This review is a little bit belated. Why? Because I was having so much fun finishing up December's KnitCrate project (Lapidary) and working on orders that I wouldn't permit myself to indulge myself with much drooling over these new goodies:
The Yarn was two hanks of beautiful, hand-dyed Tweed DK from Jorstad Creek. While there were up to four colors shown in the sneak peek, the good folks at KnitCrate sent me the teal, which I'm in love with. I'm not sure if you've noticed from all my recently completed projects, but I've been a tad obsessed with jewel tones lately, so these fit right in. The yarn isn't an obnoxious tweed, either. I'm not sure if yarn can actually be too tweedy, but I've seen a number of yarns that look like they just puked tweed. These aren't like that; they're lovely.
The Patterns make for some wonderful future projects. The featured pattern (ie: what we're expected to use with our yarn) is the Cedarbury Cowl by Jann Hopper, which can be made in two sizes. So basically, you can use both hanks to make the larger size or one hank to make the smaller size, saving the second hank for a matching hat or fingerless mitts. I love that KnitCrate thinks ahead like this and gives us not only enough yarn to complete a project, but to also have some extras left over so we can coordinate other accessories.
We also received a bonus Noro pattern book, full of over a dozen inspirational designs that'll make your fingers itch for long and bright color changes.
Our Fun Extra was the Color Grid by The Kangaroo Dyer. This will definitely come in handy for me when I'm looking to make something with specific colors, but don't have one or both colors in stock. Sometimes, I know I want to make something in a certain color, but need something that contrasts it and just can't find it in my stash. Now I'll know exactly what will work well and, having studied Color Theory, can find it in a cinch.
The Soothing Extra was Harney & Sons Fine Teas: Winter White Early Grey. From the website:
A perennial favorite that combines beautiful Chinese Mutan White tea, making it lighter than traditional black teas, with natural lemony Bergamot. It is a pleasure to drink during any season! Reuse that tin for notions or more yummy tea.
And boy, will I ever be reusing the tin. It's fun and small. The little tea sachets are so cute, too. Most importantly, the tea is delicious. I've already had a couple cups and definitely enjoyed it.
As you know, I also purchase the Add-On Minis each month. For January, we received five gorgeous assorted mini skeins of more Jorstad Creek. Once again, I was thrilled with the jewel tones and can't wait to add them to either an upcoming Cosy Memories Blanket or my Beekeeper's Quilt.
Overall, I'm once again blown away with the wonderful items awaiting for me in my monthly red envelope. I've been telling people that subscribing to this delivery service is surprisingly saving me money (now that I have pre-determined projects to use my yarn for, I no longer buy as much fiber just to have it sit around) and encouraging me to finish projects so I can show them off to fellow KnitCraters.
You'll love it, too! Click the link below to join KnitCrate and get 10% off your first purchase. Or you can try a KnitCrate and see if you like it. This month's featured Try A KnitCrate is the Indie kit, which is what you've been seeing in my reviews. If you like what you've seen, then make sure to visit the site to try it on for size. It's worth the investment!
