Hana Hou Winners …and Gifts for Everyone Else!

19FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

We’ve been super busy lately developing some fab new colourways, but I wanted to quickly pull myself away from the dyepots to give you the news that I know a ton of you have been waiting for…

Last week I announced that Mel of Singlehanded Knits had generously given me seven copies of her gorgeous new pattern, Hana Hou (perfect for SpaceCadet Lyra!) to give away to seven lucky readers. So, without further ado, the winners aaaaare…

Andrea (SeCoWi13 on Ravelry)
Dianne (cdccj on Ravelry)
Grace (tully on Ravelry)
Laura (tastefldiversns on Ravelry)
Dawn (Knithemiptera on Ravlery)
Dvora (dvorag on Ravelry)
Robin (pookiemonk on Ravelry)

Congratulations! Mel will be sending each of you your pattern shortly.

So You Didn’t Win? No Worries!

Even if your name’s not up on there in that list, I’ve still got a couple of treats for you! But hurry, they’re for today only.

First, if you click here to join the SingleHanded Knits mailing list today, and Mel will give you $2 off your own copy of Hana Hou. Which is pretty fabulous, and gets you halfway to getting cast on!

And then, to get you the rest of the way to casting on, I’m giving you a coupon code for $5 off SpaceCadet Lyra — the perfect yarn for Hana Hou — which means your Hana Hou pattern is essentially free when you make it in SpaceCadet yarn!

We’ve got a ton of Lyra tied up and ready to dye, but you have to hurry — this is a spur-of-the-moment thing that I just thought of, so the code is good on orders placed today only. To get your $5 off, just click here to choose your colours, and enter the code LyraForHanaHou during check out, and the rest of your Hana Hou pattern will be on me!

New Colourways

And you know I said we’d been hard at work in the studio developing new colourways? It’s a really long process — first there’s the original colour idea, then the development of the recipe, then dyeing up test batches and checking quality, the photography and image editing, and then finally getting the new colouways up on the website.

But our new colours are slowly making their way into the shop, one by one — and I’ll be working on putting a few more of them in later this week and over the weekend. But for now, have a look for fabulous four new shades in Lyra. And, hey, leave a comment and let me know which is your favourite — I’d love to know!

The Yarn Alliance Opens in March

Are you signed up for the Yarn Alliance mailing list? Available to new subscribers only twice a year, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance — the SpaceCadet’s premiere yarn club, known for fabulous fingering yarns, gorgeous colourways, and awesome gifts — will be opening again in March for two weeks only. If you want to be the first to know when it does, click here and get on the Yarn Alliance mailing list!

Hana Hou: A Giveaway!

14FebApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Is someone giving you roses today? Maybe a huge box of chocolate? Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful bright spot in the depths of winter but if, like me, you aren’t likely to get something from a sweetheart, then let me step in and give you a sweet little treat of my own…

My friend Mel of Singlehanded Knits has just released Hana Hou, a gorgeous new cardigan design that I just love, absolutely love. Knit in sport weight yarn and perfect for SpaceCadet Lyra, it features an asymmetrical style with a really beautiful border detail on the placket and cuffs. It’s just the kind of knit you find yourself itching to get on the needles…

But there’s something more about Hana Hou that knocked my socks off. Rather than simply put together a regular pattern, Mel has turned Hana Hou into a stunning look book, each page filled with the most incredibly luscious photography alongside the pattern instructions. Every image makes you feel like you are falling right into the page and changes Hana Hou from a simple pattern into something that feels more like an escape to the islands. I can’t stop scrolling through it on my iPad…

Win a Copy of the Hana Hou Pattern & Look Book!

So how about a copy of your own? You got it! Mel has very generously given me seven copies of Hana Hou to give away to seven lucky winners!

All you have to do is:

go to Ravelry (click here) and add Hana Hou to either your favourites or your queue
and then leave a comment here on the blog telling me which Lyra colourway you’d choose for your Hana Hou (don’t forget to mention your Ravelry name)

That’s it! Once that’s done, you’re in with a chance to win your own copy of the gorgeous Hana Hou pattern look book! But hurry — the giveaway closes on Monday Feb 17 at 11.59pm EST, and I’ll announce the winner on the blog on Tuesday.

