3 inches x 6 inches x 7 inches

-

There are a lot of product subscription services out there. From Anime items, to shaving, or even wine, it seems like you can get almost anything delivered on a monthly basis while only having to shop once.I post a lot of my knit and crochet projects on social media. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised when social media's predatory marketing algorithms begin slamming my feeds with ads for yarn subscription services. One in particular is Darn Good Yarn.Maybe I've been brainwashed, but I've finally decided to try it. It says right in the title that it's good, right? So it must be good, right?So onto their website:The first thing that pops up is a spin the wheel for a deal. 15% off was my deal. The catch: you cannot apply the code to your subscription. Only goods purchased through their shop.Next I wanted to read the reviews. They look pretty good.The five star reviews all love the subscription. The one stars reviews were mostly complaints about the quality, and quantity of the yarn. Hmm. Still willing to try it since the majority of the reviews were five star. SO...Lets go shopping. I see they offer more than just yarn subscriptions. They also offer beads and fabric subscriptions. I'm sticking with the yarn.I added my yarn subscription to my cart and also added the $5 mystery item to my cart. Sub total $15 add the 3.95 shipping equals $18.95. (credit cards and paypal accepted)I received a confirmation email immediately. The email also stated that I was automatically enrolled in their "Karma Points" reward program: Make purchases, subscriptions count, and earn points towards gift vouchers for their store, or a couple of kits, or a coffee mug.While waiting for my box I browsed through their yarn store. They offer clothing and accessories as well, but I was just interested in their yarns.Some of their yarns available: hand dyed and hand spun, dyeables, silk, hemp, linen, banana fiber, cotton, t-shirt, newspaper, herbal dyed, ribbon yarns, and chiffon. As well as merino, yak and cabito wools, and alpaca. Weights range from Nube to lace.Lots of choices. Lots of colors!I ordered my box on Wednesday. It shipped that Friday via UPS with an estimated arrival of the following Tuesday. I was provided tracking information. Not too bad. Even better, my package arrived on Monday! So far, so good.I was a little surprised at how small it was. But it was only $10 worth of a higher quality yarn.When I opened my box I found one cake and one hank of yarn, each a different colorway and both being about 75 yards, a set of two knitting needles and a crochet hook, and a booklet containing an explanation of the contents and two patterns, one knit and one crochet. According to the booklet, all the yarns they provide in their boxes are recycled silk. I can now understand why there were a few bad reviews. If you have never used recycled silk yarn, let me tell you a bit about it. It is different from the perfectly spun yarns we are used to from larger distributors. It tends to vary in consistency. There are segments that are thinner and segments that are chunkier. Although the texture is almost velvety soft. This gives a project a more organic look rather than a perfectly smooth look. I like using recycled silk for different projects, so I was happy with the yarns.The quantity was a bit small. Large enough for a knit hat but too scant for one that would be crocheted. And after reading through the booklet I realized that the hank of yarn was my mystery item (an added $5). I don't like working right from a 'hank' so I rolled it into a ball.The tools were wooden, pretty, and seemed to be well made. They were a little odd shaped to me.I decided, to get the most out of my box, I would take the yarns, the hook, and needles, and make the patterns in the booklet. I wanted to find out if there was enough yarn in the box to complete the patterns included. And I wanted to see how I liked the tools. I liked the knitting needles. They were shorter, which is nice for smaller projects. They picked up the stitches easily. The crochet hook had a 'Bates' style head, which is my personal preference over 'Boye' style hooks. But the handle of the hook had no contour, as most aluminium or steel hook do. This took me a row or two appreciate the feel. Overall I wasn't disappointed.The first pattern I tried was the 'Ripples Neckware', crochet. I used the Watercolors silk. I really liked this yarn. It was smoother than other recycled silks that I've used. The pattern was simple and easy to follow, and it was pretty. But, there wasn't enough yarn to finish the whole piece. The pattern was supposed to be 8 rows total. I didn't quite make it through 6 rows. So not enough for the crochet pattern, but it would have been enough for the knit pattern.I used the Mystery Item 'Crimson Tide' for the 'Snow Big Deal Cowl' knit pattern. This yarn was more irregular, and more like other recycled silks I've used. I liked it, but I can see how some people may be disappointed. I worked the pattern as stated and did have enough yarn to finish. My son really loved the colors and texture, and claimed it as his own before it was off the needles. So that was worth it.Overall I was happy with my first box. I liked the yarns, I like the tools. And I liked that it included patterns that I could use for the amount of yarn sent. My concerns are for the future boxes. My $10 got me the Watercolor yarn, tools, and patterns. My extra $5 got me the hank of Crimson Tide yarn. Add the shipping, the total was $18.95. I think that was a fair price for a complete kit with two small projects. I'm going to leave my subscription as it is, with the Mystery Item added. My next box should arrive in about 3-4 weeks. After I receive that box I will let you know if it continues to be worth it.Darn Good yarn wasn't the only yarn subscription service available, but it was definitely the most affordable.Here is a list of some of the other subscription services that I passed on, mostly due to the price:Prices listed are approximate and currency USDThe names below link to their sites Annie's Kit Clubs - This one I passed on simply because I only wanted to try one kit at a time. But the price seemed fair at $20+shipping. They had a few to choose from, all crochet. Kit choices included an Afghan Block of the Month, Hook and Needle (small ready to start projects), and Caring Crochet (their description was "Heartfelt projects to let someone know you care"). I will probably give one of these a try in the future. Knitcrate - $20-35/mo Devoted specifically to knitters. Yarn Crush - $25-35/mo. They do state they try to please both knit and crochet. The include their magazine with your box or you can subscribe to it alone for $5/mo$35/mo. You receive mini skeins that equal at least 100 gms of fingering weight yarn: 10 different colors of 10 gms each. At the time I searched they offered 20% off your first month. Post Stitch - $40-350. Some boxes come with notions and needles. Knitting patterns.