All day today, I’ve been making Mini-Skein bundles in preparation for HomeSpun Yarn Party this weekend (hey, are you coming?). I love putting them together — picking the colours, arranging the skeins and tying them all together. Mini-Skeins are just so cute and, oh, so much fun!
We took Mini-Skeins to Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet to introduce the idea to customers who hadn’t seen them before and… they sold like hotcakes! I mean, it’s one thing to see them online, but I think it’s completely different when you meet them in person. I loved seeing the customers pouring over each and every bundle, trying to decide which one (or two …or three!) that had the colourways they loved the most.
And the very best part? So many of those customers have came back in the weeks after the festival to join the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club. Seriously, I don’t think there’s any better compliment than that!
So, the Mini-Skeins are coming with us to HomeSpun Yarn Party this weekend. And if you’re going to be there, do be sure to come by the booth early before they disappear!
Or Win a Mini-Skein Bundle
So, what if you’re not going to HomeSpun? (or if you just can’t wait…) Well, don’t you worry because the lovely folks at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet festival are giving away a SpaceCadet Mini-Skein bundle in their latest newsletter, along with a copy of Sarah Core’s Mini-Mania Scarf pattern. Just click on this link before March 30, and scroll down to the bottom for all the details on how to enter.
And then you can sit back, cross your fingers, and wait for your own little bundle of Mini-Skein goodness to arrive in your mailbox. Hooray!
When I started the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, I set it up with two options — the Gentle Mix (mostly semi-solids and gently varigated colourways) and the Wild Mix (mostly wildly variegated yarns). Everyone’s mini-skein project is unique to them and to the colours they love, so I was excited to give the club members the chance to tell me which mix of yarns they’d prefer.
For the first shipment, I wasn’t quite sure how wild to make the Wild Mix, so I stayed on the conservative side (…the conservative side of, y’know, wild). But then feedback I got told me the club members were ready to go further. So for the next shipment, I was ready to really push it. They wanted wild, they would get it — because I can do some crazy colour combinations!
I chose five of my most variegated colourways…
And when I looked at them one by one, they were wild — they were ka-razeee. Here’s an example of what I mean by a highly variegated colourway…
And here’s another…
And another…
See? They’re pretty wildly variegated. And pretty different. And if they were that variegated and different on their own, I expected them to really explode off each other.
But then something really weird happened…
I put them all together and they suddenly looked… tame! Well, maybe not tame exactly, but somehow a lot gentler, a lot more blended. Certainly the collection was not as explosive as I thought it would be…
See what I mean? What happened?!?
I took the little bundle apart and set each yarn on its own — and they each looked wild again. Put them back together and… they seemed subdued. And I had to do it a couple of times before I realised what was happening.
Here’s the thing… A wildly variegated yarn looks wild because the colours within it are so unrelated to each other. They contrast, they compliment, and they make each other pop. Put a few of these colours together and something beautiful happens!
But where each yarn contains a whole rainbow of colours, those same shades are likely to appear in other wildly variegated yarns too. So when you put several such wildly coloured yarns together, the rainbows all start to blend into one another, to reflect one another. Even colourways that look incredibly different can actually begin to… coordinate with each other.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…
So I sat down and rethought the options, and here’s what I realised: those of you who choose the Gentle Mix are doing so because you want to create a mini-skein project that blends gently from one yarn to the next. And those of you who choose the Wild mix are aiming to create a project with an overall effect of exciting contrasts.
And I want to make sure the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club parcels help that to happen, so I’m going to slightly change the way I choose the yarns that go into the two mixes. The Gentle Mix will stay mostly as it has been but, for the Wild Mix, I’m going to choose colourways that will make the whole parcel more contrasting, rather than just focusing on variegated yarns. That will mean more semi-solids in the Wild Mix than there were before, but don’t worry — the overall effect will still be wild.
And you’re going to love it, because the mini-skein project you’re going to make with the new Wild Mix will be crazy colourful and eye-poppingly gorgeous! And isn’t that what you were aiming for all along?
Last month, we launched the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, as you know, and I was super excited about it. I so enjoyed choosing the colourways, tying the little bundles up… and when I sent the parcels off, I hoped — hoped — that all the club members were as excited about the yarns they received as I was.
I was nervous as the feedback started to come through on Ravelry but, to my delight, most everyone was absolutely tickled with the parcels. I am so pleased! And, where there suggestions were made, they were really great suggestions that I’m going to use to improve the club in the months to club.
But if I was anxious about what the members thought, that was only compounded when I spotted that Abigail of TAAT Designs and Karrie of KnitPurlGurl had post their reviews of the Mini-Skein Club on their websites. These were real reviews — I had no idea whether Abigail or Karrie would like what they found in their parcels, and I knew they’d both be very honest with their followers.
A little nervously, I clicked on the links to see, and… Well, do you want to see for yourself what they had to say?
First, here’s Abigail’s review. She includes some really photos of the yarns, showing how the parcels were packaged as well as the colourways, and a list of her thoughts for anyone thinking of joining the club.
