A First Step in Sock Knitting

28JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Note from the SpaceCadet: My friend Amy (DPUTiger on Ravelry) is a knitting teacher, a quilter, and a newly-minted weaver. And she’s been kind enough to write about her favourite way to start new sock knitters on their journey…

Socks seem to be part of the “Magical Mystery Tour” of knitting. Somehow, people get all freaked out with sock heels, short rows, gussets, kitchener stitch … the list goes on.

And with all these amazing hand-dyed yarns to choose from, why not add sock knitting to your repertoire?

I teach sock knitting at Bloomin’ Yarns, my LYS. On Ravelry, I’d say one of the questions I see most often is how to get started with sock knitting. I have a prefab answer that I use over there, but you lucky folks get the expanded version with the why’s and wherefores behind my answer.

The number one thing that I recommend for a first sock is usually Fuzzy Feet. It’s a free pattern from the Winter, 2002 issue of Knitty.com. Why do I like it so much for a first sock?

The first reason is that it calls for a worsted weight yarn. I believe that using fingering weight yarn and sock-sized needles is a skill all by itself. When you are used to using worsted weight yarns and needles in the neighborhood of a US 8, it’s a big change to go down to 8 sts/inch and a 2.5mm needle. And it’s better to learn one thing at a time, not two.

If you already do enjoy small needles and want to jump right in with that set-up, then you can go wind your next skein of SpaceCadet so you’re ready to roll with my next guest post.

So what else is so great about Fuzzy Feet?

They are knit with a worsted weight feltable wool (like Cascade 220) on US 10.5 needles, which makes them very quick to knit. I usually use a 16” circ, so I don’t even have to mess with a small-circumference technique like DPNs (double-pointed needles), two circular needles or Magic Loop. The construction is identical to a traditional top-down sock so you can learn the process with great big comfy needles. And the best part? It doesn’t matter in the least if you mess up, because when you’re done… you felt the slippers.

Have you ever felted anything before? There is virtually no stitch definition left after the felting process so those wonky short rows to turn the heel? Those gusset stitches that you picked up that are a little loose and open? The kitchener stitch at the toe that isn’t quite perfect? Gone. All of it.

You wind up with a pair of comfortable, warm slippers. And you learned the mechanics of sock knitting! Even my uber-picky husband likes his Fuzzy Feet. He’s on pair #2, since he walked through his first pair by the end of Winter #3.

So what’s the next step after you’ve finished your Fuzzy Feet? I’ll be back to talk about that next time!

Forgetting Everything, Except This..

25JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

There is a mountain of laundry in the family room waiting to be sorted — seriously, a mountain. And a mountain of dirty dishes collecting in the sink. I suspect there are a few bills I’ve forgotten to pay too… Real life has come to a complete halt while I get ready for the upcoming Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet show, and there are a lot of things that are getting pushed to one side — or getting forgotten altogether! — while that happens.

But while I’ve been dyeing at rate to make my head spin, you’ll be pleased to hear that one thing I haven’t forgotten is… to grab some of that yarn and put it in the shop for you guys!

IMG_2054 (Large) — Stella Fingering Weight Yarn in SeaFoam

IMG_2082 (Large) — Stella Fingering Weight Yarn in WinterBerries

IMG_2066 (Large) — Stella Fingering Weight Yarn in Plumberry

And just because it’s flippin’ FREEZING out there, I’ve included some Astrid DK too, which is incredibly soft and smooshy — perfect for lovely warm hats and gloves. Stay warm, everybody!

IMG_2098 (Large) — Astrid DK Yarn in WinterBerries

IMG_2107 (Large) — Astrid DK Yarn in the Dept of Rocket Science

Discombobulated

14JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I had plans for this week — I had great plans — but here it is, Friday already, and as I look back, I realise the week has got the better of me. I seem to have spent most of this week rushing… scrambling… really struggling to get things done. And the harder I’ve pushed, somehow the less I’ve seemed to get done. It’s been very frustrating!

And even though I’ve felt like I don’t know why this week was so unproductive, the truth is, I do. Somehow, ever since the holidays, I have lost my rhythm — dyeing on the wrong days, blogging on the wrong days, working far too late into the night and then struggling to catch up the next day. Trying to mould my days around me, and ending up totally out of sync instead.

That is not my 2011. My 2011 is going to be calm, ordered, organised, productive, and purposeful. And so I am going to get my rhythm back. I am going to stop, rework the schedule, and get back on top of things.

I had a really good blog post planned for tonight but, though I scrambled through today with all my might, I never managed to get the photos taken for it. And as I sat here last night trying to think of a work around for that, or even a whole ‘nother blog post — squeezing my brain for ideas like an orange for juice — I suddenly realised that I was doing (again) what I’ve been doing every day since the holidays. But what I’ve been doing hasn’t been working, and I decided to stop.

So, I have no blog post for you today. Instead, I am going to spend the day working very hard on slowing down. I’m going to take things at a sensible pace, focus on the calm, and try find my rhythm again. And maybe, by not trying so darned hard to get everything done in a big rush, I will manage to get most things done — with a bit more success.

