It’s the Little Things that Make All the Difference

09MarApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

First there’s the tying, then the soaking, and the dyeing. After that, the drying, the re-tying, the labeling, the twisting and listing. And then the very last step: parceling it up and sending it out.

I don’t know why, but I love that moment when the parcel is all sealed up and sitting by the door. Another skein of SpaceCadet yarn about to go on its journey to a new home, a new purpose — and I get such a thrill out of that.

I’ve sent quite a few parcels out this week, and I’ll be sending out a whole bunch more when the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club parcels go out in a few days. And, as I was parceling one of them up, I suddenly thought I’d share it with you…

I think it’s really important that your yarn arrives in perfect condition, no matter where your parcel is left (on the doorstep?) or what the weather is (pouring down rain?) so first, I wrap it in a nice little cellophane bag to keep it safe and dry.

And, if you’re lucky, I may pop in a little extra treat for you…

And there’s a note too. Sometimes I ask you to share your project with me when it’s done and I really mean that — I love seeing how each skein works up in its project.

And I try to pack each parcel so it looks special when you open it…

Each domestic parcel is delivered by Priority Mail and Delivery Confirmation — if you need to know where your parcel is, get in touch and we can give you the tracking number. And I’m always surprised by how quick delivery is!

The way a parcel is packed may not seem that important. But when I’ve taken so much time and effort to create the most beautiful yarn I can, and then you’ve chosen it so carefully and are eagerly waiting for its arrival at your door… well, then I think taking a little extra time to ensure it arrives safe and dry — and beautiful — is one little detail that probably makes all the difference in the world.

My First Ever Dyeing

24FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I was walking through the living room the other day when my eye fell on a bowl on yarn. It’s been sitting on the shelf for several years now, looking pretty …but pretty much ignored. I walk past it day after day and had almost forgotten it was even there.

But I really shouldn’t forget about it, because it’s some pretty important yarn — it’s the first yarn I dyed seriously. Y’know, not just messing about, not playing with Kool-Aid… This was the first yarn I dyed with professional grade dyes and real goals for the resulting colours. This was the yarn that I showed to my friends, asked them what they thought… waited nervously for their answers…

They loved it. And so, this was the yarn that has changed my life.

But the yarn itself is not lovely. It was something wallowing at the very bottom of my stash, for good reason… It’s thick and rustic, rough and itchy. I don’t know why I ever bought or what I’d ever use it for. And so the yarn has sat in that bowl, pretty but unnoticed, for several years now.

So when I spotted it the other day — hidden there in plain sight — I thought it had probably been waiting long enough. It was time to honour the importance of that yarn by using it in a project. But what project for a rustic, itchy yarn…?

I carried the bowl over to the dining table and grabbed my phone. And as I took a couple photos, I suddenly realised what the project would be. I wound the yarn and cast on.

It’s going to be the perfect use for this yarn. And you’ll never guess what it is. I’ll show you when I get further along…

TNNA — The Place To Be

17JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

My throat is sore, my nose is stuffed and my head is pounding, pounding, pounding. And, under normal circumstances, I’d be feeling pretty sorry for myself. Probably tucking myself up in bed with a nice a cup on tea and my vapours nearby. But, actually, I’m not feeling so sorry for myself. What I’ve got is TNNA flu, and it’s the sort of ailment that is so much fun to catch, it’s almost worth having.

TNNA is the The National Needlework Association, the trade organisation for all things fibery, and this past weekend was their biggest tradeshow of the year. The official reason to go is because it’s the place to scout out new suppliers, spot new trends, and learn new skills. But the reason is because it is just SUCH a blast. Imagine a knit night where where every where around you are the designers you admire the most, the editors of your favourite knitting magazines, and the dyers whose yarn you covet… Can you see that in your mind? Doesn’t just the very thought of it feel delicious? That’s TNNA.

