I think it's safe to say that I'm a KnitCrate convert. Not that I needed much converting, but I'd been straddling the fence for a couple months now, waiting to see what my fellow bloggers/yarn fiends had to say about it.
Last month, I took the leap and subscribed to a monthly delivery of the Indie option. The Indie kit is comprised of hand-dyed and hand-painted yarns in various bases from the best dyers in the industry. Now that's a bold claim, right? I decided to check it out for myself and see if the kit lived up to the hype.
And maybe it's because I've been obsessed with indie dyers the past couple months, or maybe it's because I've entered the land of "All madelinetosh, all the time", but the November KnitCrate was exactly what I needed to become a new life-long subscriber. This month's featured yarn is Tosh Merino Light in the Cotton Candy colorway, exclusively created for KnitCrate subscribers. It's a beautiful minty blue and red, which are incredibly on-trend colors for the holiday season; I've been seeing this combo everywhere from various TV commercials to Clementine's ensemble in the latest Hallmark Channel Christmas movie "Northpole" (if you haven't seen it, you must!)
November's "Fun Extra" is something called "Needle Keeper - The Magic Wand". I wasn't sure how it worked when I first opened it, but I'm pretty sure this will be traveling everywhere with me moving forward. You stick your needles through the black rubber tip to make sure your needles don't go anywhere, thus destroying your hard work. It also ensures the connection between your needles and the cable doesn't get damaged. Seriously, how annoying is it when those things break and all that lovely knitting is lost? Now I just wish I had more to keep up with all my WIPs.
Oh, and then there was some delicious candy, too. In each package, KnitCrate includes a "Sweet Extra", and this month it was SuperFruit Chews from Lovely Candy Co. They're made with real fruit and are gluten- and GMO-free. Basically, healthy(er) Starbursts. Needless to say, those things did not survive until my photo shoot this past weekend. I'm only a little ashamed of my gluttony.
That said, just the monthly kit was not enough for me. To repeat myself, I am a glutton, and my click-happy response to all the goodies now available to me in the KnitCrate store is only proof of that fact. You also get a chance to add on some products with your order, so I picked up the Madelinetosh (I told you I've entered a downward spiral) Twist Light in the Care colorway, dyed specifically to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders. From the KnitCrate website:
This is the first wide-release color in the new Twist Light line, with a full array of colors coming in early 2015. This limited edition rainbow colorway has been created for Doctors Without Borders available solely in Mad Tosh Twist Light base only. Madelinetosh has agreed to give 100% of their profits of the sale of this colorway directly to Doctors Without Borders until they reach their goal of $10,000.
Buy yarn and support a good cause? Just call me a philanthropist.
I also invested in a mini skein add-on so I could try some new yarn samples and knit puffs for my upcoming Beekeeper's Quilt. This month's Mini-Skein Assortment was also some HAND DYED Madelinetosh Tosh Sock yarn and included five small skeins in a variety of beautiful colors - the perfect amount for testing different fibers. I'm addicted.
In conclusion, I'm in love with my new investment. It's not exactly cheap, but it is fun, and I think it's going to give me a lot of opportunities for self- and gift-knitting throughout the next year. There are many different kits available, so prices do vary and give you an opportunity to customize your package with the type of yarn and projects that you'll enjoy knitting. Make sure to look at/drool over all the options:
