Today is the Day! The Yarn Alliance is Open for Subscriptions!

04MarApril 22, 2016 By Stephanie

Today is one of my hands-down favourite days of the year, one of those days that I look forward to for months… because today the InterStellar Yarn Alliance opens for subscriptions!

It happens only twice a year and just for two weeks — a really special event –and it’s so exciting to see all the new and returning members come rushing in. I know it means we’re getting it right and making our members happy. And this last session has been a blast! From the deeply saturated colourways, to the awesome gifts, to all the creativity and fun our club members brought to the Photo Scavenger Hunt, being part of the Yarn Alliance is a ton of fun!

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what our club members have to say…

So, what do you get when you join?

…beautiful yarns, colourways you might never have dared try but suddenly realise you love, and some seriously fabulous gifts!

As a member of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, you’ll receive a fabulous parcel delivered to their door every other month, containing:

SpaceCadet^® yarn (light to medium weight) in an exclusive Yarn Alliance colourway (guaranteed not to be offered on the SpaceCadet^® website for at least 6 months)
A great Yarn Alliance gift tucked into every parcel!
The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
A 15% off coupon every six months
And your entry to an awesome community of club members who share pattern ideas, cheer you on, and make our activities so much fun!

Plus, Sweater Quantities!

One gorgeous skein just isn’t enough? You also have an exclusive opportunity to order more skeins custom-dyed in the latest club colourway. You’ll receive an email with all the details about a week after your parcel goes out — and then all you have to do is pick your project!

A 6 month subscription (3 parcels) starts at $145
and a 12 month subscription (6 parcels) starts at $249

Ready? Let’s do this!

Click a button below to choose your subscription length:

Check Out our Gorgeous Colourways from Previous Parcels…

Hop on board and grab your spot!

Click a button below:

And we all know clubs are always more fun with friends, right? Definitely! So please share it!

On Twitter: Squee! The Yarn Alliance from SpaceCadet is open for subscriptions – check it out! http://ctt.ec/u9dZH+ @spacecadetyarn
On Facebook: Squee! The Yarn Alliance from SpaceCadet is open for subscriptions – check it out! http://goo.gl/1DqDkj
On Ravelry: Squee! The Yarn Alliance from SpaceCadet is open for subscriptions – check it out! http://goo.gl/1DqDkj

Important Details and Policies: Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels. Parcels will be sent out in early January, March, May, July, September, and November. Subscription openings will be available in March and September. Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US. Normal subscription openings for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance are two weeks only in March and September of each year. Cancellation policy: Because we often purchase supplies for all the parcels immediately after the subscription period ends, refunds are generally not available. However, if there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us as soon as possible and we will try to do what we can. By purchasing a subscription, you acknowledge and agree to these policies.

Any questions? We’re always happy to help: missioncontrol(at)spacecadetyarn(dot)com

Arc Over Spiral — a Difficult Colourway

10SepOctober 9, 2015 By Stephanie

The latest Yarn Alliance parcels went out this week to our existing club members and I’m so excited to show you the contents, I just can’t wait! In all honesty, I struggled with this colourway but, once it finally came to me, it was tons of fun to dye. Ready to see it? Here we go…

(Spoiler warning! If you’re in the Yarn Alliance and you haven’t received your parcel yet, stop here and don’t scroll down!)

Arc Over Spiral (…what over what?!?)

The creative process can be like an arc spanning across a series of points or more like a spiral working round and round to the center as you explore the depths of a single idea.

When I began dyeing this colourway, I chose the hues that spoke to me most at that moment – until I realised I was more or less repeating the colourway we dyed for the Yarn Alliance in May. So I change my formulations a bit and dyed another set of skeins – and then realised they were similar to the July colorway. Now I knew I was in a spiral …which is all good fun, but won’t do for a club. Try as I might, though, I couldn’t pull my head out of that space – the same shades kept coming back to me — and so I put down the dyes and went home.

That night, as I was falling asleep, the whole colourway suddenly came to me. I knew exactly what I wanted to dye, and it was nothing like what I’d been trying before – a new mood, a new direction. No longer a spiral, this colourway was suddenly back on that beautiful arc.

