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, exclusive knit and crochet patterns in a booklet, and an extra
- Sock Crate: $19.95 per month, for one skein of their in-house premium fingering weight yarn, exclusive knit and crochet patterns in a booklet, and an extra
- Malabrigo Partner Crate: $45.00 per quarter, for a box curated by Malabrigo and KnitCrate that includes delectable yarns, notions, and exclusive knitting patterns
- Mrs. Crosby Travels Partner Crate: $69.99 per quarter, for a box curated by Mrs. Crosby Travels that features three skeins of yarn, notions, and exclusive knitting patterns inspired by different parts of the world
This review is of the KnitCrate Membership Crate for $24.99 a month.
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 KnitCrate Membership Crate
The Subscription Box: KnitCrate
The Cost: $24.99 per month (other plans available from $19.95 per month)
The Products: Two skeins of premium yarn, a pattern booklet (contains 3+ patterns!), and an extra
Ships to: The 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. You also can earn points for reviewing the yarn on their website! Points can be redeemed for cash off of shop purchases or can be used towards your regular subscription.
KnitCrate Membership January 2020 Review
KnitCrate Membership is the flagship box from the KnitCrate brand. In my opinion, it’s the best box to start with if you’re looking to expand your knitting knowledge or expand your yarn stash! The yarn they send is from one of their in-house brands, and it’s always very high quality.
A quick note about my box this month - my box shipped as usual early in January, but was lost somewhere after leaving KnitCrate's Miami warehouse. KnitCrate shipped me another box immediately after I wrote into them, and I wanted to mention this first because of the delay in getting this review written, but also because of the incredible customer service I received when communicating with the KnitCrate team. Thank you for all your help, KnitCrate!
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KnitCrate Inspirations Booklet, January 2020 - Retail Value $40.00
The pattern 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 theme this month is "Citrine," which is a golden theme inspired by "acid greens and yellow, sharp architectural geometry, and contrast color play." A really neat thing about the yarn this month is that we are receiving two different coordinating colorways in our boxes - this is the first time I've personally seen this in a KnitCrate box, and I was really excited to see these yarns. I love how KnitCrate is always thinking outside the box in what they send us.
Also, this box launches a new theme for all the months of 2020 - each box is curated by a yarn industry influencer. I'm looking forward to what these mystery creators and designers will bring to this subscription! January's influencer is Louis Boria, who is known as Brooklyn Boy Knits. The booklet goes into a little bit of background on his fiber story, and he is also a designer of one of the patterns this month.
KnitCrate has "Color Vibe" options, where you get to choose which color family you would like to receive. Coordinating with those three color options are three colorway combinations available this month: Safari Sunset & Golden Lion (Energize Me), a bright tangerine with pops of greens and browns; Concrete Jungle & Bushwick (All Natural), a soft tan with pops of orange and acid yellow; or Royal Court & Empire (Chill Out), a royal blue with pops of purple and gray.
The KnitCrate Membership box always has one knitting pattern and one crochet pattern included. I love this inclusivity for both crafts, as a lot of yarn-focused boxes and companies have an emphasis on knitting only. This month the knitting pattern is for a double-thick cowl, and the crochet pattern is also for a cowl. I appreciate that both patterns take inspiration from the same type of item but put their own spin on it.
The back of the booklet shows a sneak peek of the theme for February - it will be “Once Upon a Yarn,” and I can’t wait to see what they come up with from this color palette and inspiration - those soft blushes and pastel tones look so pretty!
The booklet also contains two patterns for the Sock Membership Crate box. You can find out more information about this box by reading our previous reviews and visiting the KnitCrate website.
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Knitologie Worsted in Concrete Jungle and Bushwick - Retail Value $48.00 ($24.00 per skein)
As mentioned above, we received two coordinating colorways this month in our box. I received the All Natural option, which included Concrete Jungle: a tan base with spots of deeper tan, brown, orangey red, and yellow, and Bushwick, which is a muted tan colorway with subtle variations of deeper and lighter browns. The khaki tan base for both yarns is exactly the same.
The yarn is 100% Superwash Merino wool in worsted weight, which is a powerhouse type of yarn. This is one of the most versatile types of yarn out there - you can make anything from scarves to hats to mittens to sweaters with this type of base! Each skein contains 225 yards in 100 grams.
Also - look at how cute the labels are! They each have a little cartoon drawing of Brooklyn Boy Knits, and I love this attention to a fun detail. I hope they continue to illustrate the box curator like this!
Knitted Hat
The extra this month was a teeny tiny knitted hat topped with a small pom pom. The hat is about 1" x 1.5" big, and it has no pin or anything else on it. I was perusing the KnitCrate Ravelry forum and saw a lot of suggestions on what to do with this tiny hat, and some were quite hilarious - people were using it as a small pet hat, a wine bottle topper, or a Barbie accessory. Some of the more practical suggestions were gluing a magnet to the back and putting it on your fridge, or attaching a pin to the back. I decided to use a safety pin to affix the small hat to one of my knitting bags, and quite like it there!
A note on the extra: KnitCrate announced that we were to be receiving needle point protectors, but then said that the point protectors did not arrive on time, so the small hats were their backup extra for the month. They are planning to send the point protectors in a future box.
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When I first saw this yarn in the previews, my first thought was that the coordinating pairs looked like the perfect "brio-duos," which are pairs of yarn that work well for two-color brioche stitch. Brioche is a technique that I would love to get better at, so I was excited to find a project that I could use this yarn for. I decided on the Kodiak Cowl, which is a free pattern that comes with video tutorials for each step - perfect! Here's my progress so far - my stitches are a little bit wonky sometimes, but I'm definitely getting into a groove the more I work on it. I find the brioche stitches very rhythmic and meditative, so this is the perfect project to pick up after a long day at work when I want to relax.
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My favorite thing about brioche is that it's completely reversible! Here's the "wrong" side of my project, where the tan Bushwick color is in the foreground, rather than the colorful Concrete Jungle colorway. I think I might prefer this side better - what do you think?
Verdict: I thought this was a very fun KnitCrate box; I loved that we were sent two coordinating colorways, and I'm really excited about the influencer-curated boxes this year. If you are a knitter or crocheter who is open to trying new types of yarn, this would be a great subscription box to check out! For $24.99, we received two skeins of yarn, 4 knitting and crochet patterns, and a small knitted hat with a total value estimated around $88.00. I think this is an amazing value 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.
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 (usually around the 20th) before the subscription renews on the first. They then release all the details on the yarns and patterns on the 1st of the month. Find a video of February's reveal here. 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.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive the February box if you order before the end of the month (while supplies last).
Value Breakdown: At $24.99, here’s approximately what you are paying for each item:
- Knitologie Worsted Yarn - $13.63 ($6.81 per skein)
- Pattern Booklet - $11.36
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What did you think of the January 2020 KnitCrate Membership Crate? Let us know in the comments!
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