I loved talking with Jaala Spiro, editor of KnitCircus (on the right). She is so much fun! And a genuinely nice person — I’m so pleased I got to meet her. And next to her, that’s Michelle Miller, the Fickle Knitter, whose pattern I wore at HomeSpun Yarn Party and featured here.

I finally got to meet Sarah Wilson, the Sexy Knitter, who made those fabulous custom Knitter’s Tool Tins for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, and who designed and knitted this amazing jumpsuit. And next to her is Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches — we ended up having a really interesting conversation in the bar that evening, and she is just a delight.

And I got to chat with so many others that I never got any pictures of: Amy Singer, Clara Parkes, Lisa Shroyer (editor of Knitscene), Stefanie Japel, Andi Smith, Shannon Okey, Ysolda Teague, Mary-Heather Cogar, StevenBe, Nicky Epstein, Rebecca Velasquez, Melissa Leapman, and… and… Oh! There were so many knitterati, I’m sure I’ve forgotten some…! But, suffice to say, it was a fantastic weekend.

And on a more serious note, regarding the actual business of bringing you beautiful yarns to knit with, I discovered some gorgeous new yarns that I am… erm… dying to dye. And a bunch of fun notions and accessories that just might end up in a Yarn Alliance parcel or two…

So when I got home and my throat began to get sore, and my head started to ache, I knew exactly why. Big events with lots of people like that… they always bring on the lurgy, don’t they? There’s just too much chatting with too many people, too much shaking of hands, not to catch something. But… was it worth it?

Abso-stinkin’-lutely!

Lessons From the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival

15FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

It’s been an incredible weekend — exhilarating, exciting, educational, an absolute whirlwind, and a lot of hard work. SpaceCadet Creations was at the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, and we had the time of our lives! And now, as I get the chance to sit down for the first time in days, I realise just how many lessons there were from doing our first show.

Here’s what I learned:

How fantastic is it to finally get to meet my customers in person. Seriously, it is the best! These are people I see tweeting, people who leave comments on the blog and on Facebook, but there is nothing like meeting you guys in person, discussing your knitting, seeing your projects, and just being able to put faces to names. Meeting you all was fantastic fun!

How wonderful it is to talk to customers about my yarns and get that feedback. I mean, I do all this in isolation. Day to day, I work in my studio mostly on my own, with pots simmering quietly and yarns soaking… And when I pull them out, well, sometimes I think a yarn looks great and sometimes I’m not so sure. And it was just such an incredible experience to see customers making a beeline for the colourways that were calling out to them, and to hear their comments and get their feedback. Nothing beats that.

That every person has their own unique colour style, their own sense of what works for them… and you absolutely cannot judge a knitter or a crocheter by her cover. We had people come up who looked like they might choose calm, quiet colourways but who instead went straight for the brightest, craziest colours. And others whom I thought would go for the same wild yarns but who instead reached straight for the peace and serenity of the semi-solids. The truth is, crafters are unique and interesting people, and you can’t box them into categories!

That many hands make light work, and work doesn’t feel like work when it’s split out amongst friends. …With HUGE thanks to the Wednesday night knitters for bagging and tagging, knitting samples, brainstorming, and coming up with some great ideas that made the show a lot better for us.

That there is simply no way to show how beautiful, how smooshy, how fibery-lucious a yarn is over the internet. Great photography is all well and good, but absolutely nothing beats getting to snorgle that yarn in person!

And, following on from that, that the purples and blues that I absolutely cannot photograph will sell like hotcakes when people can see how lovely they really are!

The Vendor Hall was HUGE!

That when you get a look behind the scenes, you realise that the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival is a HUGE undertaking with a bazillion variables that really could all go disastrously wrong, but somehow Barb and her team keep everything under control and pull the whole thing off seamlessly. And they smile the whole time! I don’t know how they do it.

That you can’t actually go all day without eating.

Also, you can’t actually go without sleeping either. The body will revolt and shut you down. And that little factoid put a serious dent in my festival-prep schedule.

