Knit Kits – Part 1: We Are Knitters

Knit kits were what took me from an occasional hobby-ist to a fully obsessed knitter. There are a lot of different companies that offer kits for both knitters and crocheters, and some for other needle crafts as well.  I have mostly stuck to kits from We Are Knitters, but have also purchased from Lion Brand.  Below rather than reviewing the individual kits (which may come later), I’ll give my pros and cons of kits companies’ kits in general.  These may also be things to consider if you are a designer looking at working with these companies.

We Are Knitters

Note: I haven’t received anything from We Are Knitters, I actually bought all the kits and supplies I’ve ever received from this company, links to their website are not affiliate links.

There are kits for every kind of knitter – beginner to advanced.  I have bought kits that range from easy (Udon blanket) to “what the heck have I gotten myself into”-advanced (Bethnal Green Sweater – haven’t started it), and I have learned many things from these kits, from seaming to a few new stitches.  Here are the pros for We Are Knitters kits:

Pros

• All materials needed: pattern, yarn, needles, darning needles, “We Are Knitters” label, paper bag – which I do typically reuse many times before recycling.

  

  • Can remove needles from the kit if you don’t need them, makes the kit cheaper ($12US for knitting needles, $6US for crochet hook).
• Nice yarns (cotton, wool, meriwool, meripaca).
• Choice of any colour of yarn for your kit.
• Arrives in a happy package.

There are also some things you need to know, or at least consider, if you are getting a We Are Knitters kit:

Cons

• Buying the kit is the only way to get the pattern.
• Some patterns do have mistakes in them.

  

• The pictures of models wearing the garment often have adjustments made to the pattern that you don’t know about (i.e. rows added – my Nolita sweater would’ve been a very bulky, super hot t-shirt if I hadn’t added extra rows to the sleeves, we counted and there were more rows in the picture than in the pattern).
• If you live in select parts of the world (i.e. Canada, like me) shipping is CRAZY expensive with an “International Surcharge” which is 25% of what you’ve bought.  So the more you buy, the higher this fee is.
• Sometimes certain colours are sold out so you don’t always get a choice of ANY colour unless you’re prepared to wait to order.
• Be careful with the wooden needles!  They are weapons!  Seriously, they are extra pointy, which can be annoying for anyone who uses their fingers on the ends of their needles while knitting, but also makes it easier to split your yarn, which can also be a bit annoying.