Knit Picks is an online yarn and knitting supply company that specializes in providing high-quality materials at a reasonable price. They recently launched a line of monthly subscription boxes featuring their products!
The options for boxes are as follows:
- Skill Builder: $48.00 per month, for yarn, knitting needles, instructional materials, and other knitting supplies. This box focuses on teaching you something new each month!
- Sock Yarn: $48.00 per month, for 2 skeins of sock-weight yarn, a sock pattern book, a shawl or accessory pattern, and knitting goodies (needles, accessories, stitch markers, pins, etc.)
- Fan Favorites: $48.00 per month, for a surprise assortment of yarn, needles, and tools that are either brand-new to the shop or products that are best sellers.
- Crochet Lover: $27.00 per month, for at least 150g of yarn, a crochet pattern or book, and crochet goodies (hooks, tools, etc.)
- Sock Labs: $27.00 per month, for 2 limited-edition hand painted skeins of yarn and one pattern
This review is of the Fan Favorites box, $48.00 per month.
Vote in the comments for which box you’d like us to review next month!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Knit Picks
The Subscription Box: Knit Picks Fan Favorites
The Cost: $48.00 per month (other plans available starting from $27.00, and save with longer subscription plans)
The Products: a surprise assortment of yarn, patterns, knitting needles and tools, and fun extras
Ships to: the US and worldwide
Knit Picks Fan Favorites January 2019 Review
Knit Picks is a fantastic online store for knitters and crocheters, and it’s always been one of my favorite places to shop for yarn and tools! They recently launched a line of subscription boxes that feature different products, and I was very excited to try my first one this month.
The box included a description card showing the contents of the January 2019 Fan Favorites box. I love their reasoning behind the curation of the box - January is definitely a month when you want cozy accessories!
There was a second card in the box that goes into more details on each of the different boxes available. MSA plans to review a different box type from Knit Picks each month, and we are leaving the choice up to you! Please let us know in the comments below which box type you’d like to see reviewed for February!
Knit Picks Swish Bulky, in Amethyst Heather - Retail Value $29.97 ($9.99 per hank)
This month’s box included three skeins of the Swish Bulky yarn, and it’s so gorgeous! The color is a deep jewel-toned purple, and this yarn is so incredibly soft and squishy. It feels very luxurious, and I love that it’s very affordable.
The yarn is 100% superwash merino, and each skein is 137 yards - so we have a total of 411 yards for a project in this box. See below for my project using this yarn and more of my thoughts on it.
Basketweave Snood Pattern - Retail Value $4.99
The pattern included in the box is printed out in booklet form on thick paper, which I really appreciate. The pattern is perfectly suited to the bulky-weight yarn we received and is a great beginner-level project. It should be a quick project to knit up, especially since you hold the yarn doubled throughout.
KnitPicks Embossed Interchangeable Needle Case in Watermelon - Retail Value $19.99
This is the highlight of the box for me! As someone who primarily knits with interchangeable knitting needles, this case is something that is very useful to have. The case is 6 inches by 8 inches and features a cute watermelon print embossed on pink vinyl. If pink isn’t your thing, they have tons of other colors and patterns to choose from.
The case zips open completely to lay flat and features an inside flap that holds 20 pairs of needle tips (10 per side). There are also two zipper pouches inside each of the covers to hold your different cord lengths and other accessories.
I couldn’t wait to re-home my interchangeable sets into this cute case! I have one set from Knit Picks and one set from Chicago, and they both fit comfortably in the pockets. Most interchangeable sets have a key that helps you tighten the tips onto the cables, and I find that I am always looking for a key when I’m assembling my needle for a new project - I’m always losing them! If this happens to you as well, my tip is to attach one of the keys to the inside of the case using a piece of scrap yarn and a safety pin (you can also do this on the inside of your knitting bag!).
Knitting is my Cardio 20oz Water Bottle - Retail Value $4.99
How cute is this water bottle? I fully identify with this statement, as I knit and crochet during most of my free time! According to a quick web search, knitting burns about 100 calories per hour, so it’s better than nothing, right? The water bottle is BPA-free plastic and is made in the US. It’s a great size to tuck into your knitting bag and take on the go!
When I opened the box and saw this yarn, I immediately thought of making a large, squishy scarf that I could wrap around myself. I liked the simplicity of the basketweave snood pattern that came with the box, but I wanted something that had a looser texture and a longer length. I used the advanced search feature on Ravelry and came up with the Escarpment Cowl by Kelly McClure. It’s exactly what I had in my head when I saw this yarn, and it’s a free pattern found on her blog here! I think that the Knit Picks Swish Bulky yarn is absolutely perfect for this pattern, and it’s knitting up to be such a cozy and wonderful scarf. The stitch pattern looks like brioche stitch (which can be a more complex stitch pattern), but it’s actually a variant of Fisherman’s Rib, and it’s very straightforward and easy to learn. If you can do a simple knit stitch, you can make this scarf!
Verdict: I absolutely loved my first month getting a Knit Picks subscription box! I thought the curation of the box was truly on-point for January. I appreciated the themes of coziness (bulky yarn), organization (needle case), and healthiness (water bottle) - they fit in with things everyone is thinking about with the start of the new year. The products are of great quality and are all items that I will get a lot of use out of.
For $48.00, we received three skeins of yarn, a knitting pattern, a needle case, and a water bottle, with a total retail value of $59.94. Knit Picks advertises the boxes as having a $60 value, so this is spot on with what they promise. If you know you are a fan of Knit Picks products, or you want to try new yarn and knitting items at a great discounted price, I think this box has a great value!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes - if you sign up before February 15th, you will get the January 2019 box.
Value Breakdown: At $48.00, here’s approximately what you are paying for each item:
- Swish Bulky Skeins - $24.00 ($8.00 per skein)
- Basketweave Snood Pattern - $3.99
- Interchangeable Needle Case - $16.00
- Water Bottle - $3.99
Check out 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 January 2019 Knit Picks Fan Favorites box?
What box should we review next month? Leave a comment below on which box you would like to see reviewed next month: the Skill Builder box, the Sock Yarn box, the Crochet Lovers box, or the Sock Labs box! Thank you!
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