This week, I dyed this. Six gorgeous, luscious skeins of this…
Estelle (merino, cashmere, and nylon) dyed in a colourway called Rescue …and I fell in love it with it. Absolutely, deeply, madly in love with it. I thought about keeping it for myself… and I was going to, I really was, but I talked myself out of it and decided to put it in the shop instead.
But first, I emailed a picture of it to a friend. And she emailed straight back with, “I want some!” And five minutes later, another email, “I’ve checked my pattern — I’ll need five skeins.”
And just like that, I went from six skeins to put in the shop to only one skein. But in that one skein… Oh! Some of the most intense, gorgeous green I have ever dyed.
(But if you love it as much as I do and want me to dye any more, talk to me…)
———————————————————————————————————————
And here’s a few other things going in the shop this week:
Lucina fingering yarn (with sparkles!) in Megan’s Blues
Did you get to go to Sock Summit? Because I didn’t and I was just soooooo jealous of everyone who did. All weekend long (all weekend? no, for four days), it seemed like everyone I follow on Twitter was at Sock Summit… and having the time of their fibery lives… and tweeting mercilessly about it. Mercilessly, I tell you! Oh, how I wanted to be there.
Well, not me, but my colours. And not just there, but actually there as part of the winning submission in the Design for Glory competition! Ok, a tiny part, but a part… About a week before Sock Summit, my friend Abigail emailed with the news that she and her knitting partners at TAAT Designs had submitted the winning entry, a sock called At The Summit. The design requirement was for a sock that could be knit modularly — in pieces and then assembled at the last minute — by a team in the Fleece to Foot Challenge.
And, for their entry, TAAT Designs chose yarn hand-spun from SpaceCadet Creations fiber! When Abigail gave me the news, I sqeeeeeeeeeed so loudly, I think I scared the neighbours! I remember when she bought that fiber and… well, just to think that braid of wool had risen to such heights in the sock stratophere, it kinda blew my mind!
And while At The Summit is a beautiful design and the good ladies at TAAT — Tesia Walker, Allison Janocha, Abigail Horsfall and Trisha Paetsch — are clearly a very talented bunch of knitters… I have to admit, I like to think it was the gently undulating shades of SeaFoam that really made the difference in the end.
Congratulations to Abigail, Tesia, Trisha, and Allison on their beautiful design. Thanks for choosing SpaceCadet colours! And congratulations also to Meridith Todd, who spun such a fantastic yarn.
And congratulations to that braid of SeaFoam fiber. Every single time I pack up an order and send it out, I wonder what that yarn or fiber will become. Never did I think anything I’ve dyed would become something so… Glory-ous!
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is working with other fiber artists. It is somehow so satisfying to collaborate with people whose work you really admire and who… well, who really understand why I’m so crazy about all things fiber (Because, y’know… they’re crazy that way too!). And I’m lucky enough to have quite a few of those collaborations going on at the moment. SpaceCadet yarns have been chosen recently for four designs in two upcoming books, as well as for designs by a couple of independent designers, and was used in an award-winning sock (more about that soon). Exciting times!
As a really accomplished and inspiring fiber artist, I wanted to find out more about her and her work as a designer…
At what point, in your own mind, did you switch from being a crocheter to a crochet designer? What defined that change for you?
For my first crochet title, Basic Crocheting, I was not confident enough to design all of the patterns myself. I purchased a few from established designers. The sweater pattern was disappointing: it was all single crochet, which made it very stiff and impossible to pull over your head, and it was definitely not “basic” like I had requested. I took a deep breath and told myself it was time to design a sweater. I picked a chevron pattern and did it! Because it was the first time I had worked with multiple sizes, I actually made one sweater in each size to make sure the instructions would work! That sweater was the first time I really felt like a designer.
Do the design ideas flow easily for you, or do you ever find yourself stuck? When you are stuck, what do you do to find inspiration again?
