Doodle Crate, by KiwiCo, is a subscription box targeted to older children, aged 9-16 that delivers a monthly art project. They describe themselves as a “studio for hands-on creativity delivered every month" and they're one of our favorite art boxes for kids!
KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups:
- Panda Crate for 0-24-month-olds,
- Koala Crate for 2-4-year-olds,
- Kiwi Crate for 5-8-year-olds,
- Atlas Crate for 6-11-year-olds,
- Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate for 9-16+-year-olds,
- Eureka Crate and Maker Crate for ages 14 and up.
There really is something for every age with this company!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Doodle Crate
The Subscription Box: Doodle Crate
The Cost: $19.95 per month. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: Instructions and supplies for children aged 9-16 to create one new art project each month.
Ships to: The U.S. for free, Canada for $3.95 per month, worldwide from $4.95-$6.95.
Doodle Crate Spool-Knitted Animals Review November 2020
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Our project this month is to spool-knit some cute little animals. This booklet provides directions for knitting and provides a few different options for animals we can make.
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This is our spool knitter. There is a wider end for larger animals and a smaller end for smaller animals. I was pretty impressed with this design and how easy it made the knitting. More on that later, though!
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They provided three different colored yarns, a plastic sewing needle, and a knitting tool.
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They also provided some fluff and felt details to finish our animals with. My son decided he would like me to make him a brown walrus.
1 of 5 | First I had to measure and tie a knot in my yarn.
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I did have to start all over, but once I did, I realized that there was a groove in the knitting pegs which was SO much quicker for pulling over my second loop! I was really impressed with the design and how easy it made it to knit quickly and efficiently. I was also able to remove the top section of the tool so that I could see how much I knitted. I needed a good 5 inches for my walrus.
1 of 6 | Five inches took me quite a while, but the next morning I finally got there. Now it was time to cast off. I threaded the end of my yarn through the needle.
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Next, came the fluff. It was vacuum packed but began expanding as soon as I opened it. I stuffed a little in the top for the head and a bit more at the bottom for the body. Then I tied it off when I was satisfied with the amount of stuffing. If I filled it too much, I was able to see the stuffing through the gaps in my knitting.
The last step was to add the little felt details to finish off my walrus. He's kind of a sad peanut-looking guy, but my son was happy with him! The felt was actually made up of tons of little animal body part stickers, so adding details was a much simpler process than I anticipated. I thought I would have to cut them all out so it was a pleasant surprise, although it was a bit more limiting since we couldn't choose our own colors for certain details!
Verdict: I love the innovative way that Doodle Crate made spool-knitting a possibility for even the least-skilled knitter! Making your own cute animals is also a fun way to get kids engaged with the project. I thought the process was pretty easy, although a bit time-consuming, but I enjoyed relaxing while I worked on my knitting. Hopefully, this would be a great lesson in patience for some kids as well! I am excited to teach my daughter how to knit her own little animal and she is eager to learn!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? It is possible you might get this crate, but it is not a guarantee. From KiwiCo:
Crates are assigned each month based on availability and your crate history – not all subscribers receive the same theme each month.
Check out all of our Doodle Crate reviews and the best subscription boxes for tweens and teens!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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