. Parcels for the 12-month add-on will be sent out in late April, June, August, October, and December 2012, and February 2013.
Normal subscription openings for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance are two weeks only in March and September of each year.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance Through the Rest of the Year
When you include an additional 6 month or 12 month Yarn Alliance subscription to your Holiday Gift Subscription, your recepient receives all the benefits that other regular members enjoy! With the additional regular subscription, each member will receive an exciting parcel delivered every other month containing:
SpaceCadet ® Creations 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 Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
A 15% off coupon every six months
Parcels will be sent out in late October, December, February, April, June, and August. Subscription openings will be available in March and September. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US.
You may recall that my sister, who spent the last two decades pshawing my suggestions that she try knitting, has picked up the needles at last …and discovered that she loves it. She’s on her second garter-knit scarf and carries her WIP with her everywhere. She’s becoming a knitter. I’m more than a little stunned.
But so far, she’s been knitting in isolation. Occasionally, she’s run into a fellow knitter on the bus and they’ve discussed projects and yarns in the short time before her stop arrives but, for the most part, she’s been knitting on her own, without the camaraderie of other knitters. And that’s not right, is it?!?
And so I’ve been encouraging her to check out her local LYS’s knit groups. But it turns out they’re on nights that don’t work with her schedule. And joining a new group can be a little intimidating, especially for someone who has just learned to knit. The one night she did make it there, she wandered around looking at the yarn and peeking at the knitting group from behind the shelves — but never got the nerve to actually sit with them and knit.
I understand. It’s hard to join a new group, knitting or not. And… well… she’s seen with her own eyes how crazy knitters get! So, yeah, I can understand…
I was on the phone to her this week. “Oh! Oh! I have to tell you!” she suddenly exclaimed. “It’s about the knitting…” She’d been chatting to a neighbour who, out of the blue, mentioned something about knitting. My sister pulled out her WIP. They discussed projects, yarns… and then, the neighbour said she wasn’t going to the knitting group that week.
“The knitting group?” my sister inquired.
It turns out that there is a knitting group in her apartment building. What’s more, it turns out that there are a lot of knitters in her building. So many, in fact, that there isn’t enough room for all the knitters in the building to join the group. My sister has been knitting in isolation in her flat whilst, all the while, surrounded by knitters on all sides, and never knew it. She squealed a little as she told me.
Here was a group she could join! These were people she already knew, and liked …and they’re knitters too. It couldn’t be more perfect.
BUT… this group also meets on a day that doesn’t work with her schedule. Ok, I said, so maybe you could open a sort of second “branch” of this knitting group, on a day that works for you. And people could go to either or both, whichever best fits their schedule.
She laughed out loud at the thought. “You mean, in a few weeks’ time, I could actually belong a knitting group? That meets in my flat?!?”
Yeah… I guess she… well, she really could.
You remember I said up at the beginning that her knitting adventure has me a bit stunned? Yep, at that moment, you could have knocked me right over with a feather.
Oh, hey, listen… Thursday is Thanksgiving (which has totally taken me by surprise — were you ready for it?!?). So first, a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
And then, of course, Thanksgiving starts the madness that is the holiday shopping season, so I want to give you a heads up that I will be launching a special Holiday Gift Subscription the the SpaceCadet’s yarn club, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance. It’s a fabulous way to give a gift to a knitter or crocheter in your life that will keep them happy all year long.
And be quick, because spaces are limited and the Alliance doesn’t open to new members very often at all. But more than that, I’ll be offering a special one-day introductory discount on Black Friday only. So, enjoy your turkey, have a wonderful wonderful Thanksgiving… and then, on Black Friday, let everyone else go mad rushing off to the shops, and you can score yourself some great Gifts of Yarny Goodness without even changing out of your PJs!
(Want a reminder on Friday morning? Do make sure you’re on the mailing list!)
