yarn

Welcome to Monday! No, Tuesday. No… Wait…

By Stephanie

Is it Wednesday already?  Wednesday?!?  Ach!  I meant to blog yesterday!  Errr… I mean Monday.  And do a shop update.  Have I done the shop update?!?

It’s been crazy here the past week.  There are only a few days left before Homespun Yarn Party and we are working like mad to finish the dyeing and get the last of the loose strings tied up (ha ha — no pun intended!).  And, as well, I’ve been putting together the Welcome Packs for the the new members of InterStellar Yarn Alliance.  It’s been so much fun seeing people sign up, that I can’t wait to get started on the first parcels in April!  Busy busy days…  but exciting too.

yarn, knitting, handdyed, hand-dyed, spacecadet, space cadet, sock yarn
Shop Update, clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Sincerity, Stella yarn in Heartthrob, Estelle yarn in Avarice, and Lucina yarn in Swollen

HomeSpun Yarn Party

So, if you live in the DC-Baltimore area and you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, please come see us at the HomeSpun Yarn Party.  It is a fantastic event, a showcase of over 30 indie dyers and spinners, so you know you’ll have a fab time.  And we’d love to meet you!

Homespun Yarn Party
Sunday March 27, 12noon – 5pm
Historic Savage Mill 8600 Foundry Street, Savage, MD 20763
.
 

InterStellar Yarn Alliance

Don’t forget, there’s just over a week left to sign up for the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance!  It’s been wonderful fun watching people join and introducing themselves in the Yarn Alliance group.  It’s going to be a great yarn club, so if you like the idea of having a parcel full of yarny goodness arrive on your doorstep every other month, come and join us!

And finally, the shop update

yarn, knitting, sock yarn, spacecadet, space cadet, hand-dyed, handdyed
Shop Update, clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Cove, Stella yarn in SeaFoam, Estelle yarn in Translucence, and Estelle yarn in Petrolhead

With everything going on, I’ve managed to sneak in a quick update!  Here’s a bit of colour to brighten up your Wednesday.

…Is it Wednesday already?  Wait!  How did that happen?!?

InterStellar Yarn Alliance Launch Winner!

By Stephanie

The response to the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance Launch contest was FANTASTIC!  I so enjoyed reading all your comments, and seeing all your posts on Ravelry.  Thank you all so much for participating!

I have just run the numbers through Random.org‘s online random number generator and it has chosen a winner.  BUT, before I tell you who it is (because suspense always makes these things so much more fun, don’t you think?)…

.

SpaceCadet Yarn Reviewed by KnitPurlGurl

knitpurlgurl, sock yarn, yarn, knitting, spacecadet

So before I give you the winner’s name, I want to tell you all that I recently got the chance to meet the wonderful KnitPurlGurl at the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, and she’s absolutely lovely — I really wish we’d had time to grab a cup of coffee and sit and knit together for a while!  I gave her a skein of SpaceCadet Estelle yarn and she’s posted a review of it on her website.   If you’ve never used SpaceCadet yarn before, please pop over and see what KnitPurlGurl thinks about it.

.

The Winner

Ok… ok… I’ve made you wait and you’ve been patient, so here we go…  The winner of a skein of SpaceCadet Creations yarn in the the InterStellar Yarn Alliance Launch giveaway is…

robkat317

Congratulations!  Please send me an email with your name and postal address, and I’ll get yarn out to you asap.

Thank you to everyone for participating.  And if you didn’t win and you’re feeling down about that, please do come join us in the Yarn Alliance, where you’ll get the excitement of a mystery parcel of yarn again and again!

Win A Skein of SpaceCadet Yarn!

By Stephanie

I am so excited about the InterStellar Yarn Alliance, the SpaceCadet’s new yarn club which opened for subscriptions on Monday, that I can’t wait for the fun to start!  The first parcels will go out in April, but I really want to do something to kick it off right now…

So I’m going to give away a free skein of lovely SpaceCadet Creations yarn to one  of you this week, and all you have to do to enter is talk about the Yarn Alliance in a post on Ravelry!  It can be anywhere on Ravelry except the SpaceCadet Creations and Interstellar Yarn Alliance groups. Once you’ve done that, leave a comment here with your Ravelry name, and you are entered to win a free skein of SpaceCadet yarn!

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, hand dyed, handdyed
Shop Update (clockwise from top left: Celeste yarn in Carnival, Estelle yarn in Tree Snake, Estelle yarn in Sunshine, and Celeste Yarn in First Love

.

And if you’ve like to earn a second entry after that, just retweet a link to the Yarn Alliance webpage or link to this blog post in a post on Ravelry (and please be sure to mention your Twitter name here if it’s different from your Raverly name).

The giveaway opens now, and closes at the end of Thursday, so you have to be quick!  I’ll announce the winner here on Friday.

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, handdyed, hand-dyed, hand painted
Shop Update (clockwise from top left): Celeste yarn in Forgiven, Estelle yarn in Evening Fog, Celeste yarn in Spice Trade, Celsete yarn in Spare Change

.