What fun it is to meet and finally get to chat with other fiberisti in person (Hello KnitPurlGurl! Hello StevenBe!)
StevenBe

That StevenBe’s mother and her friend are lovely, lovely women and so interesting that I could have sat and talked to them all day. Hallo Christa! Hallo Barbara!

That I go a bit giddy when I get asked if I’d like to be a guest dyer for a LYS’s yarn club. YesIwouldYesIwouldYesIwould!!!!

What an incredible rush it is to asked by LYSs whether I wholesale yarn …and how that plants interesting little seeds in my head.

That having friends there to show you the ropes, give you tips and ideas, loan you display furniture, and make change when you run out of small bills… that kind of professional camaraderie makes all the difference! (With big thanks to Amy, Bloomin Yarns, CosyKnits, Wren&Rita, and GwenErin)

How nice it is to be able to bring yarns out of the shop, give them a fresh airing, sell them at the festival, and then have brand new yarns to offer to all my custermers who couldn’t get to this festival. Look for new yarns to start appearing in the shop in the coming days and weeks!
All dyed in three weeks!

That you can increase your dyeing by 10 times your normal rate and fill a festival booth with stock in only three weeks, but everything else in your life will come to a complete halt. I really have to get some laundry done before I run out of clothes and some bills paid before they shut off the utilities!

That none of this is possible without the support of a great team. And I had a great team (With more thanks than I can express to my husband, to Natalie, to meine kleine schwester, and to my mum …and to my dad, who apparently hasn’t eaten in weeks because my mum has been here the whole time!).

And, finally, that I love love LOVE doing festivals!!!!!

An Open Letter

04FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

An Open Letter to Those who Don’t Get the Fiber Arts

I am not doing this to recreate the past. I don’t harbour any fantasies of wearing petticoats or a bonnet. And I don’t knit because I want to feel domestic.

I do this to free my soul. I do this to work in colours that make my heart sing. I dye because I see in my mind hues and shades that are bursting to be let out. And so I do let them out, laying them down in dye upon fiber – vibrant shades poured out over wool, over silk, over the ordinary of life.

And when, at last, I cast those colours onto my needles, I feel a calm wash over me as I work them up into a fabric of my own making — the needles clicking softly and the colours gently blending and contrasting.

I know you think this is old-fashioned, but it’s not. It is as modern as imagination, as current as discovery, as now as creativity. Would you ask a painter why he doesn’t just take a photograph?

And it’s ok if you don’t get it. I understand. But I just wanted to say – I just wanted to say out loud – that this is nothing about old fashioned. This is what I do, and I do it now. I am a fiber artist.

Scenes From a Fiber Life: Dyeing Like I’ve Never Dyed Before

21JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

When I blogged earlier this week that I’d been given a last minute chance to be part of the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, I was feeling a little giddy. I kept letting out sudden squeals so loud that I was frightening everyone around me.

Four days later, the giddy is still there. The excitement is still there. But you can add in a good dose of trepidation and a lot of tired too! Because, this week, I’ve gone from my usual pace of dyeing about a dozen skeins a week to dyeing 20 skeins per day. Wait — did you catch that? From a dozen skeins per week to 20 per day…! And I’m going to keep up that frenetic pace every single day for the next three weeks. That’s how many skeins I need to get dyed, dried, reskeined, twisted, and tagged in order to have enough to do this show justice. Tired? I haz it!

But you know what? For all that tired and all this crazy, there is an big upside — and that is that the studio is starting to look amazing! There are skeins hanging everywhere, beautiful fibers draped along the walls, and vibrant colours beginning to fill the room… It is absolutely the most wonderful sight on a bleak and cold January day.

And so, even as I am working my backside off, I am reminded that I love my job. And that’s gotta be one of the best feelings in the world.

Of course, most of these skeins are headed to the show, but I’m going to grab a few of them and put them in the shop for you. Keep an eye out for them early next week!