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 plus exclusive knit & crochet patterns
- Artisan Crate: $34.99 per month, for two skeins of indie dyed yarn in limited edition colorways, two exclusive knitting patterns (1 beginner, 1 intermediate/advanced), and a bonus item
- Sock Crate: $19.95 per month, for one skein of their in-house premium fingering weight yarn and an exclusive pattern
- Sock Artisan Crate: $23.99 per month, for one skein of indie dyed fingering weight yarn, an exclusive pattern, and a bonus item
This review is of the KnitCrate Artisan Crate, $34.99 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 Yarn Subscription Box
The Subscription Box: KnitCrate Artisan Crate
The Cost: $34.99 per month. (Other plans available from $19.99 per month to $39.99 per month.)
The Products: One skein of indie dyed fingering weight yarn, an extra item, plus a pattern booklet (contains 6 patterns!)
Ships to: 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.
My Knit Crate Artisan Review
I have been receiving KnitCrate Artisan for several months now, and it is usually my favorite box out of all of the KnitCrate box types, mostly because of the quality of the yarn sent. If you saw the KnitCrate Membership review you saw that they changed up how they sent out the patterns this month in that they included a mini-magazine called “KnitCrate Inspirations” in each box. The mini-mag has six patterns in total and is 60 full-color pages of fully-written patterns and interesting articles. Below are the pages relevant to the Artisan crate yarns:
KnitCrate Inspirations Booklet - Retail Value $40
The 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 booklet is printed on high-quality magazine paper and is a great size! Last month was the first time they included the written patterns in the boxes (instead of a download code on a card), and I thought that was a great inclusion in this box. I think that the creation of this magazine is a great addition to the subscription and really increases the value, as you get all of the patterns for the month regardless of which type of crate you subscribe to.
This month’s theme was “Verdigris,” which is described as the coppery and green tones of the patina of time.
I love that they have now included so much detailed backstory and extra information about the dyer behind the yarn this month! The photo also highlights the subtle purple and lilac tones of the yarn.
The KnitCrate Artisan Crate always includes one beginner knitting pattern and one intermediate/advanced knitting pattern. This month they were focusing on lace knitting and both patterns feature a pretty lace design! The intermediate pattern is a poncho type of shawl and while I think the lace design is gorgeous, I don’t see myself ever wearing a short poncho (ponchette?). I think an infinity-type cowl would have had a wider appeal, but I give KnitCrate credit for showing us something different and outside the box.
The beginner pattern, however, is a very cute hat. The lace pattern looks intricate but is actually designed to be very simple. See more below for more of my thoughts on this pattern!
There is also an article about the designer of both knitting patterns.
Yarn Fairy & The Pixies Merino Wool in Brushed Steel - Total Estimated Retail Value $35 ($17.50 each) (found here for $13.00 per skein in other colorways)
The color is really pretty - it’s a very subtle gray and with hints of purple. I am always drawn to neutrals so I absolutely love the color this month! The soft gray feels very appropriate for Fall or early Winter, and I appreciate when the colors coordinate with the time of year.
Each skein is 288 yards (263 meters)/100 grams and is 100% extra fine merino yarn in a DK weight. The yarn this month is from a very small indie dyer, and I think it’s great that KnitCrate is giving exposure to small businesses like this one. I have to issue a fair warning for anyone who is interested enough to check out their website - it’s not very modernized and a little bit difficult to navigate. The yarn we received, however, is great quality! I don’t have a lot of experience knitting with non-superwash merino wool and was excited to try a project with this. The yarn is definitely not as soft and silky as some yarn, but because it hasn’t been through the superwash process it has a really lovely rustic property to it. If your skin is on the more sensitive side, I wouldn’t recommend making a sweater or close-fitting scarf out of this type of yarn, but it works really well for outer garment accessories such as a hat or mittens!
ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular Knitting Needles, 60”, Size 7 - Retail Value $10.39
I was so excited to open my Artisan Crate this month and discover this ChiaoGoo circular knitting needle! ChiaoGoo brand needles are extremely popular amongst knitters, and they are widely thought to have some of the best cables. The set included in the box is from their Red Lace line, which is designed specifically for lace knitting. They are made from surgical-grade stainless steel and the tips are tapered into a fine point, which is ideal for slipping stitches together to knit decreases. The cable is multi-stranded, nylon-coated, and memory-free.
I do most of my knitting on circular needles, as I like not having the weight of my knitting hanging off one end of a straight needle. I’ve used many different brands of circular needles over the years and I have never been more impressed with the ease of knitting with them as I was when using this ChiaoGoo needle. The cable truly has no memory or stiffness, so you don’t have to constantly fight the cable as you are working across your row. I’m very impressed that KnitCrate sent out such a fantastic brand of knitting needle this month!
Here is my finished hat project! I love the diamond lace design, and thought that the instructions were very easy to follow. There is one point in the pattern where you need to move your beginning of round stitch marker to the left one stitch, and that was the only part of the pattern where you needed to be really paying attention once you learned the lace repeats. The pattern was designed to be an introduction to lace knitting for a beginner, and I agree that this is definitely a pattern that an advanced beginner could tackle! If you know how to knit stitch, purl stitch, decrease, and yarn over you will have all the tools you need to complete the pattern.
The pattern is only written for one size, but because it has an all-over lace pattern there is quite a bit of stretch. The size included fit me really well - my only recommendation for sizing is to using a stretchy cast on so that the ribbing stretches easily. I only ended up using half of one skein for the entire hat project - if you wanted to, you could easily make four hats using the yarn provided in this month’s box! I know a lot of knitters out there are planning for holiday gifts, and I think that one of these hats would be a really beautiful gift for someone special. One thing that I noticed is that the knitted fabric produced by this yarn is so much softer than the yarn is in the skein. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft this hat feels against my skin.
KnitCrate did not include a pompom in the box, but since pompoms are so popular on knitted hats I wanted to show you what the hat looks like with a pom added on top! You can find faux fur pompoms at most craft stores if you love this look as much as I do!
Verdict: I was very happy with the yarn we received in this month’s KnitCrate Artisan Crate, and really excited at the inclusion of the ChiaoGoo circular needles. I really like that the company was thoughtful in the inclusion of the bonus “extra” this month and sent us the needle size required to complete the patterns, even going so far as to send needles specific for lace knitting. I also love the new mini-magazine of patterns and think that this adds quite a bit of value to the box.
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 before the subscription renews on the first. 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. (But if you sign up during the month of October, you’ll see the October yarns and patterns before you join, so you WILL know what your first box will be).
One last thing to note: this month the KnitCrates were shipped in padded envelopes, not their usual aqua boxes. KnitCrate sent an email to subscribers saying that due to the size of the booklets, they exceeded the weight limit allowed for shipping with their usual boxes and had to make a last-minute switch to envelopes for this month only. Next month they will be making smaller booklets to keep the weight under the limit and will be going back to the boxes.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes- if you sign up anytime during the month of October, your first box will be the October box (while supplies last).
Value Breakdown: For $34.99, we received two skeins of yarn, a circular knitting needle, and six knitting and crochet patterns, with a total estimated value of $85.39. To me, this pricing does seem a little bit inflated. I linked above to where you can purchase this same yarn online for less than KnitCrate reports (although it’s not available in this particular colorway), and the pattern booklet is priced on the higher end. Although the circular needle is a higher-value bonus item than we have seen in the past, I was a little disappointed that the Artisan Crate had a lower overall retail value than the KnitCrate Membership Crate. The Artisan Crate is marketed as KnitCrate’s most premium type of crate, so I would have liked to see the value match up with that.
Check out all of our KnitCrate reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great knitting, craft supply, and DIY project boxes!
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What did you think of the October 2018 KnitCrate Artisan Crate? What are you planning to make with your yarn this month? Let us know in the comments!
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