Woot! The SpaceMonster Club is Open for Subscriptions!

05DecApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Woo-hoo! It’s my favourite time of year!!! Well yeah, it’s the holidays but even better than that, it’s SpaceMonster time. We have so much fun putting this club together — finding our colourway inspiration, dyeing those big smooshy yarns, picking the gifts, and seeing what you guys make with them — that I get so excited when it’s time to welcome new members.

The club is open for new subscriptions for two weeks only from today until Dec 21, and spaces always go fast. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect because it makes a fantastic holiday gift — just grab a spot and we’ll send the recipient yarny goodness for the rest of the year!

But, y’know, just because it does make a great gift, doesn’t mean you should deny yourself. I mean, sometimes you gotta take it in your own hands to make sure you receive the holiday gift you really wanted, right? *wink* I can’t think of anything more perfect than a year of SpaceCadet smooshiness!

Well here, let me share all the details…

Woot! It’s SpaceMonster time!

You love big smooshy yarns, doncha?

This is the yarn club for you!

There is nothing in the whole world like a skein of lovely, smooshy, thick yarn to make you want to pick it up, squish it… dive right into it! Big, bulky yarns call out to you, beg you to pick them up and press them against your cheek. And when you cast on, they always work up so fast! Big yarns are gorgeous.

SpaceMonsters, the SpaceCadet’s Mega Yarn Club

Specially designed for those who love working with thicker yarns!

6 months: $99———————————–12 months: $194

So, whaddya get?

As a member of the SpaceMonsters Mega Club, you receive:

a fantastic parcel delivered to your door every other month, containing a beautiful skein of SpaceCadet^® Creations yarn in worsted or bulky weight, hand-dyed in an exclusive colourway* created to bring out the best in thicker yarn
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
A fantastic SpaceMonsters gift tucked into every third parcel. We’re known for the fabulous gifts we include in our club parcels — and for this club, we’re seriously upping the fab. You’re going love it!

*guaranteed not to be offered on the SpaceCadet website for at least 6 months

But bigger yarns mean bigger projects, right?

Don’t you worry — in this club, you can buy extra skeins! For a whole month after you receive your parcel, you’ll have an exclusive opportunity to order more skeins custom-dyed in the latest club colourway. You’ll receive an email with all the details a few days after your parcel goes out — and then all you have to do is pick your project!

And the price is pretty exciting too:

a 6 month subscription (3 parcels, starting in February) is only $99, and
a 12 month subscription (6 parcels, starting in February) is just $194

…Who do you know who’d love to receive a right-to-their-door supply of gorgeous, smooshy yarn?

But subscriptions are open only until Dec 21 and spaces are limited… so you’ve gotta be quick!

Ready to join the SpaceMonsters?

Click on one of the buttons below to grab your spot in the SpaceMonsters Mega Yarn Club

6 months: $99———————————–12 months: $194

Very Important: if you are giving this as a gift, please remember to include the recipient’s postal and email addresses in the notes when you check out. We gotta have that to send the recipient their parcels!

Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October, and December. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US. The first parcel for new subscriptions is the February 2015 parcel. Normal subscription openings/renewals will be available in June and December of each year. All club members are automatically subscribed to the club mailing list to receive email notification of club updates, special offers for extra skeins, and similar stuff. We never, ever sell or share your email with anyone. Because of the nature of the club set-up, we can accept returns or exchanges of club shipments for faulty yarns only. By joining the club, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions. All images here are examples of past yarns/colourways/gifts — please note that new members will not receive the same items, but will receive yarns/colourways/gifts of approximate equal value and fab-ness.

Any other questions? Ask us! info (at) spacecadetcreations (dot) com

So Cool! The Latest SpaceMonster Parcel

20JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I was soooooo excited while we were packing the latest SpaceMonsters parcel that I thought I was going to burst! I think this might be my most favourite SpaceMonsters colourway ever, and the gift… oh, I love it so much and I’d be waiting for weeks to send it out to my club members. I just couldn’t wait to hear what they think of it!

