A KAL for Holiday Stash Busting!

14OctOctober 14, 2016 By Stephanie

Here at the SpaceCadet studio, everyone is gearing up their holiday knitting: small projects that are quick to make, lots of fun, and the perfect gift for the knit-worthy amongst our love ones (…and, y’know, not everyone is all that knit-worthy. You know what I’m sayin’.) So it’s a really special thing, holiday gift making, and you want to choose just the right project combined with just the right yarn. Time to go stash-diving!

Our stash here in the studio is enormous — especially our pile of Mini-Skeins. As we’re putting together those lovely colourful bundles each month, we always make a few extra just in case and, after awhile, they start to add up. So while we were all discussing our holiday projects, we dug through our Mini-Skein stash to choose colours. But many of those skeins are loose — they never actually got put into a bundle — so we felt free to mix and match colours from different months however we thought best. And the results were amazing!

Have you done that too — mixed up your Mini-Skeins from different months? Or do you keep them all neatly in their bundles? The more we played with the colours of those lovely little yarn crayons, the more we realised that we gotta get everybody trying this! Seriously it is so much fun to mix up the months’ colours, and the unexpected combinations are too good to pass up. So what’s the best way to get all our Mini-Skein Club members trying this out? A super-quick, super-fun KAL, of course!

The Mini-Skein Gathered Cowl KAL

Jade has designed the sweet Mini-Skein Gathered Cowl that makes a fabulous holiday gift for anyone on your list (or even… you?). With interesting gathered stitchwork and adorable button detailing, the shorter version is knit with three SpaceCadet Mini-Skeins (and the longer version with as many as you like!), giving you endless colour options!

Pick three colours that coordinate gently for a cowl as eyecatching as the blue one above. Or choose three that contrast boldly. Or get really creative and choose three that both contrast and coordinate, like the pink-green-blue cowl below. For that one, Jade chose three skeins from three different months that, while contrasting for sure, also all have a grey element, which lends an overall cohesiveness even as the colours change from skein to skein. See what I mean? Lots of possibilities!

Cast-On: November 1! And a Pattern Discount!

We’re going to cast on our cowls on November 1 and we’d love for you to join us! The Mini-Skein Gathered Cowl pattern releases on Saturday and you can get a copy by clicking here.

But wait… we’ve got two special treats up our sleeves!

If you’re currently in the Mini-Skein Club (for the October parcel), we’re giving you a copy of the pattern for free. Watch your inbox over the next couple of days for your download code.
And if you’re on our mailing list, you get a code for 33% off! Look for that code in next week’s newsletter. (You are on the mailing list, right? You and your whole knit/crochet group? If not, click here and get on it stat!)

What If I Don’t Have a Stash of Mini-Skeins?

It’s hard to believe, I know, but there are some folks out there who don’t have a stash-mountain of Mini-Skeins to choose from. If that’s you, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered! After we went through all the Minis in the studio to pick combinations for ourselves, we found we were having so much fun, we couldn’t stop! We laid a huge sheet out on the floor, dumped all our Minis in the middle, and spent the whole afternoon mixing and matching to our hearts’ content (it’s something we call our “drinking game”, but that’s a whole ‘nother story…). The result is our Minis Triplets: little 3-skein kits that are perfect for the Mini-Skein Gathered Cowl!

Each combination is unique, so if you see one you really love, you’ve got to grab it fast! And we’ll be shipping the first wave out early next week, so you’ll have yours in plenty of time for cast-on day. Click here to see all the colour combos we came up with!

Your Turn: Raid Your Stash & Join Us!

So whaddya say? Are you ready to cast on some holiday knitting and bust your stash at the same time? We’d love to have you join us! Click here and tell us you’re in — and show off your fabulous colour combination too!

Variegated Yarns: Fabulous Resources for Pattern Ideas

12SepMay 17, 2015 By Stephanie

This weekend, I’ll be doing a trunk show at KNOTS in Chardon Ohio and, along with a huge pile of yarn, Mini-Skeins, and Ombre Kits, I’ll also be taking a stash of some really amazing one-of-a-kind colourways. They are the result of several weeks of pure colour-play, experimenting with the dyes and seeing what happens when I just follow where the colour takes me. Some are moody, some are intense, some are wild — all of them are stunning.

