Note from Liz: I’m so happy to introduce our newest reviewer to the MSA team! Welcome, Krista!
KnitCrate is a monthly yarn subscription box for knitters and crocheters! Each box includes a new exclusive yarn and corresponding patterns for knit and crochet projects.
They offer four different subscription options:
- Membership Crate: $24.99 per month, for two skeins of their in-house premium yarn plus exclusive knit & crochet patterns
- Artisan Crate: $39.99 per month, for two skeins of indie dyed yarn in limited edition colorways, two exclusive knitting patterns (1 beginner, 1 intermediate/advanced), and a bonus item
- Sock Crate: $19.99 per month, for one skein of their in-house premium fingering weight yarn and an exclusive pattern
- Sock Artisan Crate: $27.99 per month, for one skein of indie dyed fingering weight yarn, an exclusive pattern, and a bonus item
This review is of the KnitCrate Membership Crate, $24.99 a month. This subscription is being reviewed thanks to an MSA reader request!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Yarn Subscription Box
The Subscription Box: KnitCrate
The Cost: $24.99 per month. (Other plans available from $19.99 per month to $39.99 per month.)
The Products: Two skeins of premium yarn plus 1 knitting pattern and 1 crochet pattern
Ships to: US and worldwide for free!
Good to Know: All members receive 25% off shop purchases, and earn points for every dollar you spend on your subscription and any orders from their shop. Points can be redeemed for cash off of shop purchases or your regular subscription.
My Knit Crate Review
I have been receiving KnitCrate for several months now, but this is my first official review of their boxes! I love this subscription and have been impressed with the quality and with the improvements I’ve seen them implement over time. One big change that happened this month was the inclusion of a mini-magazine called “KnitCrate Inspirations” containing all the patterns for the month - six patterns in total! The booklet contains 60 pages of fully-written patterns and interesting articles. Below are the pages relevant to the Membership crate yarns:
KnitCrate Inspirations booklet - Retail Value $40
The booklet included a download code so that you could add the PDF version to your Ravelry library. When I used the code it listed the booklet as having a value of $40, but at the time of our review, the booklet is not currently for sale as a separate item.
The booklet is printed on high-quality magazine paper and is a great size! Last month was the first time they included the written patterns in the boxes (instead of a download code on a card), and I thought that was a great inclusion in this box. I think that the creation of this magazine is a great addition to the subscription and really increases the value, as you get all of the patterns for the month regardless of which type of crate you subscribe to.
This month’s theme was “Verdigris,” which is described as the coppery and green tones of the patina of time.
There were four colorways that you could have received this month: Mouse (a warm gray), Olive (a muted green), Ash (a sky blue), or Blush (a terracotta pink).
The two patterns that go along with the Membership yarn are a crochet bandana-style scarf and a lacy shawl. The patterns are very clearly laid out and include all of the relevant information about needle size, gauge, etc. See the end of this review for more of my thoughts on the knit pattern!
The mini-mag also has information about the designers of all of the patterns and a very informative article about caring for non-superwash yarns. I love that KnitCrate thought of interesting information to include alongside the patterns! I especially enjoyed learning about how to block non-superwash yarn, as it’s not a very common type of fiber anymore.
Now, onto the best part - the yarn!
Audine Wools Halo DK Yarn by KnitCrate, Blush Colorway - Total Listed Value $48.00 ($24.00 each)
(This yarn isn’t listed for sale in the KnitCrate shop yet, but the booklet lists the value at $24/skein. They typically list each month’s yarn for sale in the last week of the month, after fulfilling subscriber orders.)
The base this month is a new one for KnitCrate! It’s 50% Peruvian alpaca, 30% Merino wool from South America, and 20% nylon. The yarn is incredibly squishy and has a lot of bounciness to it. Alpaca fibers can sometimes be slightly scratchy, but there is really none of that here. The yarn is very soft and has a slight halo of fuzziness.
Here the yarn is unskeined. Out of the four color possibilities this month, I received the colorway called Blush. It’s a tonal, muted reddish pink color that is absolutely perfect for fall. I typically am drawn more to neutral or cool colors, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this color when I opened my package this month! It’s a softer color than it appears in photographs and I think it would be a flattering color on many different people.
Each skein contains 236 yards (215 meters) and weighs 100 grams. It is hand-wash only.