First, the Colourway

Now, this is one that didn’t go right the first time I dyed it, but isn’t that how you get sometimes get the best results?!? Inspired by a beautiful day in late May, it started as glorious swirls of blues and greens, highlighted with touches of gold, the colours flowing and blending gently across the yarn. But once the yarn was hanging up to dry, I knew it wasn’t right — I needed to rework it, to add more colour, more layers, more depth. When I pulled it out of the dyepots the second time, I knew it was right! It was far more interesting and nuanced — everything I could have hoped it would be.

Then, the Gift

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I told you about the fabulous Knerd bags we found at TNNA? The ones that had us squealing with excitement right there on the show floor?

Well, what I couldn’t tell you at the time was that I’d already got Renee secretly working away creating the most awesome custom-printed project bags for the SpaceMonsters. And why were they so awesome? Well, besides having that fabulous rough-edged Knerd coolness, and besides having the adorable SpaceMonster printed on the bag, Renee did something extra special for us…

wait for it…. wait for it…

The SpaceMonster glows-in-the-dark!!! I know, right?!? So cool! So fun! Now you can see why I was barely able to contain myself?

SpaceMonster Subscriptions Close on Sunday

We have such a fab time in the SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club. I don’t know what I love more — developing the gorgeous colourways, choosing the fab gifts, or seeing all the members’ projects on Ravelry. If you’d like to join us for the next session*, the SpaceMonsters Club is open for subscriptions until Sunday June 22 only, so click here to grab your spot now!

*the colourway and gift shown here are exclusively for members in the club during the Dec2013-June2014 session. New joiners won’t get these same items but don’t worry, we’ve got equally fabulous stuff in store for you!

The SpaceMonsters is Open for Subscriptions!

05JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Woot! It’s SpaceMonster time!

You love big smooshy yarns, doncha?

Now there’s a yarn club just for you!

SpaceMonsters, the SpaceCadet’s Mega Yarn Club

Specially designed for those who love working with thicker yarns!

6 months: $99———————————-12 months: $194

So, whaddya get?

As a members of the SpaceMonsters Mega Club, you receive:

a fantastic parcel delivered to your door every other month, containing a beautiful skein of SpaceCadet^® Creations yarn in worsted or bulky weight, hand-dyed in an exclusive colourway* created to bring out the best in thicker yarns.
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
A fantastic SpaceMonsters gift tucked into every third parcel. We’re known for the fabulous gifts we include in our club parcels — and for this club, we’re seriously upping the fab. You’re going love it!

*guaranteed not to be offered on the SpaceCadet website for at least 6 months

But bigger yarns mean bigger projects, right?

And the price is pretty exciting too:

a 6 month subscription (3 parcels, starting in August) is only $99, and
a 12 month subscription (6 parcels, starting in August) is just $194

…Wouldn’t you love to receive a right-to-your-door supply of gorgeous, smooshy yarn?

But subscriptions are open only until June 22 and spaces are limited… so you’ve gotta be quick!

Ready to join the SpaceMonsters?

Click on one of the buttons below to grab your spot in the SpaceMonsters Mega Yarn Club

6 months: $99———————————–12 months: $194

Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October, and December. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US. The first parcel for new subscriptions is the August 2014 parcel. Normal subscription openings/renewals will be available in June and December of each year. Because of the nature of the club set-up, we can accept returns or exchanges of club shipments for faulty yarns only. By joining the club, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions. All images here are examples of past yarns/colourways/gifts — please note that new members will not receive the same items, but will receive yarns/colourways/gifts of approximate equal value and fab-ness.

Any other questions? Ask us! info (at) spacecadetcreations (dot) com

Seriously Cool Stuff from TNNA

03JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

This time last month, Jade and I were at TNNA, the knitting industry’s biggest tradeshow — an amazing opportunity to see the very latest in fiber arts trends, and a chance to chat with old friends from around the country and make new connections. It’s the kind of event where everything is all go from the moment you wake up until late late late into the night (ask me how late…. go on, ask me*). It’s energising, exciting, idea-generating, and then in the end… deeply deeply exhausting. But, just as we do every year, we came away from TNNA with pages and pages (and pages) of notes and new ideas, and some fun new things that I can’t wait to reveal to you later in the year.