But when I take yarns like this to shows — yarns that resulted organically rather than by careful design — I always find a few customers who pick them up and are completely stumped. They turn the yarn over in their hands and, especially if it’s highly variegated, look at it in frustration and say, “But what would I make with it?”

The key to using a wildly multicoloured skein is to find a pattern that manipulates the yarn to use those colour shifts to their best advantage. Sometimes a colourway is so beautiful that straight stockinette can do that, but more often, a pattern that uses slipped stitches, dropped stitches, or other techniques that move the colour vertically as well as horizontally will create amazing results. And multicolour yarns also really shine paired with a semi-solid yarn in a pattern that alternates between the two.

We are such a fans of variegated yarns here at SpaceCadet, and of all the possibilities they hold (so many awesome possibilities!), that we decided to create two wonderful resources for our customers who need inspiration for those amazing multicoloured yarns they’ve just fallen in love with.

The SpaceCadet Variegated Yarn Project Ideas Board on Pinterest

We’ve curated a wonderful collection of variegate pattern ideas to wander through. The idea here is not so much to choose a pattern (although you might find the perfect one — just click on the pattern’s image to find it on Ravelry) as to immerse yourself in possibilities. Scroll through interesting stitch patterns, new techniques, and innovative ideas that you can try with that beautiful new colourway you’ve bought. Here, why not grab a nice cup of tea and click here to wander through it yourself?

The Variegated Yarn Pattern Suggestions Thread on Ravelry

What’s better than a Pinterest board full of stunning project images? A collection of pattern ideas that YOU can help create! Our Variegated Yarn Pattern Suggestions thread on Ravelry is put together by our fans and customers — people who love SpaceCadet yarn and know what works beautifully with it.

The ideas our group shares are fantastic and the rules are simple: (1) every pattern suggestion has to include an image and (2) chatting is encouraged but when you post a reply to the thread, you have to include a new pattern and image as well. The result? A fun, interactive lookbook of variegated project ideas. Click here and come join in!

Last Few Days to Order a Mauna Kea Kit!

Don’t forget this weekend is your last chance to order a Mauna Kea Kit and get in on the KnitTogether fun! Worked in either stripes or a gradient fade, Mauna Kea features raglan shaping, 3/4 sleeves, and incredibly flattering rib detailing down each side.

The KnitTogether starts Oct 31st, and orders close on Monday Sept 15. Click here to grab your kit!

Mauna Kea: Pattern, Kits, & Knit-Together

28AugApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Sometimes I find it hard to wait. When I think of an exciting new idea, I want to dive into it right NOW (hence my stash of 15 million started-but-never-finished knitting projects). When my friend Mel (of the With Mel podcast, formerly Singlehanded Knits) showed me her design ideas for the gorgeous Mauna Kea, I was dying to share it with you guys, but the timing wasn’t right. Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep quiet about such a stunning pattern?!? It was SO hard!

But some things are worth waiting for. Take a look at this…

Knit top down with raglan shaping, Mauna Kea features laid-back styling and ribbed 3/4 sleeves. But my favourite thing is the shape, created by some incredibly flattering rib detailing down each side.

Choose to make it in stripes using a SpaceCadet Ombre Kit (as shown here) for a sublime monochrome effect. Or pick a Gradient Kit for eye-catching stripes with real impact! And if stripes aren’t your thing? Skip them, and use any of the Ombre & Gradient Kits in order to create a sweater with colours that gently morph from top to bottom.

The Mauna Kea Knit-Together!

What’s even better than a fabulous new pattern? A Mauna Kea Knit-Together! Join Mel for a lively and fun knit-together from Oct 31 to Dec 5. There will be a support forum on Ravelry, video help for knitters, and lots of great camaraderie!

Important: The Mauna Kea Kits listed here are available for pre-order and will be dyed once the orders close on Sept 15. Delivery will be in mid-October, in plenty of time for the Knit-Together cast on day.

You can see why I was struggling to keep it a secret, right? It’s one of those designs that make you just itch to get started!

Kits are available until Sept 15th only — click here to order yours!

All the Important Details

The Yarn

Lyra is a beautifully spoingy yarn that’s a joy to use, with a cabled 8-ply construction gives it strength and durability.