With the wonderful yarns available today in every material and colourway, and with the addition of Tunisian crochet to my stitch bag of tricks, I rarely feel stuck for a design. I keep a binder of “Design Ideas.” Anything that catches my fancy goes in there, from architectural elements to interesting color combinations to nature photos. Often I’ll browse through that with some yarn and stitch dictionaries in front of me. Swatching is a great way to get inspired.
I love lightweight shawls, and the Luna laceweight yarn seemed perfect for an openwork pattern. I like the addition of some post stitches for added texture. To make the shawl symmetrical, I started in the middle of the back and worked left and right.
As your own crochet skills grow, do you find it harder or easier to design simple projects for new crocheters?
I think one thing that crocheters appreciate is the clarity and kindness with which I write patterns, whether for beginners or experienced crafters. I always try to give an overview, kind of like a road map: here’s where we’re starting, this is the route we will take, and here’s where we will end up. Otherwise it’s like driving blind. I have been crocheting for more than 40 years, and I still come up against poorly written patterns that I cannot figure out. It’s frustrating, and there’s no reason for it except laziness and arrogance on the part of the designer, editor, and publisher.
Along with clear instructions, technique photos are crucial. I want crocheters to feel like I am looking over their shoulder ready to answer any questions they have. “Does the hook go here or here?” “Do I skip this shell or work into it?” Photos can help them understand what the pattern requires.
I always enjoy creating simple yet interesting patterns for new crocheters.
For anyone wanting to try crochet for the first time, what resources would you recommend? Where should they start?
For anyone just starting out, there is no substitute for sitting down for an hour or two with a friend or instructor. That way you can make sure you are holding the yarn properly, making your stitches right, counting correctly, etc. Crocheters are often surprised to realize how important the non-hook hand is in managing the flow of yarn from the ball to the project. Your local yarn shop or a crochet conference may be your entree into the wonderful world of crocheting. Ravelry is a wonderful resource, an online community for yarn folks without the intrusiveness of Facebook! YouTube also has many good videos. There are some great designers out there. Read what other people have said about their designs–and how good their instructions are–and choose a book or pattern from your favorite.
I am a huge fan of Tunisian crochet. For anyone interested in giving that a try, I recommend my books (Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting with the Ease of Crocheting and Crochet Pillows with Tunisian & Traditional Techniques). Both of those come with detailed instructions and photos to explain the basic stitches. My first book, Basic Crocheting, also has a lot of visuals and illustrations.
If you had the opportunity to tell the world the one thing they
really ought to know about crochet, what would it be?
Crochet does not have to be frumpy and boxy! Choose the right combination of yarn, hook, and designer, and you can create garments that are beautifully shaped, drape like a dream, and are high-fashion enough to grace any runway.
Now, I’m not allowed to tell you anything about Sharon’s upcoming book — it’s all top secret. But I will tell you that it’s coming out for Autumn 2012 and it’s got some gorgeous designs in it… and two new beautiful new colourways from SpaceCadet Creations. But in the meantime, do go check out her website, www.SharonSilverman.com, and especially her pattern page on Ravelry, where you can find the pattern for the Moonmist shawl, for the lovely Sonata shawl (above) — the first of Sharon’s designs that really caught my eye — and tons more. She’s on Ravelry as CrochetSharon and on Facebook as Sharon Silverman Contemporary Crochet.
In a moment, I’m going to tell you about a delightful little giveaway, but first let me show you some yarns I’ve put in the shop this week. I’m really excited about them because, before I held them in my hands together, I hadn’t realised what perfect compliments they are. But they are! They are absolutely perfect together. The variegated yarn makes a wonderful accent against either the purple or the pink yarn and I am sorely tempted to keep them all for myself… But I’ve put them in the shop instead, and I think I shall have to go into the studio and see if I can recreate them instead.
Left to right: Estelle fingering weight yarn in Truth, Faithful, and Throb
The Sexy Knitter Origami Stitchmarkers Giveaway
I was so excited about the fabulous stitchmarkers that Sarah at The Sexy Knitter made for the members of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance (that’s them, there on the left) that I wanted to give everyone else a chance to nab some of her origami stitchmarkers too. (Seriously, origami! Like you did in school — how cool is that?!?)
