The Questions I Love to Answer

At Knitters Fantasy the other weekend, a customer was looking through the bundles of gorgeous, adorable mini-skeins that we’d brought to introduce people to the Mini-Skein Club.  She was completely lost in them, studying each one intently as she moved her hand from bundle to bundle, looking for exactly the right colours.

The mini-skeins have sold like hot-cakes at every show we’ve taken them to.  There’s something irresistible about hundreds of miniature skeins of SpaceCadet yarn all piled up together!

And even though we normally sell the mini-skeins exclusively through the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, I love taking them to shows.  Why?  Because it’s so much fun to watch people suddenly spot them, come rushing over to look more closely, and then — just like the customer at the show the other weekend — get totally lost in finding their perfect combination of colours.

And the mini-skeins start so many conversations.  “What do you use them for?” (answer: here) “What could I make with them?” (answer: here) And my favourite, “So, what is this club you do?”  I love that one because it gives me the opportunity to explain how the club works. Each month, club members receive a parcel of mini-skeins in colours that I’ve chosen for them (as a complete surprise!).  The mini-skeins are made up of a variety of SpaceCadet fingering yarns, so you get a chance to try the different yarn types. And that the best thing is that you can cancel your subscription as soon as you have enough Mini-Skeins for your project.  See what I mean?  It’s a great club!

After looking carefully every single bundle, my customer finally chose a favourite.  And, as she walked over to me to pay for it, she clutched it in front of her chest with both hands.  She had a huge grin on her face and light in her eyes that told me she had just found herself some treasure.

“So,” she said, as she reached into her bag for her credit card, “what made you start this club?”  She had set the bundle of mini-skeins down on the table, but one hand rested lightly on them — protecting them,  laying claim to them.  I smiled to myself.  If she could see herself in a mirror, the answer to her question would be obvious.

The shine in her eyes… her hand on the yarns… the little moment of joy they’ve already brought her and all the joy her new mini-skein project will bring her when she gets home…

That is why I started the Mini-Skein Club.