A Sneak Peek into the Yarn Alliance’s Latest Parcel

07MarSeptember 4, 2015 By Stephanie

I’ve been dying to share with you the inspiration for the latest InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcel and, as I sent them out a week ago today, I think it’s safe to show you. But if you’re a member and for some reason you haven’t opened your parcel, close this page now — I don’t want to ruin the surprise!

…

…Ok?

Ok, I think we’re safe. shhhh… Let’s have a look at the parcel. But first, I want to show you the picture that inspired the colourway. The thing is, just lately I have become obsessed with Spring. I am soooo ready to shed the grey, dull end of winter and welcome the sweet arrival of fresh green grass, new blooms, and warm warm days. So when I saw this picture on Pinterest, it just sang out to me.

It was taken by Mattie of Still Pond Photography and I just love it. Love it. For days, the mood of this photo stayed in my head, and I found myself returning again and again to just gaze at the colours of those eggs.

So when it came time to dye the Yarn Alliance colourway, there was no doubt what it would have to be.

I’ve been dyeing Spring greens and blues for the shop but, when I started designing this colourway, I wanted to take those colours to another level. Just like the eight eggs, I wanted to have myriad shades of blues and greens, so that the yarn would seem to change every constantly — from row to row, stitch to stitch. I began with one blue and one green, and then layered on another shade, and another shade, and another until I had depth and tone I was looking for. I called the colourway “EggShells”.

Doesn’t it sing Spring to you?

And as excited as I am about EggShells — and I am! — I think that I might be just wee bit more excited about the goody. It was a long time in the making, but the effort was sooooo worth it. Check it out — every member got a fabulous custom SpaceCadet project bag!!!

I’ve had such a blast doing the InterStellar Yarn Alliance this past year — so much fun. And I can’t wait to get started on next year’s yarns and goodies!

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance will open for subscriptions March 16 to 31 ONLY

You can join for either 6 months or 12 months. Every other month, members of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance receive fabulous parcels delivered to their door containing:

SpaceCadet^® Creations 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.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
A 15% off coupon every six months

If you’d like to join, remember to mark your calendar: the Yarn Alliance will open for subscriptions from March 16 to 31 only. And when it does, get yourself over to this page to grab your spot!

The SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club Reviewed

29NovApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Last month, we launched the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, as you know, and I was super excited about it. I so enjoyed choosing the colourways, tying the little bundles up… and when I sent the parcels off, I hoped — hoped — that all the club members were as excited about the yarns they received as I was.

I was nervous as the feedback started to come through on Ravelry but, to my delight, most everyone was absolutely tickled with the parcels. I am so pleased! And, where there suggestions were made, they were really great suggestions that I’m going to use to improve the club in the months to club.

But if I was anxious about what the members thought, that was only compounded when I spotted that Abigail of TAAT Designs and Karrie of KnitPurlGurl had post their reviews of the Mini-Skein Club on their websites. These were real reviews — I had no idea whether Abigail or Karrie would like what they found in their parcels, and I knew they’d both be very honest with their followers.

A little nervously, I clicked on the links to see, and… Well, do you want to see for yourself what they had to say?

First, here’s Abigail’s review. She includes some really photos of the yarns, showing how the parcels were packaged as well as the colourways, and a list of her thoughts for anyone thinking of joining the club.

And here is Episode 20 of the KnitPurlGurl Podcast, which contains her review of the Mini-Skein Club. If you’ve been wondering about joining the club, Karrie’s review is extensive: she discusses the whole parcel, goes into detail about each yarn, and even the way it’s packaged — everything you’d need to know. The rest of KnitPurlGurl Postcast is absolutely packed full of fibery-goodness (just check out the incredibly extensive show notes!) and well worth watching. But if you’d like to jump to ahead to her review of the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club, then check out this excerpt…

Thank you to everyone who has joined the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club. I am having an absolute blast choosing your colourways and putting these little bundles together! And I’m so grateful for your feedback, because your input means this club will just get better and better!

On Black Friday, Give the InterStellar Yarn Alliance and Save $15

25NovApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

A Holiday Gift Subscription to

the SpaceCadet’s yarn club, the InterStellar Yarn Alliance

$15 Off on Black Friday ONLY

It’s Black Friday, which means it’s time for twinkling lights, canned holiday muzak, and ka-ra-zee long lines at the stores! If you’re one of those intrepid shoppers who hits the Black Friday sales with gusto, then I expect you’ve been out since midnight and come home already.

But if, like me, you’re not quite that adventurous (and you’re still in your jammies!), then I have the perfect, never-have-to-leave-the-house gift for the knitter or crocheter on your list…

For a short time only, we’re opening a limited number of spaces in the InterStellar Yarn Alliance to offer you three special Holiday Gift Subscriptions. And because those of us in our PJs shouldn’t have to miss out on the Black Friday fun, for today only we’re giving you $15 off!

A Holiday Gift Subscription: Normally $85. On Black Friday $70

And if the knitter or crocheter on your list deserves more even more Yarn Alliance goodness, you can add on a 6-month membership ($184 inclusive) or a 12-month membership ($305 inclusive), and you’re still getting that special price on the Holiday Gift Subscription!