But in the mean time, I want to share with you one seriously hot new product that we spotted — something that had us both squealing with delight! The TNNA show floor is split roughly in half, with most of the knitting-related stuff on one side and the needlepoint booths on the other, and most of our time is spent on the knitting side. But as we ventured over toward the needlepoint side, tucked into a corner we found… Knerd. And both Jade and I were immediately head-over-heels.

Do you know Knerd?

Renee Magee left her corporate job to join her husband’s screen printing shop, and eventually used it to branch out into her own crafty niche. She takes brilliant witty-knitty sayings like, “Does a Bear Knit in the Woods?” and “My Drinking Group has a Knitting Problem,” and prints them onto fab t-shirts (cut for women!), cute stickers, and rad rough-finished project totes. They are so. seriously. cool.

When we got home, I spotted Knerd’s bags featured in the latest issues of Interweave’s KnitScene and Yarn Market News (the industry trade magazine), so you know they’re hot. And if you want to grab one before anyone else in your knit group, get yourself over to Knerd and check them out.

**record scratch**

EXCEPT if you’re a member of the SpaceMonsters Mega Yarn Club!!!!

If you’re a SpaceMonster then you just sit tight, ok? *wink* All I’m gonna say is watch your postboxes because there’s fun stuff on its way to you …and beyond that, my lips are sealed!

Speaking of SpaceMonsters…

I’m super excited to announce that the SpaceMonster Mega-Yarn Club opens for new subscriptions on June 6th!

This club is all about bulkier yarns — so quick to work with and just such fun! There are lots of extra benefits — exclusive colourways, extra skeins, and always a seriously fab gift — so don’t forget to mark June 6 on your calendar. We’d love to have you join us!

BUT LISTEN… we always open the club up a day or two early for the folks on the SpaceMonsters mailing list! Want to grab your spot early? Click here and get your name on that list!

*So what time did we get in? 4am. That’s right… four in the morning. And there’s a story behind it — the kind of story that could only have happened at four am. I’ll tell you all about it in one of my upcoming blog posts…

Yarn from the Farm: Ross Farm Fibers

31JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The thing that makes yarn shows magical for me is, of course, meeting our customers in person. So many times, I’ve known someone by only name or Ravatar, and getting the chance to see them face to face at last is always such a delight! But there’s another aspect of shows that I really love, and that’s getting to meet and hang out with other vendors. They are some seriously cool people — makers and craftspeople I really admire — and, even though shows are hard hard work, there is a sense of camaraderie and sharing amongst the vendors that is really wonderful to experience.

And I want to introduce you to two I’ve really enjoyed getting to know. I think most of us who’ve caught the knitting or crochet bug have also developed a fondness for sheep and the farms and farmers who bring us their wool. So when I first spotted Ross Farm Fiber‘s booth at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival a few years ago, I made a beeline, and immediately introduced myself.

I’m so glad I did! Amy and Scott (whose nametag sometimes reads, “Scooterpie the Shepherd Guy”) are just lovely — really warm and open, the kind of people who make you want to sit down with a cup of tea and your knitting and just natter the rest of the day away. Except you can’t, because you’re right in the middle of crazy-busy show, and there are customers everywhere and… yep, back to work!

But Amy invited me down to their farm, and last week I took her up on it. And do you know, it’s everything you’d want a small family farm to be! She and Scott took me on a tour of barns that had been in her family for generations, introduced me to their donkeys and Halflingers, small horses that followed us round, nuzzling my pockets for treats. And when they called the sheep down from the fields (and they come flying too!), Amy and Scott knew each ewe by name as they came pouring through the barn doors.

At Ross Farm, Amy and Scott raise rare and heritage breeds: mostly Leicester Longwools and Romneys, a small flock of Jacobs (I love Jacobs!) and another of Corriedales, and a handful of Cheviots, Shetlands, Tunis, and Lincolns. And the thing that really surprised me? They’re all watched over by their donkeys, who work in pairs to keep the coyotes at bay!

