This blog post contains affiliate links.
I know I am not the only one to have found this last year a bit of a rollercoaster, both personally and professionally. Having to juggle constant changes and many roles is not easy. One day I am a freelance designer working from home, the next day I am a full time mum creating collages with a three year old. I have found my time with my daughter very rewarding but I have missed being able to focus on work. My work is an important part of me and I enjoy what I do. When my daughter went back to her childcare setting at the beginning of March I was again looking forward to getting stuck back into some work so you can imaging my disappointment when I promptly developed tennis elbow in one arm and thumb pain in the other…
I have come to realise over the course of this pandemic that my well being is very much a wholistic approach. I need some time to myself, some quality family time, some time to exercise, some time to cook (and eat!) and some time to work. The exercise part has definitely been the part taking the hit and I have gradually lost muscle tone. This has contributed to my arms not being able to handle as much knitting as they used to, so being thrown back into full time knitting was not ideal.
Now I am coming to the headline topic of this post, KnitCrate. I have realised that my work is very focused on one thing; knitting and writing patterns, but what happens when I am not able to knit as much anymore? I have realised that broadening the ways I work is a good idea and when KnitCrate contacted me about being a brand ambassador it seemed like the perfect fit! I have previously worked with KnitCrate designing three patterns for one of their boxes. You may recognise Apex Wrap and the Litz set? KnitCrate has always been a brilliant company to work with and I am really looking forward to testing some more of their products!
The way that this collaboration works is that I get to test some of their crates and share my thoughts with you. I have been provided with what is called an affiliate link and a discount code. If you would like to test KnitCrate for yourself you can use my code KHRANE20 to get 20% discount on your first monthly subscription crate. If you use this link to make your purchase I get paid a percentage of the purchase price.
So, I received my first KnitCrate in the middle of realising I had tennis elbow and wasn’t able to work on any of my current WIPs. Along came a skein of bright yellow sock yarn to cheer me up! At first I was ambivalent. Bright yellow and sparkly bits certainly isn’t something I would usually go for. Then my husband reminded me that I have a three year old daughter who loves bright colours AND sparkly things and an idea started to take shape. I saw a fellow KnitCrate subscriber on Instagram who had used the same skein to knit a lovely top for her daughter and I decided this was the ideal project for me. The pattern was Raindrops by Tin Can Knits and I was off. This project provided enough entertainment for a knitting enthusiast like me whilst ticking all the boxes for my recovery. No fancy stitches, no cables and a whole lot of stocking stitch in the round. The project would not end up being heavy on the needles, which seemed to be the main culprit for my arm pain, and the end product would be a perfect spring top for my daughter.
My skein of lovely yellow yarn was beautifully soft to touch and provided me with 365m (400yds) of Vidalana Glam Sock, a blend of 70% Superwash Merino, 10% Silk, 10% Stellina, and 10% Nylon. I have really enjoyed knitting with this yarn and although it never became socks I think the top will become a much loved garment by its recipient. I am planning to give my daughter the top in her Easter egg this year, so I will keep you updated on her response!
My verdict on my first KnitCrate box is that if you, like me, have found yourself lacking inspiration and motivation, a subscription box can provide a lovely little surprise injection to your creativity! Click here to have a look at what is on offer!