Fiber Content:100% Superwash Merino; 8-ply
Weight: Each skein is approximately 3.5oz/100g, and the yarn contains approximately 270 yards per 100g

The Kits

Each kit includes five skeins of Lyra and a download code for a FREE copy of the Mauna Kea pattern (the code arrives in the parcel with your yarn).

A lively knit together begins on Halloween for Mauna Kea, with a support forum and video helps for knitters!

The Colourways

There are five colourways available:

Dark Skies Ombre — grays to create the perfect monochrome effect
South China Seas Ombre — sublime blues for the ultimate in laid-back casual
Gobsmack Ombre — from deep purple to the softest lilac
Fervent Start-Anywhere Gradient — this gradient morphs from deep gray > rich eggplant > stunning fuscia > bright orange > brick red > back to gray. Designed so you can Start Anywhere, it works perfectly as either a gradient or for stripes.
Zing Gradient Ombre — this gradient morphs from dark gray > vibrant purple > cobalt blue > zesty lime > back to gray. Designed so you can Start Anywhere, it works perfectly as either a gradient or for stripes.

Sizing

For striping sweaters:

For sizes S/M/L: use 1 kit
For sizes XL/XXL: use 2 kits (due to the way the stripes use the colours)

For ombre/gradient fading sweaters:

For all sizes: use 1 kit

Delivery

Kits will be dyed after the ordering period closes on Sept 15 and parcels will be sent out mid-October, in plenty of time for the Knit-Together cast on date of Oct 31.

Ready to join in? Click here to get your Mauna Kea kit!

Join In on Our Idea Bank!

12AugApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

We are all busy this week prepping the August Mini-Skein Club bundles (and I think they’re going to be a real treat this month, whether you’ve picked the Ombre&Gradient Mix or the Multicolour Mix — really fun colours coming your way!).

But I wanted to quickly share with you something wonderful that’s been happening in the SpaceCadet group on Ravelry! Now, we love collecting Mini-Skein project ideas for our club members on our Mini-Skein Ideas board on Pinterest — there are just so many fabulous and creative ways to add colour to your projects and scrolling through our Pinterest board is downright delicious.

But then I had a brainwave! As well as our collection on Pinterest, why not make this collaborative, and have all of you guys add your ideas too? So I started a thread on Ravelry — a place to share Mini-Skein project ideas and create a gorgeous look-book of patterns, an idea bank that we all contribute to. And it has become absolutely magic!

There are just two rules, and they are simple (and pretty fun too!):

Every suggestion has to include an image. Whether it’s a pattern on Ravelry or your own project, the idea is to create a visual idea book — and to be visual, it’s gotta have images! (and links are great too)
Chatting is welcome BUT you MUST also include an image and pattern idea in that same post. So, you can post a comment or reply to someone else’s post, but then you also have add in a pattern suggestion (and image) of your own in that post.

Want to join in the fun? Click here to check out the thread. And, hey, why not share your best Mini-Skein idea while you’re there?

Coming Soon

I’m crazy excited but I can’t say much, except to share this sneak peek…

…and these two key words: gorgeous new pattern and fabulous new kits! Mark your calendars for August 29th, and make sure you’re on the mailing list to be the first to hear about it!

Closing Soon

There’s less than one week left to order your fantastic SpaceCadet yarn bowl and mug from Pawley Studios. The orders are flying and it’s been so much fun! Don’t miss the chance to grab yours before they close on Aug 18! Click here to order or learn more.

The Sari Cardi KAL and a SpaceCadet Dyeing Class

11AprApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

You know that phrase, “The best things come to those who wait”? Well sometimes the waiting is pretty darned hard! For the past couple of months, I’ve been working on two new projects that are just so exciting, I thought I’d burst. And at last I get to share them with you!

Sari Cardi pattern and KAL with Jenise Reid

The wonderfully talented Jenise Reid (you know her from her gorgeous Persian Dreams blanket) has chosen SpaceCadet Thebe for her new design, the Sari Cardi. Created in paired coordinating colours, the Sari Cardi has a versatile draped construction, beautiful texturing, and intriguing shaping. Knit at a loose gauge in Thebe, the SpaceCadet’s (very!) heavy laceweight in 65% silk and 35% linen, it gets softer and more beautiful the more its worn.

