My knitting skills hit a plateau recently, and I decided to try one of the new knitting kits now available through the miracles of online shopping. I’ll admit, I was wary. Would I really get everything I needed for a finished piece of knitting in one shipment? Scarred by childhood memories of cheap craft kits that didn’t have enough paint or whatever to actually finish a project – leaving me with an unfinished and totally wasted craft – I nevertheless jumped into the new world of knitting kits.
My husband actually pushed me into my first knitting kit with a pricey shawl kit for Christmas. At around $80, it impressed me as a rather lavish gift for two skeins of yarn and a pattern I had to print out myself. But the yarn turned out to be quite nice – 100% wool, generously large skeins, and no kinks or knots that you usually get with yarn from the big box stores. And lo and behold, the kit included more than enough to finish my project. I even had enough of the contrast color to use in another project.
More importantly, I upped my knitting skills significantly. I learned a new way to make shawls, a new way to use colorwork in my knitting, and mastered the picot bind-off (which I wouldn’t have dared tackle of my own accord). I impressed myself with how well and how much I learned in the course of one project.
So was it worth the eighty bucks? Maybe so. Instead of aimless shopping for a massive bag of yarn at the big box store, I got just enough for the project, with no random skeins left over and wasted. In the long run, I could see spending less on kits overall than on the impulse purchases of yarn that sit in a closet for years. But what sold me on the kit was that I actually learned a lot and became a better knitter. That’s worth a lot. I just started my second kit, and I’m growing more confident with new skills already.
For me, the knitting kits are a lot like the meal kits – Blue Apron, Plated, etc. You get just what you need, and you don’t have a lot of leftovers to deal with. Best yet, at the end of the process, you’ll look like a star.
Cynthia Coeis a writer, book reviewer, and avid knitter. Her books and blog posts can be found on her Amazon Author Page.
Sycamore Cove Knitting 