I’ll start with a nice cup of tea. It’s the best way to start any endeavor of calm, don’t you agree? And then I’ll start off into 2011 afresh — and this time, I’ll just put one foot in front of the other.

The Department of Rocket Science

12JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

C’mere, I want to show you something… Here, over here, through this door. It says, “Department of Rocket Science” and I’ve heard crazy things happen in there… No, don’t worry… it’s ok. Look, I’ll come with you. It’s this door here, see? Come on!…

I love to experiment with colour — it gives me such a rush and it’s why I dye. For me, there is no moment in the whole dyeing process more exciting than when I lift a skein of yarn out of the dyepot and it reveals its colours to me. Darker on the outside, softer on the inside… opening up like a soft spring flower, or glistening like a decadent chocolate. No matter how many skeins I dye, that moment gives me a rush every single time.

sock yarn, hand-dyed, hand dyed, knitting, yarn — Estelle in Dept of Rocket Science Colourway 101222-002

It’s through this process of playing with colour that I’ve created all the wonderful colourways that I dye for the shop time and again. But, along the way, that process also produces yarns in colourways that probably won’t be repeated again — yarns that were stepping stones in the development of a new colourway, or yarns where I simply let my muse run free to see what would come out of the dyepot.

And so I have created the Department of Rocket Science. It’s a special place where I can go to experiment with abandon — to mix new colours, to dye with my eyes closed, to play with new fibers and new yarn bases. And it’s place where you can come and discover results of all this wonderful experimentation, and choose one of these very special yarns for your one-of-a-kind project. (And remember that all these experimental yarns will go into this section, regardless of yarn/fiber type, so if you’re searching the shop for a particular yarn type, don’t forget to check the Dept of Rocket Science as well.)

Stella in Dept of Rocket Science Colourway 110105-005

So go ahead… open the door! You never know what you’ll find inside… But it will always be something exciting!

Cadet Credits, With Thanks to You

03JanApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The first few days of January are probably supposed to be about looking forward, but I cannot help looking back. 2010 was a great year here at SpaceCadet Creations — it’s been exciting, it’s been educational, sometimes it’s been a bit scary, it’s always been colourful!… And most of all, it’s been successful. And ladies and gentlemen, I know that success is entirely down to you. You’ve been encouraging me, supporting me, talking to me… and buying my yarn and fiber. I am incredibly grateful.

For a little while now, I’ve been thinking about how I can show you my thanks, how I can make it real. And so I am very excited to introduce SpaceCadet’s Cadet Credits, a way to reward my loyal customers and let them know how much I appreciate them. Here’s how it works: I will give you a $10 credit every time your purchases accumulate to $150 (minus discounts, taxes, and shipping costs). Your credits will never expire, you can use them right away or saved them up to be used all together, and they can be used on anything in the SpaceCadet Creations shop. It’s my way of showing you how much your support has meant to me throughout 2010.

And that last sentence up there… that’s not just some kind of marketing waffle to make you feel good. I really mean it. So I’m not going to implement Cadet Credits from just today onwards, I’m going to give credit to my customers for all their purchases throughout 2010. Don’t worry — you don’t have calculate a thing. I’ll kept track of all the numbers and will be emailing you shortly to let you know how much credit you have, or how close you are to earning one.

And with that, it is time to look forward to 2011 — it’s going to be an exciting year! There are a lot of great things planned here in the SpaceCadet studio — some I’ll tell you about as they develop, and some that will stay top-secret until they’re ready for their reveal. I can’t wait to get started.

But you… You can start celebrating 2011 right away. So go on! Go spend those credits!

For full details of the Cadet Credit Programme (it’s not complicated!), click here.

I Can’t Show You This Yarn

21DecApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

I’ve dyed two skeins of my lovely sparkly Lucina yarn in the colourway Southeasterly. It’s an amazing blend of deep purples and seaweed greens. The sparkles in the yarn shimmer in the light, and it is absolutely gorgeous.

And my camera simply won’t photograph it.

My camera has always struggled with purples. Time and time again, they come out more blue than they really are. I’ve tried adjusting all sorts of things on the camera — the white balance, the colour settings, the exposure compensation — but to no avail. I’ve tried manipulating the colours after I download the picture to make them more realistic, but they refuse to play. Purples come out blue, and a horrid garish blue at that. And so I have no way to show you what this yarn really looks like.

Which is a real shame, because it’s beautiful. It took my breath away when I pulled it out of the dyepot. The colourway is Southeasterly and is much like the yarn I dyed in this colourway before…

But this time, it’s so much more intense, so much more striking. And then with the sparkles too…

I wish I could show it to you, I really do. But you’re just going to have to believe me when I say it doesn’t look like this. It really doesn’t look like this — it is so, so, soooo much better.

And if there are any photographers out there who can tell me what I am doing wrong, I’d be incredibly grateful for any suggestions. …Or, better yet, if there are any knitting photographers who want to come round and give me a lesson on capturing better purples, there might be a skein or two of yarn in it for you..!