Oh, and then there’s Lilah Grace. But I’m guessing she’s not much of a deterrent to coyotes — she spent most of her time trotting out in front of me and the flopping down right in my path and begging to have her belly rubbed.

And thing thing I love most is their focus on giving their animals a genuinely happy existence. That have large fields with plenty of space to roam in the day, and comfortable barns to bed down in at night. Happy sheep indeed.

Ross Farm Fibers sells fleece and yarn — rustic and farmy and beautiful. It’s so different from the yarn I usually dye and sell at SpaceCadet — commercially spun yarn can never acheive the rustic-ness of farm yarn — but could I resist bringing some home to play with? Not a chance! And I knew I wanted to share a little of Ross Farm’s magic with my customers too so, SpaceMonsters, keep your eyes on your postboxes in February — you are in for a treat!

I know why you knit or crochet. It’s for the same reason I do — to slow the world down for a little while and ground yourself in the rhythmic click of the needles. And that grounding has to start with beautiful wool — a fiber unequaled by anything man can manufacture. When you visit a place like Ross Farm, you can see why.

Come Sneak a Peek at the Latest SpaceMonster Parcel!

13DecApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Warning: If you’re a SpaceMonster who hasn’t received the latest parcel and you don’t want your surprise ruined, look away now!

…Ok, it’s just us now? The coast is clear? I have been dying to share the latest SpaceMonster goodies with you and I don’t think I can wait a moment longer. Here, come take a look…

First, there’s the yarn. It’s been bitterly cold here lately, so I chose Capella — the softest, warmest, most comforting yarn in the SpaceCadet fleet. Its single-ply smooshiness is perfect for these fierce winter nights. And onto I laid all the colours that make me feel cosy and comforted: a vibrant pink that descends into maroon, a touch of midnight blue, and deep eggplant. I wanted everything about this yarn to create a safe haven from the bitter wind and cruel cold outside.

Do you like it? I’m imagining it made into very soft mitts to protect your hands from winter’s chill. Or, my absolute favourite for single-ply yarns: a simple, conical, pointed hat. I love pointed hats — so jolly!

Now, because this is the third parcel in the current series, its time for the SpaceMonsters’ gift and, boy, do we have a cracker! Ever since my assistant Amy gave me one as a gift, I have been a big fan of Amanda Pawley’s hand-thrown yarn bowls, so for this parcel, I asked Amanda if she could create something special just for the SpaceMonsters. Here’s a little peek…

And here’s another…

And here’s the full set…

Aren’t they fabulous?!? Can you see why I COULDN’T WAIT to share them with you?!? And now that they are arriving in the SpaceMonsters’ mailboxes, we are getting the most wonderful emails, full of squeals and delight. It’s so exciting! …Y’know, I think I kinda know how it feels to be Father Christmas right about now.

The SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club is open right now for new subscriptions, starting with the February parcel, but it closes in just a few days. It’s a fabulous club for people who love to work with worsted and bulky yarns, and are ready for a hand-dyed adventure!

And if you’re stuck for holiday gift ideas, a SpaceMonsters subscription is a pretty fab solution for the knitter or crocheter on your list. Make sure we know it’s a gift and we’ll even send them a nice email at Christmas to let them know they’re in the Club!

(Or listen, if you know someone who always buys you the wrong gift? Yeah… Maybe forward this little hint onto them — everyone needs a little help now and again.)

Ready to join the SpaceMonsters? The SpaceMonsters Club is now closed for subscriptions and will reopen in June 2014. Want to be the first to know when it does? Click here and join the mailing list!

6 months: $99 12 months: $194

Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October, and December. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US. The first parcel for new subscriptions is the Feb 2014 parcel (please note: it is not the parcel detailed above — that is the last parcel for members of the previous subscription series). Normal subscription openings/renewals will be available in June and December of each year. Because of the nature of the club set-up, we can accept returns or exchanges of club shipments for faulty yarns only. By joining the club, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

Any other questions? Ask us! info (at) spacecadetcreations (dot) com