Knit Picks “Fan Favorites” Box Review – September 2019

Knit Picks is an online yarn and knitting supply company that specializes in providing high-quality materials at a reasonable price. They also 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. Want to see a different Knit Picks box reviewed? Let us know by voting in the comments below!

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 Box

The Cost: $48.00 per month + free US shipping (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 for free and worldwide for varying rates

Knit Picks Fan Favorites September 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 from their in-house yarn and pattern lines. 

A card is included in the box that details the contents of this month’s Fan Favorites Box. The description reads:

Our latest collection, Spectrum: A Colorwork Collection in Palette, is guaranteed to satisfy your need for engaging knits. There are a few beginner-friendy patterns included to help get you started on your stranded knitting journey, as well as enough of our colorwork superstar yarn, Palette, to make the Color Shock Hat!

There was a second card in the box that goes into more detail 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 October!

Now, onto the good stuff - the yarn!

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Knit Picks Palette Yarn in colors "Majestic," "Cream," and "Cyan" - Retail Value $11.37 ($3.79 per skein)

The box included three colors of Knit Picks' Palette yarn line, which is their yarn specifically developed for stranded colorwork. We received a bright purple, cream, and bright blue. The yarn is fingering weight and contains 231 yards in 50 grams, and it is 100% Peruvian Highland wool. I like that this yarn comes in 50 gram balls (instead of the traditional 100g skein), because for a lot of colorwork patterns you only need small amounts of lots of different colors of yarn.

Peruvian Highland wool isn't known for being the softest yarn in the world, and this yarn definitely feels more rustic than a lot of the merino wool or wool blends I'm used to working with. That said, it has a really great "stickiness" where the strands of the fibers want to hold together really well. This wooly feeling is ideal for stranded colorwork (or Fair Isle) knitting, and I was excited to try this yarn out!

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Spectrum: A Colorwork Collection in Palette book - Retail Value $29.99 (currently on sale for $17.99)

The box included a new pattern book by Knit Picks, called Spectrum. It features 11 patterns all made out of their Palette yarn, and has items such as scarves, hats, and sweaters. I appreciate that this book doesn't go overboard on showing multiple versions of the same colorwork charts in different color combinations like previous pattern books I've received from Knit Picks have. There is only one color variation per pattern shown, but as you can see from the page detailing all of the different colorways available, the possibilities are endless! I'm already planning a Flurries scarf in different shades of taupe and brown - there are so many lovely neutrals included in this collection, as well as lots of fun bright colors.

The book also has a fairly large intro section on colorwork knitting techniques, and I found it to be thorough and well-written. If you are new to colorwork knitting or if this is a technique you have been wanting to try, I think this book would be a great resource for you!

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Soak Wash in Ravelry Unleash, 8 oz. - Retail Value $16.00

I love that we received a full-size bottle of Soak! Soak Wash is my absolute favorite product for washing my hand-knits, and I can always use more of it. Soak is biodegradable, phosphate-free, dye-free, and non-toxic. You can use it for handwashing, or I have used it in my washing machine when I wash my delicate store-bought sweaters or dresses.

I was especially excited to get this limited-edition scent, called "Unleash," that was released as a celebration of the online knitting community Ravelry's 10-year anniversary. Unleash has a light, fruity scent that I really like. I blocked a couple of sweaters with it, and I really like how light the scent is - it's very subtle compared to some of the other Soak scents I've used, and I appreciate that!

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Pastel Yarn Hank Enamel Stitch Markers - Retail Value $14.99

How adorable are these stitch markers?! There are five in the set, and they are all different pastel colors of a skein of yarn. The packaging was interesting, as the stitch markers were not assembled onto their pins when they came. It gave me the idea that if you wanted to, these skeins would make a very fun set of earrings or a necklace! I absolutely love the sparkle in these pins, and they make a great beginning-of-round stitch marker.

I was really drawn to the Churchyard Railing hat in the pattern book - I just love the detailing in the crown decreases. I decided to use my yarn to make this hat, and I'll alternate between the purple and blue colors for stripes throughout.

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Here's my progress so far! When I do colorwork I use both hands, keeping one color in my left and one color in my right. I didn't realize this technique had a specific name, but according to this pattern book, this is called Scandinavian knitting. I love being able to knit this way because it gives me enough mental challenge to be engaging (plus it uses both sides of your brain!), but the rhythmic stitch counts make it a relaxing knit at the same time. Let me know in the comments below if you like to knit colorwork as well!

Verdict: I thought this was a great Fan Favorites box! I liked that the yarn we received went along with the pattern book, and the stitch markers and Soak wash were great extras that I know I'll get a lot of use out of. For $48.00, we received three skeins of yarn, a pattern book, a set of enamel stitch markers, and a bottle of Soak Wash for a total retail value of $72.35. Knit Picks advertises the boxes as having a $60 value, and most of their boxes are right around that mark, so this month's box has a higher value than usual, which is great! If you know you are a fan of Knit Picks products, or you want to try new yarn and knitting/crochet items at a 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 October 15th, you will get the September 2019 box—but act fast.

Value Breakdown: At $48.00, here’s approximately what you are paying for each item:

• Knit Picks Palette yarn - $7.54 ($2.51 per skein)
• Spectrum pattern book - $19.90
• Soak Wash - $10.62
• Stitch Markers - $9.94

Check out all of our Knit Picks reviews and the best arts & crafts subscription boxes of 2019!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you think of the September 2019 Knit Picks Fan Favorites Box? 

My Subscription Addiction is planning to review each of the box types on a rotating basis, and we are letting YOU choose which one we review next. Leave a comment below on which box you would like to see reviewed next month: the Fan Favorites box, the Skill Builder box, the Sock Yarn box, the Crochet Lover box, or the Sock Labs box! Thank you!