The Yarn

Maia is an amazing yarn — light, smooth, so very soft — and perfect for these late summer days. Its drape is incredible and adds a wonderful swing to whatever you make out of it. But better than all of that is what it does with light — it captures it, rolls it around and then reflects it out again in a way that is just stunning!

The Gift — a Perfect Place to Stash Tiny Things

I found HipStrings’ fiber arts tools at a local Pittsburgh show and fell in love with their cool, modern aesthetic. Exclusively for the members of the Yarn Alliance, they’ve created these sweet little bowls featuring the SpaceCadet zooming across in his flying saucer, to hold stitchmarkers and safety pins and all the other little things that want to get lost. Aren’t they fabulous?!?

The Yarn Alliance is Open for Only One More Week!

Our premiere yarn club, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance is open for subscriptions from now until Sept 20. It opens only twice a year, so don’t miss your chance to get our best dyeing delivered directly to your door all year long!

Members of the Yarn Alliance receive gorgeous yarns in exclusive club-only colourways, fabulous gifts, the chance to order extra skeins, 15% off a future SpaceCadet order and so much more! Click here to see our gallery of colourways and to join this fab club.

A Sublime Yarn Alliance Colourway for the Changing Season

25MarApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Little by little, I am starting to believe that Spring is on its way but, two weeks ago, our corner of the world was buried under a blanket of snow. And I want to share with you the colourway that winter wonderland inspired!

(Spoiler Alert!: If you’ve been in the Yarn Alliance and haven’t yet received your March parcel, close your eyes now to save the surprise)

“Winter’s Fade, Spring’s Rise,” The Yarn Alliance Colourway for March 2015

There is a big, bay window in the SpaceCadet studio, which looks out to where the road follows the horseshoe bend of a babbling creek as it travels through the woods, and I love to look through that window and watch the world go by as I’m busy dyeing. And last week, the view was particularly inspiring – there had been a heavy snow, flakes falling silent and slow, followed by an amazing iridescent mist. The world was transformed.

And though initially it seemed everything was just white, I came to realise that the blending of the snow and the leafless trees and the soft mist and the dark, cold water all came together to create a beautiful soft gray that washed across the landscape – darker and more intense in some places, softening and pale in others. And yet, this was no monochromatic gray, because it also included the gentle brown of the tree trunks, the blue of the sky, the deep green of an occasional lone fir tree, and, here and there, the soft lavender of the first few crocuses who knew, despite all the signs to the contrary, that Winter would indeed soon Fade, and Spring is on the Rise.

Winter's Fade, Spring's Rise -- the Yarn Alliance colourway for March 2015 4b 580

The Yarn that Won’t Sell…

And we dyed it on Aurora, a stunning soft yarn spun from 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. This is hands down one of my favourite SpaceCadet yarns — it’s just so incredibly luxurious and soft — but can I let you in on a little secret? I can’t sell Aurora online. Seriously. We sell tons of it at shows because as soon as customers pick it up, they realise how amazing that extra cashmere feels, but that’s something that can’t really be conveyed through a computer screen. And so this gorgeous yarn sits quietly on the shelf all year long, like the las kid picked for the kickball team …until we go to shows, where it promptly sells like hotcakes. So it makes me incredibly happy when I get to use it for the Yarn Alliance, because I know our club members are in for an truly unexpected treat!

Winter's Fade, Spring's Rise -- the Yarn Alliance colourway for March 2015 3b 580

The Fabulous Yarn Alliance Gift

I’m so in love with these adorable little yarn snips put together for us by Sarah Wilson, The Sexy Knitter, because I am forever losing my scissors. These are small enough to stash anywhere and give a super-quick, super-clean cut. And who can resist the SpaceCadet’s cheeky grin?

The Yarn Alliance gift for March 2015 1b 580

And just for fun, Sarah and I included a Sexy Knitter pattern that we both knew would be a great choice for this yarn and colourway. The Mashrabiya Vest & Shawl takes a beautiful lace shawl design and adds the innovative option of armholes to create a wide variety of styling options; wear it open, pinned or tied shut, ends thrown over your shoulders, or even as a wrap blouse! Knit up in the subtle colours of “Winter’s Fade, Spring’s Rise”, the result would be a sublime and luxurious wrap for cool spring evenings.

