KNITTING Articles 3 min read

The Yarn Subscription Box: How to Buy Yarn Presents for Yourself Without Feeling Guilty

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Step 1: Find your perfect yarn subscription box.
Step 2: Order it!
Step 3: Unpack the yarn presents!!

Oh, the subscription box—the service that selects and delivers great products directly to your door, so you can open presents on a regular basis. Did you know that there are amazing subscription boxes for yarn too? There’s a box for everyone at amazing price points and styles. And honestly, is there a better gift to give yourself than yarn? These 3 great yarn subscription services offer exciting yarn, inspiring project ideas, and hours of shameless yarn gluttony.


 

yarn subscription box
An example of what you’ll receive once a month when you subscribe to the Carnival of Color Club from Row One Yarn. Pictured here are mini skeins from Evil Little Goat. (Photo Credit: Row One Yarn)

1. For the color-venturous, Carnival of Color Club.

Want to experience yarn artistically crafted by indie dyers, but nervous about dedicating yourself to a skein you’ve never met? Row One Yarn gives its Carnival of Color Club subscribers the rare ability to sample, squish, and meet colorways from different indie dyers each month. From there, you can make fun socks or scarves with the sock-yarn samples and order different weights from the indie dyers. Row One Yarn plans to offer more yarn weights in the future.

yarn subscription box
An example of what you’ll receive once a month when you subscribe to the Carnival of Color Club from Row One Yarn. Pictured here are mini skeins from Lichen and Lace. (Photo Credit: Row One Yarn)

Subscribers don’t just get a single skein of yarn. They receive 100 grams of yarn in 10 to 20 different colorways from a different indie dyer at the beginning of every month. The yarn is packaged in 5- or 10-gram mini skeins: for the cost of 1 skein, you get to experience 10 to 20 skeins! The dyers’ information is always included and you can order more directly from them.

yarn subscription box
Mini skeins from Lichen and Lace. (Photo Credit: Row One Yarn)

The yarn comes in a cute reusable Row One Yarn muslin drawstring bag that’s perfect for organizing your mini skeins for projects. And little surprises are included in every package.

“It’s been super fun to see what people create with these kits—everything “scrappy,” that’s for sure…granny stripe blankets, scrappy socks and hats, etc., said Laura Gold, owner of Row One Yarn. “Really, super beautiful projects. I think that’s my favorite part…well, that and finding new and unique dyers. I’m always on the lookout.”

Cost

  • $35.00 per month (includes free US shipping)
  • $15.00 per month international shipping
  • Get 20% off your first month with the code: HELLO20
  • No long-term commitment; you can cancel at anytime (but I doubt you will)

Availability

  • USA
  • Worldwide/international (additional shipping charge)

Visit the Row One Yarn website for more information and to subscribe.



 

2. For the sweater-obsessed, Outerloop Sweater Club.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. starts its third Outerloop Sweater Club in October 2017! Since they launched their sweater clubs in 2015, they’ve offered a yarn club for sweater knitters, with flexibility in sizing and colors.

They’re filling a very real need: it’s tough to make kits for sweaters because knitters want varying sizes and colors, and not many companies can handle the organizational problems. Outerloop is not only up to that challenge; they are providing a valuable yarn subscription.

yarn subscription box
Each shipment features one of Neighborhood Fiber Co.’s yarns in your chosen color. With more than 50 choices, you will find a color that excites you. (Photo Credit: Neighborhood Fiber Co.)

You get to pick the color and size, then Outerloop surprises you with a stunning sweater pattern and a luxurious yarn base. It’s like a mystery KAL but in a color you pre-select. And if for some reason you don’t like the exclusive club pattern (which is very, very unlikely), you will still have amazing yarn in your favorite color. Subscribers to this club get to experience a variety of yarns in sweater quantities with a 20% in savings.

yarn subscription box
In the past, the boxes included smaller gifts to go along with yarn shipments to club members or one large gift at the end of the club. Smaller gifts ranged from local caramels to handmade stitch markers, but during the last Sweater Club, this project bag was a big surprise for members. (Photo Credit: Neighborhood Fiber Co.)

