The Crafter's Box is a monthly maker subscription box:
As a member of The Crafter's Box, we'll send a lovingly kitted box of tools and materials to your doorstep on a monthly basis. Each month we feature a new expert maker and that maker has built for us a unique, grown-up, on-trend project that reflects their artistic style. In addition to the monthly box, our featured maker has created an educational, digital workshop to teach their crafting medium and to offer their tips and tricks.
The best part of this model is the ability to revisit workshops in the future to create again and again. Happy making!
The Crafter's Box offers three different subscription models:
- Individual Membership: $65 per month for a kit of curated tools and materials + a new digital workshop by the featured maker
- Crafter's Night: $60 per person (minimum of 3 people necessary) per month for a group kit of the curated tools and materials sent to one host + individual video access for each person
- Video-Only Access: $20 per month for access to the digital workshop created by the featured maker (no tools or materials included)
This review is of the Individual Membership for $65 per month.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About The Crafter's Box
The Subscription Box: The Crafter's Box
The Cost: $65 per month + free U.S. shipping (other plans available from $20 per month)
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
The Products: A shipped kit of curated tools and materials + a new digital workshop by the featured maker of the month
Ships to: The U.S. for free and internationally for varying rates
Good to Know: Membership enrollment is open between the 10th - 20th of each month. Subscriptions automatically renew on the 15th. Projects are designed to be for ages 18+.
The Crafter's Box November 2020 Review
The Crafter's Box is an artisan craft subscription box that features a different, unique craft each month that is designed with the crafty adult in mind. The boxes are thoughtfully curated with high-end materials so that your finished products are modern and luxe. There's also an accompanying video workshop led by the featured artist that introduces you to the craft and provides you with detailed instructions to complete the project.
Let's take a look inside November's box - the craft this month is Cozy Knit Cabled Socks!
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We received two info cards this month detailing information on what's included in the box, as well as a short bio on the featured maker this month, Ksenia Naidyon of Life is Cozy. Handknitting socks is the perfect cozy winter activity, and in this workshop, we learn how to make not one, not two, but three pairs of cabled knit socks in progressively more difficult patterns.
Now, onto the items!
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Wool Sock Yarn in Grey and White
We received three skeins of wool sock yarn, two in a "morning fog" grey and one white. Sock yarn is designed specifically for knitting socks and has a small amount of nylon or polyamide mixed in to make it stronger. The blend we received is 75% wool and 25% polyamide and feels super soft and lightweight. The kit includes enough yarn to knit all three pairs of socks if you follow the pattern of using white for the cuff, heel, and toe and grey for the main part of the socks.
Knitting Needles
We received five double-pointed beechwoods needles about 6" in length. They're the tiniest knitting needles I've ever seen but I'm not a knitter and not very familiar with knitting needles. We'll be using all five needles to knit our socks.
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Stitch Markers
We received these pretty rose gold stitch markers.
Cable Needles and Stitch Holder
I love the pretty pastel colors of these items. The double-sided stitch holder is used for the heel turn part when constructing your sock and the cable needles are used during the construction of the second and third sock pattern.
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Tapestry Needle
This wide-eyed needle is used for weaving in the ends when you're done knitting your socks.
Tape Measure
We also received this 60" retractable measuring tape for measuring the length of our socks. The length of the sock from cuff to heel and from heel to toe is completely adjustable and it's up to you how long you want to make them. You can make the white cuff longer too if you want.
Pattern Booklet
We also received a booklet with the three patterns for cabled socks starting with the easiest option then two more that build on the first. It's at this point that I should admit that I do not know how to knit. I'm not a total beginner but I've only ever knitted one chunky scarf years ago with huge needles. So, this project was incredibly daunting for me. When I opened this booklet, it looked like absolute gibberish to me but thankfully, there is a 3-hour digital workshop where Ksenia walks you through the project step by step.
Now, let's get knitting!
The first step was to prepare our yarn to make it easier to work with. Ksenia teaches us the center pull method, where you dive into the center of the skein and pull out the "yarn beard" to find the end. When you work this way, the yarn comes out really smooth and doesn't catch on anything. To up the cozy factor of our socks, we're doubling up the yarn. So for the single white skein, we have to wind half of it into a ball so we can have two strands while we knit. This was honestly so satisfying and calming to set up.
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The next step was to cast on stitches with the long tail cast on method. Ksenia says we should wrap the yarn around our hand three times to get the proper length for our tail but when I tried that I ran out of yarn, so I had to start over. To be honest, I had to start over at this step like 6 or 7 times, and all subsequent times I wrapped the yarn 6 times around my hand so I had more than enough tail to work with. You don't want too long a tail if you're trying to not waste yarn. It was super slow going the first time I cast on my stitches but I got really fast at this step after doing it over and over.
It was at this point that I realized I should probably figure out if I can actually knit before I even attempt to work in the round. So here are my practice samples. I tried a few times to do the knit, knit, purl, purl, and repeat pattern that would result in a cabled knit but I could not for the life of me manage it. The needles were too tiny, and the yarn was too fiddly – the fibers of the yarn kept separating and it was extra difficult working with two strands at once. I could do a knit stitch but not a purl, so I decided to just knit the cuff.
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After distributing the stitches across four needles came the fun part! It's really important to place a marker at the beginning of the round, so you know when you've completed one row. You knit onto the fifth needle, and while the first couple of rows are quite difficult, it gets really fun as you get into the rhythm of working in the round. You just have to focus on the two needles you're currently working with and ignore the others.
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Next, we learn how to switch colors. I thought this part might be difficult but it was super easy. You just snip off the white yarns and tie the grey on with a simple knot, then knit around using the grey yarn. This is when I got overly confident and thought I would try to do a cable pattern with the grey. BIG MISTAKE! I should have remembered from my testing that I cannot purl and I don't know why I thought I'd suddenly be able to pull it off. I completely messed it up and had to start all over again from the beginning.
At the end of the day, this is how far I got. I started over again and just knit the white cuff and started the grey leg section. As you might be able to tell if you're a knitter, I've messed up again and somehow started knitting inside out for the last few rows. While it might not look like much, this is a lot for me. I learned how to set up my yarn to begin knitting, how to quickly cast on stitches (since I had to do that step so many times), how to knit with five needles at once and work in the round and how to change colors! It's going to take me a long time to actually finish a sock, so it's a good thing this subscription comes with unlimited access to the digital workshop for the boxes you receive, even if you cancel your subscription.
Verdict: This is my first time trying out The Crafter's Box and while I wish I could have started with something easier, I did make a lot more progress than I could have imagined had I not had the detailed video instructions. The website does state that this is an intermediate to advanced level workshop but "beginners will be ready for the challenge as we’ve included the materials and guides you need to be able to knit your own cozy socks".
For $65, we received the materials and tools to create three pairs of beautiful cable-knit socks. The color choice is lovely and the yarn feels super luxe. If I ever finish a pair, they'd definitely be something I'd enjoy wearing. The beechwood needles felt very smooth and were nice to work with and the stitch markers in rose gold were a glam touch. The video tutorial is extremely well-made and very in-depth. I think between the video workshop and upscale materials, the value is pretty good. As a subscriber, you also save $10 off the cost of a single box.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the January 2021 box (if you sign up between December 10th - 20th). However, you can purchase the Cozy Knit Cabled Socks kit as a single box for $75.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
Check out our other reviews of The Crafter's Box and the top-rated craft subscription boxes!
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What did you think of The Crafter's Box for November 2020? Let us know in the comments!
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