And here is Episode 20 of the KnitPurlGurl Podcast, which contains her review of the Mini-Skein Club. If you’ve been wondering about joining the club, Karrie’s review is extensive: she discusses the whole parcel, goes into detail about each yarn, and even the way it’s packaged — everything you’d need to know. The rest of KnitPurlGurl Postcast is absolutely packed full of fibery-goodness (just check out the incredibly extensive show notes!) and well worth watching. But if you’d like to jump to ahead to her review of the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, then check out this excerpt…
Thank you to everyone who has joined the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club. I am having an absolute blast choosing your colourways and putting these little bundles together! And I’m so grateful for your feedback, because your input means this club will just get better and better!
I spent much of yesterday surround by piles and piles of mini-skeins, as I put together the very first parcels for the members of the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club (and, hey, if you’re in the club, keep your eyes on the mailbox, because your yarn is on its way!).
While I was working, I kept thinking about all the fab mini-skein patterns I’ve seen lately, and just how varied they are. I mean, the first patterns everyone names when I say “mini-skeins” are all blankets (the BeeKeeper’s Quilt, the Sock Yarn Blanket, the Babette Blanket), but there are all kinds of possibilities! Check these out…
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First, we have the amazing Mini Mania Scarf from Sarah Core of Exchanging Fire. I love this scarf — love the incredible mix of colours, love the beautiful linen stitch, love the sheer size of it! As the weather starts to get colder, can’t you just see yourself all wrapped up in this?
Ok, but a scarf is a little like a blanket, I hear you say. So, alright, let’s move on to something that is definitely not like a blanket: the Mitered Baby Jacket by Phazelia. The first thing I loved about this pattern was the way the colours blend into each other — and knitting this jacket with mini skeins offers so many colour possibilities! — but then there is the construction… Knit at an angle to create interesting diagonal stripes, the great news is that only sewing up for this cardigan is on the sleeves!
And then, to fully complete the departure from blankets, we have Rachel Coopey‘s totally customisable Mixalot Socks. You can knit any combination of the four charts, add plain stripes where-ever you like, and make the two socks match… or not! And, by knitting with mini skeins, the colour combinations can be as gentle or as wild as you please. What a fun project!
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And if these patterns have got you feeling all inspired and itching to cast on, check out the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club. Each month you’ll receive a hand-picked collection of gorgeous SpaceCadet mini-skeins delivered right to your door. It’s a great way to try out all the SpaceCadet yarn bases …and to feed your mini-skein project addiction!
Usually when I do a Pattern Roll-Call, I like to feature several patterns by different designers. But as I was sifting through all the mini-skein patterns on Ravelry, I came across a little treasure trove full of patterns that I just love so much that I had to dedicate a whole blog post to them.
It started with this sweet little Pinwheel Purse. Isn’t it lovely? It’s the same origami you did as a kid — but in knitting! So cool.
And so from there, I began looking through the rest of the designer’s work, and found that her sense of colour and shape really spoke to me. I love the gentle, organic changes of colours and yarns, the very simple shaping, the modular construction, and — maybe most of all — the almost complete lack of sewing up!
There’s a lot of yarns that would work well with these patterns, but I love how well these patterns would suit mini-skeins of fabulous variegated and semi-solid yarns. Can’t you just see it? All the colours coming together to compliment each other in some places and contrast one another in others. Beautiful!
If you’d like some amazing mini-skeins to knit these patterns in, check out the SpaceCadet’s new Mini-Skein Club. Each month you’ll receive a surprise selection of gorgeous SpaceCadet yarns delivered to your door, so that you can try out all the SpaceCadet bases and feed your mini-skein project addiction!
A friend mentioned the other day that I haven’t done a Pattern Roll-Call in a while and, as I realised she was right, I also realised I knew exactly which patterns I wanted to include! Usually, I focus on one-skein projects that work well with hand-dyed yarn but, just lately, everywhere I look it’s been mini-skeins mini-skeins mini-skeins… So I think it’s in the stars that I have to do a few Pattern Roll-Calls focusing on all the fantastic mini-skein patterns that are so hot right now.
And the place to start is with the Beekeeper’s Quilt by Stephanie Dosen of Tiny Owl Knits. It’s the pattern that’s turning everyone into hexipuff addicts and it’s just so intriguing. All those puffy little hexipuffs, all mixing their colours together gently, and the result is a like a patchwork quilt but with a funky, modern twist. So cool!
And here’s another that’s really calling to me: The Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelly Kang. I’m crazy about this design! That’s partly because I’m a sucker for mitered squares but also because I love how it looks like feathers of some fantastical bird flowing down from top to bottom. Again, a million colours that really shouldn’t work together and yet, somehow they do… This pattern also comes with some really helpful tutorials to get you started.
And then there’s the Babette Blanket by Kathy Merrick. And the thing I love about this pattern is that it demonstrates how beautifully the Mini-Skein craze works in crochet. And I also love how these three examples show the way Mini-Skeins can work in any colour combination — bright or subdued, matching or contrasting, each one is just gorgeous!
See what I mean? As a dyer, these projects really get my blood pumping, because they are just so full of glorious colour! I want to dive in and roll around in them! Mmmmmmm…. Gorgeous!
And if these patterns have got you as excited as they’ve got me, do check out the SpaceCadet’s new Mini-Skein Club. Each month you’ll receive a surprise selection of gorgeous SpaceCadet yarns delivered to your door, so that you can try out all the SpaceCadet bases and feed your mini-skein project addiction!