But hey, what if you just can’t wait to get your hands on Hana Hou? Yeah, we’ve got you covered — click here to join the Singlehanded Knits mailing list, and Mel will send you a $2 discount code for an instant download.

Pssst! The Yarn Alliance Is Opening Soon!

Available to new subscribers only twice a year, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance — the SpaceCadet’s premiere yarn club, known for fabulous fingering yarns, gorgeous colourways, and awesome gifts — will be opening again in March for two weeks only. If you want to be the first to know when it does, click here and get on the Yarn Alliance mailing list!

There’s always small print — official rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to entrants worldwide, age 5 or older. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Sweepstakes ends 11:59 p.m. EST on February 17, 2014. Official entry is made by commenting on the SpaceCadet blog post titled “Hana Hou: A Giveaway!” and by favouriting and/or queuing Hana Hou on Ravelry. Limit one entry per person. Sponsored by Singlehanded Knits and SpaceCadet Inc, PO Box 113312, Pittsburgh PA 15241. Seven (7) prizes, each consisting of one (1) copy of the Hana Hou pattern and look book, valued at $7. Total prize value: $49. Winner will be selected by random drawing. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash. Prize cannot be substituted. Employees and family of employees of SpaceCadet Inc and/or Singlehanded Knits are ineligible. A list of winners will be available on the SpaceCadet blog on or after February 18, 2014. For full official rules, visit https://spacecadetyarn.com/2014/02/14/hana-hou-a-giveaway

It’s Not About Then, It’s About the Here and Now

11OctApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The other day, I was talking to an acquaintance and, when I mentioned knitting, he said, “It’s nice to see that people still do these old-fashioned things.” And I know he meant well so I smiled and nodded but — oh! — I was cringing inside. It isn’t the first time someone’s assumed that I knit to somehow embrace old-fashionedness or history or something equally off the mark, but it never ceases to surprise me that there are people out there for whom knitting and crocheting are so unusual that the only explanation can be something to do with the past. Whaaaat?!?

But it got me thinking about why I knit (…and why I dye, for that matter). I know some knitters and crocheters do it for the finished object but that, if I’m honest, that has never been me. And I know others who do it for the creative outlet: they modify patterns to put their own mark on them, or just skip that and create designs all their own. That’s a little closer to my reasons — I’m always coming up with design ideas, but I’m just not skilled enough to turn them into patterns.

But the real reason I knit has nothing to do with being old-fashioned …and everything to do with being in the here and the now. When I pick up my needles and begin that rhythm of moving stitches from left to right, I feel everything start to slow down. My breathing slows, my thinking slows… There is something about knitting that seems to just take over the part of my brain that is always fretting, nagging, analysing and instead occupies it with the simple acts of knit and purl.

And with that most pesky part of my mind thus quietened, I find I can think clearly. I can focus. Be it on the conversation when I’m with friends or the sound of the breeze when I’m alone, knitting changes the experience. It makes it better — and that’s why I knit.

But why do I dye? Because I truly believe the world would be a better place if everyone were knitting or crocheting. I mean, c’mon, you know it, don’t you? And nothing encourages that more than having beautiful, natural yarn in gorgeous, vibrant colours. So, dyeing is sort of my way of bringing about world peace …or at least, bringing a little peace into a few people’s lives. When I dye my yarns, I’m thinking of the person it will go to, and the quiet joy they will experience as the yarn moves through their fingers and the colours change before their eyes.

Oh, and it’s because I really love colour — really really love colour. There’s always that too.

The Pau Hana KAL starts in less than a week! And our KALers are swatching their yarns, pinning their ombre and gradient inspirations, and getting ready for cast on on Oct 17!

Most of the last pre-order kits are going in the post today, so there’s time for swatching and colour-play before the start date. But if you haven’t joined us yet, you can order a Pau Hana kit for custom dyeing, and we will get it into the dyepots for you as quickly as possible so you can join in the fun! Click here for all the details!