But hurry, because after Black Friday, you’ll still be able to get this fabulous Holiday Gift Subscription, but prices will go back to normal.

So, Whaddya Get?

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance Holiday Gift Subscription includes two parcels delivered to the recipient’s door, containing:

SpaceCadet^® Creations 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.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.

Black Friday ONLY! $15 OFF!

Shipping within the United States is included in the price; extra charges apply for shipping outside the US.
Six month subscriptions include 3 parcels and are normally priced at $125; twelve month subscriptions include 6 parcels and are normally priced at $235.
Holiday Gift Subscription parcels will be sent out in late December 2011 and late February 2012. Parcels for the 6-month add-on will be sent out in late April, June, and August 2012. Parcels for the 12-month add-on will be sent out in late April, June, August, October, and December 2012, and February 2013.
Normal subscription openings for the InterStellar Yarn Alliance are two weeks only in March and September of each year.

The InterStellar Yarn Alliance Through the Rest of the Year

When you include an additional 6 month or 12 month Yarn Alliance subscription to your Holiday Gift Subscription, your recepient receives all the benefits that other regular members enjoy! With the additional regular subscription, each member will receive an exciting parcel delivered every other month containing:

SpaceCadet^® Creations 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.
An InterStellar Yarn Alliance group on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow members.
The InterStellar Yarn Alliance newsletter with periodic special offers exclusively for members.
A 15% off coupon every six months

Parcels will be sent out in late October, December, February, April, June, and August. 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.

Want to Know What Forty Pounds of Yarn Looks Like?

02NovApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

This blog post was supposed to be a shop update, but my chief yarn-prep guy (my husband!) has been a bit under the weather, so I have to delay the update for a couple of days. Look for those new yarns to go into the shop on Friday instead. And if you’re on the Yarn Adventurers mailing list, keep an eye open for an email sometime in the next week!

In the meantime, let me share a little teaser with you. The InterStellar Yarn Alliance parcels went out in the post yesterday, and the Alliance members are in for such a treat. I can’t wait for their parcels to arrive! Can you guess what’s in them?…

And ooooh! I just wanted to share this with you…

Ever wondered what forty pounds of yarn looks like all in one place? Well, that’s what it looks like! That’s forty pounds of freshly-dyed SpaceCadet yarn, all headed to fibre space in Alexandria VA. fibre space is one of the coolest LYSs in the country (I think my SpaceCadet might just have a crush on their space cadet!). And I am so excited to have SpaceCadet yarn there!

So if you’re in the DC area, do go check fibre space out — and look for the SpaceCadet yarn, because I’ve dyed some really gorgeous, never-seen-before colourways that you won’t want to miss!

The SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club Goes LIVE!

10OctApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Last week I mentioned to you that I was about to launch a new website. And I said I was excited but I know well enough that I was probably the only one who was really interested in it. But now I want to ask you to do me a favour, please — a personal favour. I thought I was excited, I really did, but the truth is I had no idea how excited I really would be when the site launched. And here’s why: I built it myself! Myself!!!

Six weeks ago I didn’t know CSS from HTML from my elbow (and, truth be told, I probably still don’t!) but I found some great resources, got focused, worked my backside off, and… and… well, this is the result.

…Can you hear me squeeeeing from there?!?

So will you do me a favour please? I know website lauches never really matter much to anyone except the launcher (me!), but please get excited with me! Jump to the comments and give me a WOOT! — because, seriously, who ever thought I could build a site like this?!? And I am just so fired up!

The SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club Goes Live!

Ok, that’s enough of the exciting-for-me stuff (and, hey, thanks for getting excited for me too). Now let’s get to the exciting-for-you stuff…

About a month ago, I came across a tweet that mentioned a word I’d never seen before: hexipuffs. And I was thinking, “What the heck is a hexipuff?!?”

Hexipuffs knitted from SpaceCadet Creations yarn — These, as it turns out, are hexipuffs. Very cute... Very addictive!

And then all of a sudden, within a week, it seemed like mini-skein projects were everywhere… The BeeKeeper’s Quilt, the Babette Blanket, the Sock Yarn Blanket… (Oh man, I looove that Sock Yarn Blanket!). See what I mean? Mini-Skein projects are hot!

So then I realised, what would make a mini-skein project even more fun? Getting a surprise box of wonderful mini-skein colours each month to add to your project!

The SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club

Join the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club and every month you’ll receive an exciting parcel containing a hand-picked selection of gorgeous Mini-Skeins, perfect for adding to (or starting!) your project. You can choose your subscription level: Single (five 20g skeins), Double (ten 20g skeins), or Triple (fifteen 20g skeins). And you can cancel your subscription as soon as you have enough Mini-Skeins for your project.

(But the question is… can you ever have enough Mini-Skeins…?)

And here’s the really cool thing: the skeins are a mix of all the SpaceCadet’s beautiful yarns. Some are Celeste and Stella, there’s a touch of cashmere with Estelle, and the subtle sparkle of Lucina. And perhaps even some of the more unusual yarns from the Dept of Rocket Science — a bit of silk, some alpaca, maybe some bamboo or BFL… If you’ve ever wanted to try the different SpaceCadet yarns, the Mini-Skein Club is a GREAT way to do it!