I decided to knit up the lace shawl pattern for this month. I definitely agree with their designation of this being an intermediate pattern, as it combines two different lace patterns that you have to keep track of at the same time. I am a pretty experienced knitter and found myself having to undo several rows at the beginning before I got the hang of how the pattern worked. Once I got going, though, the two lace patterns were not difficult at all and I would encourage anyone who has a little bit of lace knitting experience to try this pattern! Two things I do to help me when I’m knitting lace are to use stitch markers between each lace repeat (this pattern specifies where to put the stitch markers, but a lot of patterns out there don’t), and also to use a sticky note as a marker of where you are in your pattern (see above in the photo). They included both the written instructions and the charts so you can use whichever you are more comfortable with!
One thing I feel I have to mention - I did find quite a few typos or errors in the written lace instructions. For example, a few lines just have a number (ex. 17) with no indication of whether to knit or purl (ex. P17). I was able to figure out which stitch to do based on the previous rows and by checking the charts, but I think that this would be incredibly frustrating for a more beginner knitter. In the notes about the designer of this pattern it does say that the designer is from Spain and usually only writes knitting patterns in Spanish, so I’m not sure if there was a problem with translation just for this particular pattern or if this is something typical with KnitCrate patterns. If you plan on making this pattern and want more detailed pattern info from me, leave a comment below and I’d be happy to help you with the adjustments I made!
Besides the few errors I found, I really did enjoy this pattern! I love the leaf motif for fall and I thought the alpaca yarn was perfectly suited for a cozy accessory. The shawl is an asymmetrical triangle, which is a very popular design style in knitting right now.
Here I am holding the shawl out to its full size so you can get a sense of how large it actually is. Since the yarn is a thicker weight and the shawl is worked up on size 9 needles, this project was very fast to make! I was able to complete the project over the course of a long weekend.
This was my first time making an asymmetrical shawl pattern and I thought it was super fun to make! There are many ways to wear an asymmetrical shawl, and here I am including photos of my favorite two ways to wear it - either bandana-style with the point centered, or loosely wrapped with the long lace edging hanging down in front. Both ways add a little extra flair to an outfit! I’m very excited to wear this shawl for the rest of fall and winter!
Verdict: This has been one of my favorite KnitCrates to date! I absolutely love the inclusion of the mini-mag and am excited they are going to continue to send written patterns in the future. I also liked that they stepped outside of the superwash merino box and sent us a more interesting fiber. I have always been a big fan of alpaca yarn so I was especially excited to see that they now have an alpaca base in their collection. I do wish that the patterns had been more thoroughly edited, but I’m hopeful that as they get more used to including these booklets they will be able to pay more attention to the details in the future. Since this was the first month of having the booklets I’m willing to give them another shot! Overall I think this is a very fun subscription if you enjoy knitting or crocheting. It provides you with new inspiration and fibers to try, and I’ve been extremely impressed with the quality of the yarn that they send.
A few other things that are good to know: if you follow KnitCrate on Instagram or join their Ravelry group, they reveal spoilers at the end of each month before the subscription renews on the first. If you are pickier about what fibers you like to use or want to avoid certain colors, these would be great to check out. Otherwise, you won’t know what the theme, yarn, or patterns will be before they renew your subscription for the month. (But if you sign up during the month of October, you’ll see the October yarns and patterns before you join, so you WILL know what your first box will be).
One last thing to note: this month the KnitCrates were shipped in padded envelopes, not their usual aqua boxes. I reached out to KnitCrate for comment, and they let me know that due to the size of the booklets, they exceeded the weight limit allowed for shipping with their usual boxes and had to make a last-minute switch to envelopes for this month only. Next month they will be making smaller booklets to keep the weight under the limit and will be going back to the boxes.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes- if you sign up anytime during the month of October, your first box will be the October box (while supplies last).
Value Breakdown: For $24.99, we received two skeins of yarn and six knitting and crochet patterns, with a total retail value estimated around $88 (if you believe that the booklet is truly worth $40). I think this is a very reasonable price for what you receive, since high-end premium yarn is usually around $25-35 per skein in a local yarn store, and most patterns on Ravelry are $5-10 each.
Check out all the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great knitting, craft supply, and DIY project boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What did you think of the October 2018 KnitCrate? How are your projects coming along?
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