And Sarah immediately offered a set for me to giveaway to one lucky winner! Squeeee!
So, here’s what you have to do to enter:
First, make sure you are a subscriber to my blog. All you have to do is click on the Subscription button there in the right-hand column.
Then, just help spread the word about this contest by retweetingthis tweet(if your twitter name doesn’t relate to the name you’ve subscribed under, please leave me a comment here helping me tie the two together)
And that’s it — you’re entered!
And if you want an extra entry, just mention this contest anywhere on the web (on Facebook, on a forum, in a blog post) and leave me a comment here with a link that allows me to confirm the mention.
The giveaway will end on Sun 31 July, and I’ll announce the winner in the next blog post after that. Good luck everyone!
Everybody loves smallprint: Sweepstakes opens when this blog post is published and closes on Sun July 31 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified, and must be a subscriber to the blog and then retweet the specified tweet in order for entry to be valid. The valid entry must be completed for any ‘extra’ entries can qualify and ‘extra’ entries must be mentioned in a comment on this blog post which includes a link to verify the entry. Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog after sweepstakes close and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. No purchase necessary. Only one entry per person. Odds of winning are dependant on the number of entrants. Retail value of prize is $5.00. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash. Sweepstakes open only to entrants aged 18 years or older and resident in the United States or Canada. A-a-and breathe out…
Now that everyone in the InterStellar Yarn Alliance should have received their latest parcels, I really want to show you what they got!
And as the weather turned hotter and hotter, I found myself inspired to dye a skein rich in the full-on colour of summer. The yarn is Stella, a really wonderful 80/20 merino/nylon mix and the colourway is Starved for Colour.
And then for fun, I created mini-skeins of Lucina, a lovely yarn in merino and nylon with a little added sparkle, and dyed them in coordinating colours — some Alliance members got purple, some blue, some green. I kind of fell in love with the idea of using it to knit socks with sparkly toes and heels (I mean, seriously, how cool is sparkly toes and heels?!?), but it’d also look great as a border on a shawl, or collar and cuffs on a child’s cardigan.
Now, onto the really cool stuff… the goodies. I was so in love with the custom SpaceCadet Tool Tins that Sarah Wilson, The Sexy Knitter, created for the last parcel, that I asked her if she could create a custom version of her adorable origami stitchmarkers… And she did! They were so cool that I squealed as soon as I saw them! They came packaged in their own little glass vial. Don’t you love them?!?
.
Guest-Dyer for the Cultured Purl
“Guest-Dyer” has a pretty nice ring to it, don’t you think? I was thrilled when Shirani at The Cultured Purl asked me if I’d be a Guest-Dyer for their Spectacular Summer of Socks Club. She asked me to create a summery colourway, so I took inspiration from lazy summer lunches eaten under a bright blue sky… And dyed Picnic, a custom colourway designed to create fun bursts of colour throughout the knitted fabric.
.
And… Another Yarn Club!
And, as if that wasn’t enough, I’ve been asked to dye for yet another club (squeee!). I don’t know yet if I’m allowed to tell you who I’m dyeing for or what colours I’m making, but I can tell you that I just sent a skein of the yarn to the (very fabulous) designer and I can’t wait to see what she creates with it. As soon as I know I have the go ahead… I’ll tell you all about it!
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcels are on their way, and I don’t mind admitting I am crazy-excited about this shipment! I had so much fun dyeing it, and I just can’t wait for you guys to receive it.
Right, here are the spoilers!
First comes the inspiration…
Then there is the yarn. There’s a bit of this…
And maybe a little something else too…
And there’s always fun goodies…
I can’t wait to find out what you all think of it!!! Make sure you go to the InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry to discuss how you like it and what you’re going to make with it.
(And if you really, really can’t stand it, and you really, really want to know what’s coming… if you click on one of the pictures above, you’ll get a full-colour sneak peek)