Subscriptions are limited — Join Now!

Mini-Skein FAQs

What sorts of colourways can I expect in my parcel?

Each parcel is made up of a selection of SpaceCadet colourways, hand-picked to work together, with at least one contrasting colourway to add some zing! You can choose between

the Gentle Mix, which contains mostly Semi-Solids or Gently Variegated yarns, and

the Wild Mix, which is made up mostly of those exciting Wildly Variegated yarns.

All together, they look terrific and will be a great addition to your project.

What are the different subscription levels?

There are three levels, to cover you for the month no matter how fast you knit!

The Single Mini-Skein Subscription is five 20g skeins for $28

The Double Mini-Skein Subscription is ten 20g skeins for $54

The Triple Mini-Skein Subscription is fifteen 20g skeins for $78

(Shipping costs are exactly the same as in the SpaceCadet shop: $4.49 for the Single subscription level, and $1.49 for each additional level.)

When will my parcel arrive? And when will payment be taken?

All parcels go out on or around the 10th of each month, and the deadline for new subscriptions to be included in that shipment is midnight on the 1st of that month (every Mini-Skein is wound by hand, so we need a bit of notice to get your parcel ready!).

Domestic deliveries are sent by Priority Mail, which usually takes about 2-3 days. International deliveries are sent by USPS First Class mail.

Your payment will be processed on the day you subscribe, and will automatically repeat on the same day each month of your membership.

When does my subscription end?

You can end your subscription whenever you have collected enough Mini-Skeins for your project (or, any time you like). And it’s easy to unsubscribe! Just click on the Unsubscribe button on the Mini-Skein Club page.

Anything else I should know?

When you join, you’ll be added to the Mini-Skein Club mailing list, which we use only to easily let you know of any important information or changes to the club in the future.

Oh, and once you’ve joined, please do come over to the SpaceCadet Creations group on Ravelry and tell us all about the project you’re making or planning to make. We’d love to hear about it and see your progress!

Ready to jump into the Mini-Skein Mania?

So Much Fun Stuff: New Website, Mini-Skein Club, and a Shop Update Too!

05OctApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

There has been so much going on here — so much! — that I feel I am about to burst! And it’s all just about ready… a-a-almost there… So today’s shop update will be a mini-update so I can quickly get back and finish all this up and share it with you. More on that update at the bottom.

But right now, let me tell you what I’ve been working on…

The Website

First, a new website! I’m really excited about it because it’s beautiful, everything I’d hoped for. But the reason that’s really cool for you is that it’s going to allow me to a whole bunch of new things that I couldn’t do before (one of them is my new club, which I’m going to tell you about in a second).

But there’s a really important thing you need to know about this website change. If you subscribe to my website via my mailing list, you don’t need to do a thing. But if you subscribe via WordPress, you’ll need to change over to the mailing list — and that’s super easy to do. Just click here to join the mailing list. See? Easy and done! (If you want to ensure you don’t receive duplicate emails during the transition period, you might also change your WordPress settings, like this.)

Mini-Skein Club

Remember that Super Secret Thing I was telling you about? Oh, I am so excited about this…! And if you’re addicted to hexipuffs, dreaming about the BeeKeeper’s Quilt, falling head over heels for the Babette blanket, or any of the other wonderful mini-skein patterns that are cropping up everywhere these days, then you will be super excited too! The SpaceCadet Mini-Skein Club is coming and it will not only be a regular supply of those addictive little skeins, but also give you the perfect opportunity to try out all those wonderful SpaceCadet yarns and colourways that you’ve never used before. Think of it as a mouthwatering knitters’ and crocheters’ sample pack, delivering yarny goodness to your door every month…

I cannot wait to get the Mini-Skein Club started! If you can’t wait either, make sure you’re on the mailing list to be the first to hear when it goes live!

The Ebook

The ebook is with the editor and is so close to being finished, I can taste it! I know a lot of people aren’t sure how to approach knitting or crocheting with hand-dyed yarn, so I’m hoping this ebook will help ease any nervousness. It’s an introductory guide to hand-dyed yarn: how to use it, how to care for it, how to understand it so you can dive into hand-dyed without fear. If that sounds just right for you, then get on that mailing list to be sure you hear when it’s ready for download!

Oh, and this is really cool — the editor has been blogging the process of putting the ebook together. Check it out!

Shop Update

And finally, here’s the shop mini-update I promised you, two yarns that I am just crazy about…

First is a colourway that I’ve called Inlet, because I see all the colours of shimmering and shallow water — blues, greens, grays — with the glint of something precious resting at the bottom. I absolutely love this colourway! The yarn is 70% superwash merino, 20% bamboo, and 10% nylon, so it has that lovely glossy sheen.

And another yarn in that same lovely bamboo base… This colourway is Contrary and I just love the intensity of those cool, cool blues…

So, lots of stuff going on. It’s been crazy busy but soooo exciting! And if you’re excited too, keep checking back to see if the website has changed. Once it has, the ball starts rolling on everything else too…