Today, I am not feeling well. It is a day for tea, and warm socks, and curling up on the couch, being quiet, and breathing slowly. Today is this yarn…
Stella Yarn in Spare Change
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But outside, Spring is picking up pace. The last of the snow is clinging on, but it is a futile effort. It’s warm today, almost balmy. The robins are pecking determinedly amid the freshly revealed grass, and the squirrels have appeared to bounce joyfully again from tree to tree. And the flower beds are filled with proud green shoots as the crocuses awaken after their long sleep. Oh yes, spring is on it’s way, and I predict a riot! So really, this yarn is today…
Stella Yarn in Snorkel
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Different yarns for different moods, different colours for different days… No one colourway will ever suit every moment. Is it any wonder knitters end up with such wonderful stashes?!?
(l to r) Celeste Yarn in Cold Flame and Funky Ballet Shoes, Estelle Yarn in Cold Flame
You know what? We had so much fun, we’re doing it again!…
SpaceCadet Creations will be at the Homespun Yarn Party in Savage MD on March 27! This is a fantastic, juried show that features only indie fiber artists and hand-crafters. But this is no local craft show — the standard is very high and it is such an honour to have been chosen to participate!
If you’ve ever wanted to see SpaceCadet colours in person, or to snorgle the yarns and stroke the fibers, and you live anywhere in the WashingtonDC/Baltimore area or the surrounds, please do make the trip Savage. We’d LOVE to meet you! And you’ll have a great time!
Left to right: Silk/BFL Yarn in Straw Into Gold, Plumberry, and Heartthrob
And, in case you’re thinking that March 27th feels like a loooong time away, I’ve put some wonderful new yarns in the shop. This time, I’ve focused on luxury: wonderful, smooshy Luna Laceweight and some decadently shimmery Silk & BFL. Enjoy!
Clockwise from top left: Luna Silk/Merino Laceweight in Straw Into Gold, Translucence, Spice Trade, and Covetous
Getting ready for the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival was great fun (and exciting, and crazy, and chaotic) and it took over my life for a few weeks. And in a way, that was a lovely break — everyone needs a change from their day-to-day routines now and again — but one thing I really missed was the excitement of putting new yarns in the shop, of sharing new colourways with my customers. Sometimes, it takes a little break like that to remind you how nice your day-to-day really is!
So last night I filled the shop with just a few of the mountain of new yarns and colours I have ready to go in…
There is a mountain of laundry in the family room waiting to be sorted — seriously, a mountain. And a mountain of dirty dishes collecting in the sink. I suspect there are a few bills I’ve forgotten to pay too… Real life has come to a complete halt while I get ready for the upcoming Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet show, and there are a lot of things that are getting pushed to one side — or getting forgotten altogether! — while that happens.
Yarn Drying in the Studio
But while I’ve been dyeing at rate to make my head spin, you’ll be pleased to hear that one thing I haven’t forgotten is… to grab some of that yarn and put it in the shop for you guys!
Stella Fingering Weight Yarn in SeaFoam
Stella Fingering Weight Yarn in WinterBerries
Stella Fingering Weight Yarn in Plumberry
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And just because it’s flippin’ FREEZING out there, I’ve included some Astrid DK too, which is incredibly soft and smooshy — perfect for lovely warm hats and gloves. Stay warm, everybody!
C’mere, I want to show you something… Here, over here, through this door. It says, “Department of Rocket Science” and I’ve heard crazy things happen in there… No, don’t worry… it’s ok. Look, I’ll come with you. It’s this door here, see? Come on!…
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I love to experiment with colour — it gives me such a rush and it’s why I dye. For me, there is no moment in the whole dyeing process more exciting than when I lift a skein of yarn out of the dyepot and it reveals its colours to me. Darker on the outside, softer on the inside… opening up like a soft spring flower, or glistening like a decadent chocolate. No matter how many skeins I dye, that moment gives me a rush every single time.
Estelle in Dept of Rocket Science Colourway 101222-002
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It’s through this process of playing with colour that I’ve created all the wonderful colourways that I dye for the shop time and again. But, along the way, that process also produces yarns in colourways that probably won’t be repeated again — yarns that were stepping stones in the development of a new colourway, or yarns where I simply let my muse run free to see what would come out of the dyepot.
Stella in Dept of Rocket Science Colourway 110106-001
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And so I have created the Department of Rocket Science. It’s a special place where I can go to experiment with abandon — to mix new colours, to dye with my eyes closed, to play with new fibers and new yarn bases. And it’s place where you can come and discover results of all this wonderful experimentation, and choose one of these very special yarns for your one-of-a-kind project. (And remember that all these experimental yarns will go into this section, regardless of yarn/fiber type, so if you’re searching the shop for a particular yarn type, don’t forget to check the Dept of Rocket Science as well.)
Stella in Dept of Rocket Science Colourway 110105-005
So go ahead… open the door! You never know what you’ll find inside… But it will always be something exciting!
The first few days of January are probably supposed to be about looking forward, but I cannot help looking back. 2010 was a great year here at SpaceCadet Creations — it’s been exciting, it’s been educational, sometimes it’s been a bit scary, it’s always been colourful!… And most of all, it’s been successful. And ladies and gentlemen, I know that success is entirely down to you. You’ve been encouraging me, supporting me, talking to me… and buying my yarn and fiber. I am incredibly grateful.
For a little while now, I’ve been thinking about how I can show you my thanks, how I can make it real. And so I am very excited to introduce SpaceCadet’s Cadet Credits, a way to reward my loyal customers and let them know how much I appreciate them. Here’s how it works: I will give you a $10 credit every time your purchases accumulate to $150 (minus discounts, taxes, and shipping costs). Your credits will never expire, you can use them right away or saved them up to be used all together, and they can be used on anything in the SpaceCadet Creations shop. It’s my way of showing you how much your support has meant to me throughout 2010.
And that last sentence up there… that’s not just some kind of marketing waffle to make you feel good. I really mean it. So I’m not going to implement Cadet Credits from just today onwards, I’m going to give credit to my customers for all their purchases throughout 2010. Don’t worry — you don’t have calculate a thing. I’ll kept track of all the numbers and will be emailing you shortly to let you know how much credit you have, or how close you are to earning one.
And with that, it is time to look forward to 2011 — it’s going to be an exciting year! There are a lot of great things planned here in the SpaceCadet studio — some I’ll tell you about as they develop, and some that will stay top-secret until they’re ready for their reveal. I can’t wait to get started.
But you… You can start celebrating 2011 right away. So go on! Go spend those credits!
For full details of the Cadet Credit Programme (it’s not complicated!), click here.
