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Win A Skein of SpaceCadet Yarn!

By Stephanie

I am so excited about the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, the SpaceCadet’s new yarn club which opened for subscriptions on Monday, that I can’t wait for the fun to start!  The first parcels will go out in April, but I really want to do something to kick it off right now…

So I’m going to give away a free skein of lovely SpaceCadet Creations yarn to one  of you this week, and all you have to do to enter is talk about the Yarn Alliance in a post on Ravelry!  It can be anywhere on Ravelry except the SpaceCadet Creations and Interstellar Yarn Alliance groups. Once you’ve done that, leave a comment here with your Ravelry name, and you are entered to win a free skein of SpaceCadet yarn!

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, hand dyed, handdyed
Shop Update (clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Carnival, Estelle yarn in Tree Snake, Estelle yarn in Sunshine, and Celeste Yarn in First Love

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And if you’ve like to earn a second entry after that, just retweet a link to the Yarn Alliance webpage or link to this blog post in a post on Ravelry (and please be sure to mention your Twitter name here if it’s different from your Raverly name).

The giveaway opens now, and closes at the end of Thursday, so you have to be quick!  I’ll announce the winner here on Friday.

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, handdyed, hand-dyed, hand painted
Shop Update (clockwise from top left): Celeste yarn in Forgiven, Estelle yarn in Evening Fog, Celeste yarn in Spice Trade, Celsete yarn in Spare Change

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Which means that by the end of the week, one of you will be the owner of a new skein of SpaceCadet yarn.  Because you need more yarn in your stash, don’t you?  Don’t you?!?

Of course you do!

spinning, fiber, fibre, merino, alpaca, hand-dyed, handdyed, hand dyed, hand painted
Shop Update (clockwise from top left): Alpaca & Merino fiber in Translucence, Alpaca & Merino fiber in SuperNova, BFL fiber in HandJive, Alpaca & Merino fiber in Beguile

The details (they’re not difficult, I promise!): Contest closes on March 17 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry (that is, mentioning the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance in a post on Ravelry) before completing the ‘extra’ entry (tweeting a link to the Yarn Alliance). Completion of entries must be mentioned in a comment on this blog post to qualify, and comments must include the commenter’s Ravelry or Twitter name (as applicable). Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.  See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?

The Yarn for Today

By Stephanie

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…

sock yarn, yarn, hand-dyed, handdyed, wool, knitting, crochet
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…

yarn, sock yarn, handdyed, hand-dyed, knitting, crochet
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?!?

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, handdyed
(l to r) Celeste Yarn in Cold Flame and Funky Ballet Shoes, Estelle Yarn in Cold Flame

SpaceCadet Creations at Homespun Yarn Party on March 27

By Stephanie

You know what?  We had so much fun, we’re doing it again!…

homespun yarn party, handdyed, hand-dyed, knitting, yarn

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!

hand-dyed, handdyed, knitting, yarn, spacecadet, space cadet, silk, BFL
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!

 

hand-dyed, handdyed, yarn, lace weight, silk, merino, knitting, crochet
Clockwise from top left: Luna Silk/Merino Laceweight in Straw Into Gold, Translucence, Spice Trade, and Covetous

Forgetting Everything, Except This..

By Stephanie

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!

 

Astrid DK Yarn in WinterBerries

 

Astrid DK Yarn in the Dept of Rocket Science

The Department of Rocket Science

By Stephanie

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.

sock yarn, hand-dyed, hand dyed, knitting, yarn
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.

sock yarn, hand-dyed, hand dyed, knitting, yarn
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
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!

Cadet Credits, With Thanks to You

By Stephanie

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.