Craft kits with yarn and patterns: do you like them?

Dear Community,

Do you like to buy complete kits with a pattern and matching yarn, or do you prefer to buy just a pattern and then use yarn of your choice?

Dear Josefa,

I’m a free spirit—either a particular type of yarn catches my eye, or I like a specific pattern. Rarely do the two go together for me. 

If you like the combination, you’re naturally all set and can get started right away. That’s not creative enough for me—I want to get involved and give the project my own personal touch. Just following the pattern with the specified yarn would be too boring for me. But to each their own. Your mind can relax, and you just have to do the handwork to get exactly what was promised.

Best regards, Ina

Hi,

I do both—sometimes I buy a kit, sometimes I choose freely.

Since the patterns aren’t useless after the first use, I collect them in a folder, and depending on my needs, I often recreate the projects using my own yarn and different color schemes.

Also, earlier this year I started a knitting and crocheting group at an open creative workshop for everyone from beginners to pros—we often have guests who are beginners and bring these “beginner” kits because they can’t figure them out.

Most of the kits I’ve seen so far—after reading the patterns and seeing how the yarn works up—aren’t suitable for beginners, in my opinion. (Amaz., Ted., Act.,...)

But otherwise, they’re a good alternative when you’re on the go—on vacation, in rehab, etc.

To be completely honest—I’ve never bought craft kits like that. When I get an idea like that 🤔, I look for relevant patterns, or even just pictures, and then I choose the yarn that I think would work well with it. 

By now, I also have two thick binders full of handwritten or printed patterns—one for knitting, one for crocheting and crafts—which are further organized into categories like hats, jackets, raglan, amigurumi, pom-poms, and so on—whatever’s out there. Every now and then I add something new, but lately that’s been rare.😉 

Best regards, Regina

I bought one once—it had a really cute little mouse to crochet inside. And another one because I liked the packaging—it came in a tin can.

I received one as a gift.

But otherwise, I get the patterns myself—from books, magazines, or your website—and put together my own color combinations if I don’t like the suggested ones.

I usually don’t like the sets that are offered—the patterns are nicer here, so I prefer those.

But what I really love about LaCritza’s Mystery CAL is that you can order the matching yarn from her—that’s very convenient. You could also use your own yarns, though; the required colors and quantities are listed, but I never have everything in stock.

I don’t really like those kinds of kits. You can never be generous with the included yarn because you never know if you’ll have enough. Sure, they always include a little extra, but that worry is always there while you’re crocheting.

I’d rather buy just the pattern and use whatever yarn I think goes well with it and that I like.

When I was asked to crochet this “Püppi Langstrumpf” doll for a coworker, she gave me one of those crochet kits. The yarn was barely enough, and the actual skirt of this doll was actually much too short according to the pattern. That’s no fun at all.