The Yarn Alliance is Open for Subscriptions

Like what you see here? Want to join the fun? The Yarn Alliance is currently open for subscriptions, so click here to grab your spot before it closes this Sunday, March 29th!

The SpaceCadet's premiere yarn club, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, is open for subscriptions until March 29 only. Click to learn more!

Mark Your Calendar! Our Club Openings and Yarn Shows

04MarSeptember 4, 2015 By Stephanie

Despite another 2″-4″ of snow predicted for us this week(!), the start of March means our Spring Events are right around the corner (as hard as that is to believe). Here’s a quick heads up so you can mark your calendar so you don’t miss out on any of the yarny goodness…

The Yarn Alliance Reopens for Subscriptions

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance is the SpaceCadet’s premiere yarn club, known for its amazing colourways and fantastic gifts. It’s open for subscriptions twice a year for two weeks only — from March 13 to 29 — and spaces always go fast. We give early-bird priority to the people on the club mailing list, so click here and get your name on that list!

Homespun Yarn Party

Possibly our favourite-est yarn show of the year, this super-fast, super-furious event is always pure crazy and intense fun for anyone who craves hand-dyed and hand-made yarny goodness. A one day show that features only small and indie makers, it’s so worth the trip to the beautiful Savage Mill — if you live in the DC-Baltimore area, please come and see us!

HomeSpun Yarn Party

Sunday, March 22 from 12-5pm
Historic Savage Mill 8600 Foundry Street, Savage, MD 20763 Just off I-95, plenty of parking!
Admission is FREE!

Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival

Our hometown festival just gets better and better each year! Having rapidly outgrown all its previous venues, we are super excited that this year’s festival will be at the Westin Convention Center hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Three glorious days of yarn and fiber fun, plus we are thrilled to be hosting festival headliner Alasdair Post-Quinn (author of “Extreme Double Knitting” from Coop Press) for book-signings in our booth. If you’re in the western PA area, we’d love to see you!

The Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival

Fri-Sun, March 27-29
Westin Convention Center hotel, next to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh

What’s your Favourite Yarn Show or Festival?

I’ll be honest, it can be hard to tell what shows are the best to do without bringing our work dyeing to a halt and going to each one. So I rely on recommendations from friends and customers to decide what to put on our schedule. If there’s a festival that you just love — one that’s fun, lively, and full of that great buzz that being around lots of gorgeous yarn creates, I’d love to know about it! Leave a comment here or please email us: info(at)spacecadetcreations(dot)com. Honestly, your input is invaluable!

Gorgeous Pattern Picks for Firebrand, the Yarn Alliance’s Latest Colourway

09DecApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

(*spoiler alert* Close your eyes if you don’t want to see the latest Yarn Alliance colourway!)

When I first started dyeing, I worried a little that I might run out of colours. Seriously, I did. I mean, Roy G Biv is only seven letters… There can only be so many combinations, right? And I kind of wondered what happened when you get to the end of the list.

I know. I know!

Five years later and colour is still a fabulous cosmic adventure. Take the latest Yarn Alliance colourway — I knew I wanted to use it to explore reds, but I didn’t want it to be flat or monochromatic. I wanted to let red bloom from pink, from plum, from rust and from yellow. I wanted to let the colour do its thing and just see where it led. And I loved, loved, loved the result! This is “Firebrand”…

Isn’t it gorgeous?!? Now, before we get to Jade’s fantastic pattern picks for Firebrand, let me quickly just share with you the gift we included in the parcel, but I’m over the moon about it. How adorable are these little buttons custom-made for us by Remember Wynn? I can’t wait to see what our club members make with them!

Jade’s Pattern Picks for Firebrand

Speaking of things to make, Jade has put together a fabulous collection of pattern ideas for this yarn. Such beautiful designs! Which one is your favourite?*

Nineteen Twenty Shrug – Liisa Nieminen

With just a touch of lace and beautiful all-over drapey fabic, this pattern is perfect for showing off the Firebrand Colourway of this month’s Yarn Alliance parcel. The glowing ember tones and floaty drape of the Celeste make the perfect fiery cocoon – two skeins will be enough to ward off the winter chill.

