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 Sock Artisan Crate, $23.99 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 Sock Artisan Crate
The Cost: $23.99 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 Sock Artisan Review
This is my first time receiving the Sock Artisan Crate! My favorite weight of yarn is fingering weight (also called sock weight) because of how fine and soft it is, so I was really excited to try this box from KnitCrate.
If you read our latest 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 Sock 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.
The Sock Artisan Crate always features a new knitted sock pattern. The pattern for this month is an anklet sock and asks you to hold the yarn double throughout. I think this pattern is perfect for fall weather - it’s the time of year when you start to want your feet covered and warm, but it’s not cold enough to want long, thick socks. Holding the yarn double gives you a thicker fabric than typical hand-knitted socks, but the anklet design makes them feel wearable in transitional weather. See below for more of my thoughts on this pattern!
One of my favorite parts about the new mini-magazine is the addition of the detailed backstory on the yarn dyers and pattern designers featured in the box.
Artistic Ewe Yarn, Fandango Base in color Celery Stalk - Estimated Value $26.00 (similar yarn found here)
This is a fantastic sock yarn! It’s made of 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon, which is the most popular sock base for indie dyed yarn. This particular base is so, so soft and bouncy. It’s a 3-ply construction, which will give your knitted fabric great stitch definition. The nylon gives the yarn just enough stretch and durability to be great for an item like socks, which need to withstand some wear and tear.
The colorway is a variegated light leafy green. The name is perfect, as the color does look just like a stalk of celery! I saw on KnitCrate’s Instagram account that the original colorway was supposed to be the one pictured in the pattern, but the dyer had to change to this green at the last minute. Green isn’t always my favorite color, but this green is a very pretty mix of different shades of light and medium green. My only issue with the color is that it feels more appropriate for the Spring, and I wish we would have gotten a deeper jewel-toned color more suited for Fall.
The skein has 450 yards (100g), which is a very generous yardage for a single skein.
One of the reasons I like sock yarn so much is that a single skein goes such a long way. If you aren’t a sock knitter, there are so many other patterns out there that use just a single skein of sock yarn. I did a quick search on Ravelry for patterns calling for under 450 yards of fingering weight yarn and there were over 30,000 patterns that popped up! It’s enough yarn to make a shawl, a matching hat and mitten set, or a baby sweater.
ChiaoGoo Bamboo Circular Knitting Needles, 40”, Size 2 - Retail Value $8.47
I was so excited to open this box and see that ChiaoGoo circular knitting needles were included as the bonus extra item! ChiaoGoo brand circular needles are extremely popular amongst knitters and are one of the higher-end brands of needles you can buy. The tips of this set of needles is made of bamboo, which is a great universal type of knitting needle. The wood helps grip the yarn as you are working, which minimizes the chance of having your stitches slip off of your needle accidentally.
The tips on these needles are so sharp! I tend to use the pad of my right pointer finger to help push the stitch off of my needle, and my finger was starting to feel a little bit sore after knitting with these for a couple of hours. The sharpness of the points was perfect for the sock pattern this month, though, because I was easily able to knit the yarn held double with no problems of splitting the yarn or only being able to pick up one of the strands (which can happen if you are using rounded tip needles when knitting two strands at once).
The cable on this circular needle is a dream to work with. It has no memory, which is perfect when you are working in the Magic Loop Method (as seen above in the photo). With some brands of circular needles you have to fight the curvature of the cable after each row, but with ChiaoGoo brand needles the cable passively holds your stitches until you need them.
Here is one of the socks for this month’s project! I was really impressed with how well this yarn knit up. The weight of the fabric created by holding two strands of yarn together is cozy and thick while still having a nice drape. It’s the worst feeling when you spend so much time on a project only to have the finished fabric feel too stiff and tight, and I love that this yarn is completely opposite of that!
As you can see, I got a little bit carried away during the stockinette section of the foot and made mine a little bit too long! I think this pattern is most suited to house socks (rather than socks to wear with shoes), so having a little extra room won’t be too much of an issue when wearing them.
Holding the yarn double also gave the sock a more even finished appearance. The colors in hand-dyed yarn are never perfectly distributed since there is human variation in each skein. Holding the yarn double made it so that one area doesn’t have color pooling or splotching, giving the overall sock a uniform look.
My favorite part of the pattern was the heel gusset - I love the extra detailing of the slipped stitches!
Verdict: I thought this was one of the best KnitCrate boxes to date. The yarn included was of extremely high, premium quality and contained such a generous yardage that you would be able to make almost anything you wanted with it. The ChiaoGoo bamboo circular knitting needles are the best “bonus” item I’ve seen in a KnitCrate box to date, and I love the thoughtfulness of including the exact needles needed to make the pattern for this yarn. I also absolutely love the addition of the mini-magazine this month and think that getting all six printed patterns for the month really increases the quality of 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).
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 $23.99, we received a skein of indie-dyed yarn, a circular knitting needle, and six knitting and crochet patterns, with a total retail value estimated around $74.47. I think this is a really great value, as a skein of indie-dyed sock yarn from a local yarn shop runs anywhere from $25-35 and most patterns are $5-10. For the price of one skein of yarn, you are also getting a high-end knitting needle and the pattern booklet!
Check out all of our KnitCrate reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great knitting, craft supply, and DIY project boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What did you think of the October 2018 KnitCrate Sock Artisan Crate? What are you planning to make with your yarn this month? Let us know in the comments!
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