If you are a person who loves knitting so much, then you know how it feels when your monthly yarn club subscription has arrived at your doorsteps. You then excitedly open it up and get ready for another monthly surprise. This is because, naturally, people enjoy receiving gifts, however, when you are personally paying for the gift, then it is important that you love what you are getting.
That is why before you decide to get a yarn club subscription, you must have to evaluate first the pros and cons of such a subscription because you will be spending money on these things, so better make sure that you are going to get your money’s worth.
When it comes to the yarn boxes, the curator of a yarn subscription will personally pick out the contents of the box along with the consideration of what type of person the receiver is. But the question is going to be whether or not you are that same type of person that the curator is giving consideration. This is why it is important that you should thoroughly evaluate your prospective yarn club subscription.
What to Consider When Getting a Yarn Club Subscription?
- The Curator
As mentioned earlier, the yarn subscription box is being put together by a person known as “The Curator”. The curator will be the one who will imagine a specific customer and then create the perfect yarn subscription box for them. The curator is also the one who is responsible for what yarn to pick, what pattern to use, what the packaging is going to be and any other extra stuff that the customer may have in mind. By having an idea as to who the curator is, you will also have an idea of what you can expect in your subscription box.
- The yarn company
If the yarn subscription box is going to be curated by a company, then the focus is going to be on the yarn. The yarn company will also be using mostly from their own yarns, thus you can look up at the company’s shop for you to know what kind of yarns you can expect from them.
- The designer
If the yarn subscription box is going to be curated by a knit or a crochet designer, then you will have to expect yarns that are from various companies. This is a good thing if you are the type of person who likes to try out different types of yarn and also want to discover new yarn dyers.
- The Actual Yarn in the Yarn Subscription Box
The yarn is the thing that holds a very important role for the obvious reason that it can’t be called a yarn subscription box without the yarn itself. So, when it comes to the yarn, there are still things that you may want to consider in terms of what you look for in yarn.
- The fiber of the yarn
This factor will boil down to the level of your wool sensitivity. This is because most of the yarns that come from independent dyers contain a certain amount of wool in them and the reason for this is because of wool dyes beautifully. By using wool, you can be able to achieve a richer and more intense color profile.
However, if you are allergic to wool or you have a sensitivity to wool, then you can consider the subscription box from Darn Good Yarn which makes recycled silk yarn.
- The weight of the yarn
The yarn weight is also another thing that should be given consideration. The weight of the yarn will vary from lace yarns to bulky yarns. So, if you are a person who likes to work with all the weights of the yarn then you can consider giving a go on your subscription.
Thus, if you have a preference for working with medium to heavyweights of yarn then you might get disappointed if you will receive thinner and lighter yarns.
- The color of the yarn
The curators of the yarn subscription box will change, and so will the colors of the yarn inside the box. Thus, it is recommended that you look at subscription boxes on Instagram so you can check on the common colors that have been sent in the previous subscription boxes.
If you are someone who is particular about the yarn’s color, then you may consider Yan Crush’s subscription box because they can let you pick warm, neutral or colors that will be included in your subscription box. You also have the choice to change your selection every month if you want to.
- How much yarn is included
In each subscription box, the amount of yarn included will be partially determined by the quality and the value of each of the skeins. You can either expect one to two skeins of yarn per subscription boxes. The quantity of yarn that they send you will affect greatly on the type of patterns that they can include in the box.
- The yarn subscription box patterns
It is already becoming common that when you get a yarn subscription box, it usually includes a knit and crochet patterns. There are also those that include one of each which will depend on who the companies target craft is. Although the majority of the boxes will always include a crochet pattern, it is but equally important that you can pick a box that is going to include patterns that you will enjoy. So, as mentioned earlier, when the box is being curated by someone that is compatible with your preferences, then you are good to go insofar as your yarn club subscription is concerned.
Therefore, it is recommended that you look at past boxes so that you will be able to see what types of patterns are being normally sent. Then, if it seems that you like the previous patterns, you are assured that you will like the future patterns that are going to be sent your way. However, in the event that you have already availed of a month’s subscription and you do not like the pattern, what you can do is to use a pattern from a previous month and then use the new yarn for that pattern.