The pattern is released on April 15, the KAL kicks off on May 1 and, when Jenise told me about it, I knew we just had to put together some kits to support it! Each kit contains three skeins of Thebe — two in the main colour and one in the coordinating colour — and a download code for a FREE copy of the Sari Cardi pattern. They are available in limited quantities, so click here to grab one quick and come knit the Sari Cardi along with us!

SpaceCadet Dyeing Class at Camp Aloha Friends

Today was the first day all year that it felt like summer might actually be on its way and, when it does, I’m going to summer camp! Mel of Singlehanded Knits has asked me to be a camp counselor at Camp Aloha Friends, her super-fun packed-with-crafty-stuff summer camp. Want to come?

I’ll be teaching a class that has me super excited, because I’ll be walking you through the exact same steps I took when I first started experimenting with fiber and colour: learning with dye with drink mixes. It’s crazy fun, because it’s easy to learn, the colours are vibrant, and the results are quick. I can’t wait show you guys!

And I’m just one of a whole bucket load of teachers at Camp Aloha Friends! There are classes in all sorts of crafty pursuits: sewing, tatting, crochet, bead making, weaving… and the list goes on and on. In fact, click here to watch a fab video taking you through everything you’ll get to do.

Exciting stuff, right? I know I can’t wait to get started — and I so hope you’ll be joining me too!

Check out our Fabulous Spring Show Specials!

11MarApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The weeks right before a show are always a weird mix of wildly excited and crazy busy, all at the same time at the same time. And, as we prep for the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival this weekend (March 14-16, click here for a map) and HomeSpun Yarn Party next weekend (March 23, click here for directions), it feels like there are a million things going on at once.

I have a full-scale mock-up of our booth in my living room right now (even though it doesn’t actually fit in my living room), there are bags of yarn everywhere, and I am trying to keep track of no less than five separate to-do lists at the moment.

But we are bringing so many cool things to our Spring shows this year that it’s worth all the chaos. Wanna see what’s in store?

The SpaceCadet Show Exclusive Colourway

I think creating our Show Exclusive Colourway might be my favourite part of show-prep. This is a one-of-a-kind, non-repeatable colourway that is available exclusively at our Spring shows.

This year’s colourway is called Northern Lights and, just like its namesake, it is a swirl of ethereal and intense colour. When Jade was twisting it up, she called it “mesmerizing”, said she couldn’t stop looking at it. I know it’s going to go fast — make sure you get to the booth quickly!

Ombre & Gradient Kits, perfect for Pau Hana!

I love watching people discover our Ombre & Gradient Kits, so we’re bringing a bunch of them. These are the full-skein kits, enough to create an adult sweater with that gorgeous colour-morphing effect.

And the beautiful Pau Hana from Singlehanded Knits was designed specifically for our Ombre & Gradient Kits. Do you love it as much as I do? We’ll have the pattern available right alongside the yarn that inspired it!

Mini-Skein Bundles

We’ve got tons of SpaceCadet Mini-Skein bundles to bring to the shows. Think of them as yarn crayons and let your imagination run wild! If you’ve been coveting the recent Mini-Skein Club parcels, or if you’ve ever fancied trying SpaceCadet yarn but didn’t know where to begin, these little skeins are the perfect place to start!

Hana Hou Kits

I am blown away by Hana Hou, the newest design from Singlehanded Knits. To support the KAL that will start in May, we’ll be offering Sweater Kits of Lyra, perfect for Hana Hou. Buy one of the kits and we’ll give you the pattern for free so you’re all ready for the KAL when it starts. Come and pick your favourite colourway!

The gorgeous Asola Stole

And we’ll have the gorgeous Asola Stole by Pittsburgh designer Amy Maceyko. Designed in SpaceCadet yarn and constructed with an intriguing oval shape, this is one design you’ll really want to see in person! Amy will be teaching at Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet and stopping by our booth between classes — do come and say hello!

The very best part of the show

But for all the great stuff we’re bringing to the show, the very best thing is something we actually can’t pack… I cannot wait to see so many of our customers in person! It is truly the best part of every show we do — seeing your projects, putting faces to names, and really getting to know you guys. I love it, and I leave every show on a high that lasts for days.

So please, come to the show and introduce yourself. We can’t wait to see you!