Magpie Cowl – Judy Marples

This month’s ISYA colourway was actually a bit of a challenge for me to pick a pattern. The colors are gorgeous and glow-y and vivid, but they need just the right amount of showing off… The Magpie Cowl delivers, with an interesting, but easy, lace pattern to bring out Firebrand’s variegation and the perfect amount of yardage for one smooshy skein of Celeste. (And check out your shiny – it even calls for buttons to close!)

Dark Pearl – Carol Feller

If cowls and shrugs aren’t quite what you’re looking to knit, or you’re more in the mood for a show-stopper, try Carol Feller’s amazing Dark Pearl cardigan. It has it all – a fitted silhouette, smooth stockinette to show off the vibrant variegation of Firebrand, and a stunning lace front panel that can be draped open, or worn closed with your SpaceCadet buttons! And because Celeste has such great yardage, you’ll only need 3-4 skeins for the whole sweater, depending on size.

(*I love all three but I think my favourite is Dark Pearl. Such intriguing construction!)

Want to Get in on the Fun?

If you think being part of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance looks like fun, you are so right! Now, the Yarn Alliance isn’t open again until March but its sister club, the SpaceMonster Mega Yarn Club, is open for subscriptions right now.

And it’s an awesome club! Focusing on smooshy worsted and bulky yarns, it’s a fantastic adventure for these cold winter days — or the perfect holiday gift! The SpaceMonster Club is open until Dec 21, so click here now for all the details and to grab your spot.

Sneak Peek: the Latest Yarn Alliance Parcel

22SepApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

A couple of weeks ago, we sent out the final parcel of the last Yarn Alliance subscription period, and I was so excited about this colourway that I just have to share it with you!!! The inspiration struck me like lightening, and I knew not only the colours to dye, but also the perfect yarn to put them on.

(Spoiler Alert! If you are a Yarn Alliance member* and you haven’t yet received your parcel, look away now if you don’t want to ruin the surprise! In fact, here’s a neutral image to act as a buffer…)

Ok, you still with me? Great! Let me introduce you to…

Storm Clouds, the Yarn Alliance Colourway for Sept 2014

There may be no relief so welcome as that of a thunderstorm that rolls in, fresh and forceful, to push away the heavy heat of summer and replace it with that delightfully cool that always carries the delicious smell of wet earth. Inspired by turbulent summer weather, Storm Clouds captures the majesty of the storm as the clouds move in fast, tumbling over one another – gray and blue and tinged with purple — and the light behind making them almost glow.

But how to capture that amazing glow? I realised it would come from the yarn itself – from Maia, the SpaceCadet’s new 80% bamboo, 20% superwash merino yarn — and from the way the light seems to almost float around and through that glorious sheen.

Do you love it as much as I do? I was over the moon with the result — exactly what I’d hoped for. Now I just have to see if I can snag a skein for myself before all the extra skeins are sold out! Mmmmm… what to make? What to make?

The Yarn Alliance closes TONIGHT

We’ve got a few spaces left in the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance, but the subscription period closes tonight at midnight PST. We have a ton of fun in this club so if you’ve been thinking about joining but haven’t reserved your spot yet, click here and grab it quick!

And don’t forget the Mauna Kea Giveaway!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of a member of the SpaceCadet community (who purchased a Mauna Kea kit specifically for us to give away!), you’ve got an awesome chance to win your spot in the Mauna Kea Knit-Together.

To enter, simply click here and leave a comment on last Friday’s post, telling us what you like best about the Mauna Kea design. Entries close on Thursday, and we’ll announce the winner here on the blog.

And then once you’ve done that, won’t you please pay it forward by sharing this giveaway on social media? When one of our community has been this incredibly generous, I think the best way we can show gratitude and share the love is to spread that generosity as far and wide as possible. Don’t you agree?

Share it!

For Twitter: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway

For Facebook: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway

For Ravelry: The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click here to enter: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny

*This can be confusing, I know, so just to clarify: this yarn shown here was the last yarn for existing members of the Yarn Alliance, before the current subscription period opened on Sept 9. If you have just joined (between Sept 9-22), your first parcel will be in November — and while it won’t be this colourway, I promise, it’ll be seriously awesome too!