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 per 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 January 2021 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 Shadows, which features 2 skeins of Audine Wools Haze, a blend of 70% Superwash Merino, 20% Kid Mohair, and 10% Silk. Each skein includes 120 yards of 2-ply bulky weight yarn. I can't wait to knit something to wrap myself up in!
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 Penumbra, a soft, silvery-white; Energize Me features Lucid, a purple with warm undertones; and Chill Out includes Dusk, a deep midnight blue.
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 warm, cuddly ways to wear this super soft yarn. The knit pattern is an intricately cabled hat, and the crochet pattern is a cozy cowl. Two bonus patterns will be posted to the KnitCrate website later in the month.
The featured maker this month is Margaret Olander of Sheepishly Sharing, a YouTuber who likes to share her love of knitting, crocheting and sewing with fellow fiber enthusiasts. Margaret collaborated with KnitCrate to create the dreamy colorways in this month's crates and also designed this month's crochet pattern.
Now, onto the good stuff – the yarn!
Audine Wools Haze in Lucid – Retail Value $15.00
This month's yarn is Audine Wools Haze, which is a blend of 70% Superash Merino, 20% Kid Mohair, and 10% Silk. It's soft, bulky and warm. It arrived just before New York got hit with a major snowstorm, and I was grateful for the chance to knit something cuddly!
I received the Energize Me colorway this month. As I mentioned in last month's review, purple is my all-time favorite color, and I was pleased to get another shade to play with. Depending on the light, this yarn can look anywhere from gray to brown, so it will be interesting to see how my finished piece will interact with my wardrobe.
Embroidered Gift Tags (not available for sale)
Finally, we've got a a freebie I can actually use in a knitting project! These cute embroidered tags will be great for sewing into projects I intend to give as gifts for a personal touch. The relatable (for knitters) messages on the tags give you a chance to say what you're really thinking when you give someone a handmade gift.
This month's featured knitting pattern was an intriguing cabled hat. After reading through the pattern, I knew that it was beyond my current abilities. I was rusty on cables, and had already been warned in posts on a KnitCrate Facebook group that this was not a forgiving yarn if you had to pull a project out and start again. But I loved the look of the cables on this bulky yarn and decided to ease my way back into cabled knitting with this simple Irish Hiking Scarf pattern I found on Ravelry.
It didn't take long for me to remember the cabled technique, and I had the pattern completely memorized after one set of 8 rows. This was a nice, easy knit. My only concern was whether two skeins would end up being enough for a full scarf, since the pattern called for a thinner yarn with more yardage. One skein ended up taking me through the pattern just under 10 times. At this point, the scarf was just reaching around my neck, so I was confident I'd get at least a short scarf to wear tucked into a coat.
While I did notice the yarn shedding slightly on my pants, it held up well and I could tell pretty quickly that the cables were going to turn out great.
My length estimate turned out to be spot on. The scarf was short, but wrapped nicely around my neck.
And it looked cute tucked into my black winter coat!
Verdict: This KnitCrate box was another winner. While the color was more subdued, the yarn was perfectly cozy for the dead of winter, and my finished proejct will be a go-to scarf for the rest of the season. 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 sew-on gift tags for a total retail value of $30.00 for just the yarn. I think this is a decent value for what you receive, since high-end, premium yarn is usually around $25-35.00 per skein in a local yarn store, and most patterns on Ravelry are $5-10.00 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 February 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 tags. That's a pretty good value!
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What did you think of the January 2021 KnitCrate Membership Crate? Let us know in the comments!
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