Which means that by the end of the week, one of you will be the owner of a new skein of SpaceCadet yarn.  Because you need more yarn in your stash, don’t you?  Don’t you?!?

Of course you do!

spinning, fiber, fibre, merino, alpaca, hand-dyed, handdyed, hand dyed, hand painted
Shop Update (clockwise from top left): Alpaca & Merino fiber in Translucence, Alpaca & Merino fiber in SuperNova, BFL fiber in HandJive, Alpaca & Merino fiber in Beguile

The details (they’re not difficult, I promise!): Contest closes on March 17 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry (that is, mentioning the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance in a post on Ravelry) before completing the ‘extra’ entry (tweeting a link to the Yarn Alliance). Completion of entries must be mentioned in a comment on this blog post to qualify, and comments must include the commenter’s Ravelry or Twitter name (as applicable). Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.  See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?

3.. 2… 1… Launch the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance!

By Stephanie

I have been looking forward to writing this post for weeks — no, months.  This started as a little kernel of an idea just before Christmas and I have spent the last few months coming up with ideas, making plans…  and getting just so excited!

So, I am very very pleased that this day as come at last.  Because today is the day that we launch…

yarn club, yarn, knitting, handdyed, indie dyer

If you like SpaceCadet yarns, then you’ll love being a member of the InterStellar Yarn Alliance!  Each member will receive an exciting parcel delivered every other month containing:

  • SpaceCadet CreationsTM 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 Alliancegift tucked into every parcel!
  • The SpaceCadet’s Log exploring the inspiration for each colourway.
  • An InterStellar Yarn Alliancegroup on Ravelry where you can discuss WIPs, ask questions, and share FOs with fellow Yarn Alliance members.
  • A 15% off coupon every six months

Subscriptions open today and will be available only until March 31. You can subscribe for either 6 months (3 parcels) at $125 or for 12 months (6 parcels) at $235, and parcels will be sent out in late April, June, August, October, December, and February.

I hope you are as excited as I am!  It’s going to be great fun, so please come join Yarn Alliance.  I can’t wait for you to be a member!

The Yarn for Today

By Stephanie

Today, I am not feeling well.   It is a day for tea, and warm socks, and curling up on the couch, being quiet, and breathing slowly.  Today is this yarn…

sock yarn, yarn, hand-dyed, handdyed, wool, knitting, crochet
Stella Yarn in Spare Change

.

But outside, Spring is picking up pace.  The last of the snow is clinging on, but it is a futile effort.  It’s warm today, almost balmy.  The robins are pecking determinedly amid the freshly revealed grass, and the squirrels have appeared to bounce joyfully again from tree to tree.  And the flower beds are filled with proud green shoots as the crocuses awaken after their long sleep.   Oh yes, spring is on it’s way, and I predict a riot!  So really, this yarn is today…

yarn, sock yarn, handdyed, hand-dyed, knitting, crochet
Stella Yarn in Snorkel

.

Different yarns for different moods, different colours for different days…  No one colourway will ever suit every moment.  Is it any wonder knitters end up with such wonderful stashes?!?

yarn, sock yarn, knitting, crochet, hand-dyed, handdyed
(l to r) Celeste Yarn in Cold Flame and Funky Ballet Shoes, Estelle Yarn in Cold Flame

Of Christmas, Ballet, and Good Friends

By Stephanie

Do you remember these funky little slippers by Kate Atherley?  Do you remember I said they’d be perfect for two ballet-mad little girls I know?

.

I had planned to knit them in time for Christmas morning, but as December wore on, the whole month got crazier and crazier and seemed to be flying by at an alarming pace.  One day I looked up at the calendar and realised I had only one week left before Christmas, a bazillion things left to do…  and the wonderful little slippers weren’t even cast on yet.

Is Christmas about gifts or about friends?

My friend Natalie was ridiculously organised and had already finished all her Christmas knitting well before crunchtime.  “Would you like me to knit them for you?, she asked.  “So they’re ready for Christmas Day?”  I was floored!  How could I possibly say yes?  They were supposed to be gift from me!  But looking at the calendar…  oh, how could I not?  Without Natalie’s help, there’d be no Christmas ballet slippers at all.  I said yes.

Natalie knit like a fiend, and got all four slippers done in a week.  …In that last manic week before Christmas.  They were wrapped and under the tree for Christmas Eve.  They were opened on Christmas morning.  They were beautiful!  …And loved.  And danced in.  And danced in… and danced in…

The most perfect Christmas gift!

Knit in Celeste yarn in Funky Ballet Shoes

 

With deep thanks to Natalie for knitting the slippers.  And genuine thanks for Kate Atherley for the pattern and her incredibly kind offer to resize it for tiny feet.

And my deep apologies to both for not blogging about it until now.  That crazy December pace?  Yeah, it’s March and yet the pace still hasn’t let up!