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 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 (for the eco-friendly packaging option)
The Products: 2-4 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 November 2020 Review
KnitCrate Membership is the flagship box from the KnitCrate brand. It's the perfect box for knitters looking to further develop their knitting knowledge or expand their yarn stash! The yarn they send is from one of their in-house brands, and it’s always very high quality.
This month, KnitCrate is continuing with their new sustainability campaign, where we have eco-friendly mailer bags instead of the cardboard boxes of the past. You can still request the traditional cardboard box if you are attached to it (it will cost you slightly more though). Also, the booklet that comes in the box highlights their partnership with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit dedicated to global reforestation.
KnitCrate Inspirations Booklet, November 2020 - Retail Value $40.00
The theme this month is Chiaroscuro, which features 4 mini skeins of thoughtful, pensive colors inspired by the Renaissance. I can't wait to see how these colors will play off each other in the patterns!
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: The All-Natural color family includes warms shades of brown and gold. Energize Me features different shades of pink and Chill Out has a mix of blues.
KnitCrate always sends a knitting pattern and a crochet pattern to go along with the yarn, which makes this subscription great no matter what your preferred craft. This month's patterns showcase colorwork so you can include all 4 colors from your crate. The knitting pattern is a striped baby sweater and the crochet pattern is a veining beanie. There are also bonus knit and crochet patterns members can access on the KnitCrate website in case neither of the main patterns inspire you.
The featured maker this month is Vincent Williams of Visuvio's Crafts. Vincent designed the yarns and colors for this month's crate and created a brand new crochet pattern exclusively for KnitCrate. I loved reading in the booklet about how he learned to crochet from his grandmother as a child.
The back of the booklet shows a sneak peek of the theme for December – it will be “Squad Goals” and it looks like it will bring some much-needed brightness and cheer to the start of winter!
The booklet also contains information for the 
Now, onto the good stuff – the yarn!
Vidalana Ambient Worsted in Gouache – Retail Value $7.00
This month's yarn is Vidalana Ambient Worsted, which is a 100% Peruvian Highland Wool described in the booklet as a "tried-and-true workhorse of a yarn". I think this description massively undersells the yarn's appeal. It's incredibly soft for a wool. I wasn't bothered by any scratchiness from either knitting with it or wearing my finished project. It also provides a little stretch, making it easy to move between needles, even doing decreases on circular needles.
I received the All Natural colorway this month. The first mini skein that caught my eye is Gouache, a light, dreamy blue that will remind you of watching clouds float by on a sunny day.
Vidalana Ambient Worsted in Sfumato – Retail Value $7.00
Next up is Sfumato, a creamy mocha that other colors will surely pop against.
Vidalana Ambient Worsted Weight in DaVinci – Retail Value $7.00
This yarn is truly a color I've never seen before. It's not quite a gold, but not quite a copper. It's definitely going to make a statement in this month's project!
Vidalana Ambient Worsted Weight in Stipple – Retail Value $7.00
This is a rich, dark espresso brown, a perfect late fall neutral.
KnitCrate Pen (not available for sale)
I have to admit when I found this pen in my box, I cynically thought they'd piled up some corporate swag in the office that they needed to get rid of. But it turned out to be particularly useful in my project since I needed to check off rows to make sure I didn't miss any color changes. Maybe that's what they had in mind?
I couldn't wait for my crate to arrive so I could get started on the beautiful Leonardo Hat, which was one of the month's bonus patterns. Hats are my absolute favorite items to knit. I love having different homemade beanies on hand to match my various winter coats, and they also make great gifts that you can knit up in a few days. Since I ended up with the All-Natural colorway, which featured colors I don't typically wear, I decided to make a toddler size hat. These colors are great if you need a baby gift for a family that prefers gender-neutral clothing.
The Leonardo pattern offered a few different striping options. I went with the faded stripes option that I'd fallen in love with on Instagram. This was probably the most difficult pattern to follow since it had the most color changes. It took me a few times to figure out what I needed to do since all the different striped patterns were combined onto one page as well as stitch counts for several different sizing options. I ended up copying my directions into a blank document and printed it out to keep everything straight. This is where the pen came in handy!
When I was done knitting, the colors looked a little more adult than I'd hoped for, so I decided to add some whimsy with a pom-pom. This photo shows off how different these rich colors can look when you change the background or lighting.
I loved how my hat turned out and think it would be cute on my 2-year-old daughter, who runs whenever I try to use her as a model. I did manage to get this on her head long enough to determine it fit! I have enough leftover yarn that I could make a pair of matching mittens or even a second hat. With just a few skeins of these colors, you could probably make a hat for every member of your family for a fun holiday card photoshoot in the woods. You could even let everyone choose their own striping option to show off their personality.
Verdict: I thought this was a great KnitCrate box! This one was all about the colors, and I ended up with a cute project for a gift. 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 four mini skeins of yarn, a pattern booklet with 4 patterns, and a pen for a total retail value of $28 for just the yarn. I think this is a decent 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 15th) before the subscription renews on the first. They then release all the details on the yarns and patterns on the 1st of the month. December's reveal post is here and I can't wait to try out this sparkly yarn! 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 likely receive the December box (while supplies last).
Value Breakdown: At $24.99, you're paying an average of $4.16 per each item in the box. Considering the yarn is selling for $7 per skein, that's a pretty good value!
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What did you think of the October 2020 KnitCrate Membership Crate? Let us know in the comments!
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