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 U.S. 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 December 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 information card that comes in the box highlights their partnership with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit dedicated to global reforestation. A downloadable version of the full Inspirations booklet is available through a link to a private section of the KnitCrate website.
KnitCrate Information Card
The theme this month is Squad Goals, which features 2 skeins of Audine Wools Twinkle DK, a blend of 80% Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Stellina. Each skein weighs 100g and includes 250 yards of twinkly yarn. I can't wait to knit something sparkly!
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 colorways available this month: The All-Natural colorway is Rollerskates, a beigy-taupe with hints of yellow; Energize Me features the signature shade Squad Goals, a bright, cheerful coral; and Chill Out includes Knit Yorker, a soft and peaceful periwinkle.
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 may be. This month's patterns showcase open, airy designs that give your yarn room to really sparkle and shine. The knit pattern is a shawl with fun tassels, and the crochet pattern is a fringed scarf. Usually, there are also two bonus patterns, but as of review time, they had not yet been posted to the KnitCrate website.
The featured maker this month is fiber explorer Kristy Glass. Kristy is known for her YouTube videos where she introduces her followers to fiber makers and enthusiasts from all over the world. This makes her the perfect influencer to represent the Squad Goals theme, which is meant as a celebration of the fiber community, even if we're all knitting and crocheting more by ourselves lately. Kristy collaborated with KnitCrate to create the fun, joyful colorways in this month's crates.
Now, onto the good stuff – the yarn!
Audine Wools Twinkle DK in Knit Yorker – Retail Value $14.00
This month's yarn is Audine Wools Twinkle DK, which is a blend of 80% Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Stellina. It's a soft, luxurious yarn that feels perfectly dreamy and magical for these early days of winter when the sight of snow and holiday lights fills you with wonder.
I received the Chill Out colorway this month and I really couldn't be more excited. Purple has been my favorite color for my entire life, and I've always loved a little (or a lot) of sparkle in my wardrobe. While KnitCrate calls this color periwinkle, to me it's more of a lavender.
Squad Goals drawstring bag (not available for sale)
More purple! This drawstring bag is helpful for keeping your projects safe when you're not working on them, and for traveling if that ever becomes a thing again. But after just a few days of storing my project, one of the strings snapped in half after the slightest tug, which makes me a little disappointed in the quality. After receiving a pen last month and a bag this month, I'd love to see KnitCrate get back into sending notions that are more directly related to knitting and crocheting, like stitch markers and needle toppers.
Since I was so excited about this month's yarn, the pressure was on to choose the perfect pattern. This proved to be a challenge! I wanted something open and airy to show off the sparkle in the yarn, so I started work on the Woodstock Shawl, the featured knit pattern of the month.
Image via KnitCrate
While this is a beautiful shawl, it didn't take long for me to realize it wasn't what I wanted to knit this month. I'm not typically a shawl person, and I found that the yarn was splitting easily on all the kfb increases in the pattern. What I really wanted was a scarf. Since I loved this yarn so much and wanted to make something I'd be excited to wear, I set off around the internet to find another pattern. After a few false starts, I settled on the Liquid Silver Scarf from the blog Undeniable Glitter. This pattern had everything I was looking for. It was open and airy to show off the glitter, but not too dainty. This isn't a yarn you'd want to use for an intricate lace pattern. It would just be too much.
Another thing I liked about this scarf was that it was a simple 2-row repeat pattern. My box arrived in the final days before Christmas, when my brain was scrambled from all the holiday craziness. My many false starts with more complex patterns made me realize that what I needed was a simple, meditative project where it would be easy to correct any mistakes my tired brain might make.
The scarf knit up quickly. There was no set length in the pattern, but I decided I wanted a shorter scarf so I could use the rest of the yarn in a more challenging project when I was feeling up to it. One skein provided just enough yardage for a cute, short finished scarf that was easy to style a few different ways.
Just look at that sparkle!
The pattern creates a natural diagonal edge and curls slightly, so if you make this one, you might want to block it afterward to make it more of a rectangle shape.
Or you could just tuck in the ends and wear it as a cowl. You could even sew the edges together to create an infinity scarf. It's a pretty versatile pattern.
Verdict: This KnitCrate box felt like it was made just for me! I got to make a beautiful project that will make me smile all winter long. This box is a real treat if you enjoy a little sparkle in your knitting, but if you prefer a more natural look, you might be disappointed this month. 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 2 skeins of premium yarn, an online pattern booklet with 2 patterns, and a yarn bag 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. January's reveal post is here and it looks like another winner! 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 January box (while supplies last).
Value Breakdown: At $24.99, you're paying slightly under the retail value of the yarn alone, while also getting the patterns and yarn bag. 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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