The yarn arrives in 4 shipments (for a total of four sweaters), delivered every 3 months starting in October. Each box contains an exclusive sweater pattern by a Neighborhood Fiber Co. designer and the yarn. There is also a special swag item for each subscriber—the last club included a knitting bag from Erin.Lane Bags in a custom fabric!

Cost

  • $372 for a 32–36 inch bust size.
  • $540 for a 48–52 inch bust size.
  • This amount can be paid all at once or split into 12 monthly payments between $31 and $45. Shipping charges additional, based on location.

Availability

  • North America
  • Australia
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Contact the Neighborhood Fiber Co. for other destinations

Deadline

10/2/2017 at 8am (EDT)!

For more information about the sweater club, including sign-up information, visit the Neighborhood Fiber Co. website.


 

yarn subscription box

3. For the project-venturous, Yarn Crush and Sock Crush.

Need some spontaneity in your life? Want a break from the endless pursuit of matching a yarn to a pattern or vice versa? Look no further than Yarn and Sock Crush! Since 2015, Yarn Crush (and later Sock Crush) has inspired the yarn and fiber arts community with its fun packaging. Each box is designed to feel like a gift through a unique aesthetic. Yarn Crush wants to introduce subscribers to different, new, and exciting yarns throughout the year.

yarn subscription box
The August 2017 Yarn Crush box included a skein of Madelinetosh Silk Merino DK, brand-new knitting and crochet patterns printed in full color (and a Ravelry download code), and a custom-designed cotton drawstring project bag. A total value of almost $50, for only $32.99! (Photo Credit: Yarn Crush)

The Yarn Crush boxes include notions (such as buttons or beads required for the project), knitting and crochet patterns designed for the included yarn (a full skein or coordinated set of mini skeins), and exclusive discount codes from featured dyers and designers of the month. The Sock Crush boxes include a knitting pattern handpicked to match the featured yarn and often a small bonus extra.

The September 2017 Sock Crush box included a buttery-soft skein of Biscotte Yarns Bis-Sock in a self-striping color, a set of 10 colorful locking stitch markers packed in an adorable macaron case, a printed copy of Carissa Browning’s knitted Vice Versa Socks pattern (plus Ravelry download code), with unconventional construction that lets a self-striping yarn shine! A total value of almost $36 for only $26.99. (Photo Credit: Yarn Crush)

All of the knitting and crochet patterns are printed in full color and include a Ravelry download code so you can work from the hard copy or a digital one. And most of the boxes include a fun or useful bonus extra! For example, an adult coloring book called The Yarn Lover’s Guide to the Galaxy came in the July Yarn Crush box.

Yarn Crush and Sock Crush subscriptions offer prepaid plans at a discount and a bimonthly option if you are on a “yarn diet.” The boxes are guaranteed to have a higher retail value than the subscription cost.

“We offer stellar customer service, and are one of the highest-rated yarn subscription boxes on Facebook,” says Joanna Rankin, owner of Yarn and Sock Crush.

Cost (Yarn Crush)

  • $32.99 per month plus shipping
  • $5.00 per month for shipping to the US
  • $8.00 per month for shipping to Canada
  • $11.00 per month for International shipping

Cost (Sock Crush)

  • $26.99 per month plus shipping
  • $3.50 per month for shipping to the US
  • $7.50 per month for shipping to Canada
  • $7.50 per month for International shipping

Availability

  • US
  • Worldwide/international

To see past boxes and to subscribe, visit the Yarn Crush website.


Have you tried any subscription boxes? Let us know about your experience in the comments!

Happy knitting,

Sarah


Want more yarn delivered straight to your door? Check out these kits!

 

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