This year is the year of trying new things. I currently have a subscription for Owl Post, which delivers hand dyed yarn and matching stitch markers every month. While I was glancing around at different subscription services that didn’t cost $100 every 3 months, I happened upon Yarnable.
Don’t get me wrong, Yarnable is as described. It is hand dyed yarn on your base of choice (I went with DK), and the subscription cost varies depending on what tier or extras you choose. I chose to go with their Deluxe Experience, which includes the original 100 gram colorway, an additional 50 gram colorway in a coordinating color, and “extra goodies and notions.” I received exactly as described, and I probably should have been a bit more… Aware of what I was ordering.
I started my subscription in January, so unfortunately I ended up receiving their February box. This box does coordinate with the holidays, as I received a 100 gram white and pink hank, with a matching pink 50 gram hank. I do not like pink. The yarn is soft and would make a lovely scarf though! I’m actually planning to leave it at one of the free tables at NETA SPA so someone can grab it that will truly appreciate it and do it justice. The extras are semi-yarn related. One is a silicone pouch (also in a pink shade) that would easily carry some notions, and has a nice zipper closure and a long strap so you can tie it to things. And there was a small zippered back with a few heart shaped coasters and a heart shaped tea infuser. It all felt a bit cheesy, but it’s honestly on me – I didn’t investigate to see what their colorways would be in advance, and I should have known better than to join a new yarn box in January. So I decided that it was fine, it’s just gifts for other people that will enjoy them, and I can wait to see what the next box holds so I can try something out that isn’t holiday-related. The extras are just that – extras, and the price is for the hand dyed yarn.
I held onto the subscription box for another month, and I was once again underwhelmed. I’m used to opening Owl Post and being wowed by vibrant colors and cute trinkets. I opened the March box and there was a green to light-green gradient hank in 100 grams, and a plain blue 50 gram hank. I’ll hold onto the green hank, it’s cute, I can make a scarf out of it. The blue hank is a little. Plain. It had another zippered bag with goods, and I’m just realizing that it’s not the box for me; I’m not the target audience. It did have a numbered stitch marker chain for knitting, which I will absolutely hold onto (I’ve been eyeing them for a few months, and it’s cute! It has a butterfly charm on it!), but it also had a small bag of loose leaf tea, and a couple single-use moist towelettes. I know we’re mainly paying for the yarn, but the overall presentation feels a bit cheap to me.
I wouldn’t say that Yarnable is a bad box. It’s just a bit boring after playing around with Owl Post for so long. The yarn weight option is a bonus for me, but the goodies themselves feel like they feed into a stereotype that I don’t really fit. I wanted to try the box for a few more months to give it a fairer comparison, but what I’ve received so far indicates that I’m just. Not it.
And this is why I don’t do “yarn clubs”. The idea of a treat every month is so appealing but truthfully I am picky about what colors and combinations I like. Also the “goodies” are often things I don’t want. For 2026 I’m going to borrow an idea I saw in someone’s post where they picked out 12 skeins from their stash, put them (or had someone else put them) in drawstring bags from Amazon to create a sock/cowl basket for projects to open over the year. But … I will go check out Owl Post – tee hee.