Thursday, November 8, 2018

The KnitPicks Big Sale is Here!



The KnitPicks Big Sale is here! (Affiliate Link)  Way back in the day, this was the only real sale that KnitPicks had each year, and fans of the sale would wait and crash the site when it first when live.  (Ooops!) I think that the company has changed strategies a bit over the years, and we see more coupons and discounts throughout the rest of the year.  However, this sale is the BIG ONE, and if you are waiting for the best prices of the year, now is the time to bite.

Full Disclosure - I am a KnitPicks Affiliate and the links in this post are affiliate links.  KnitPicks did not ask me to write this post.  All product selections and opinions are my own.  I purchased all of the yarn I discussed myself.  

There are over 1000 different yarns on sale this week.  I've found discounts up to 60%!  You can sort the sale yarns by fiber type to help focus on the ones you want, or you can browse through the standard yarn categories.



There are NEW YARN LINES, too!  KnitPicks released Stroll Gradient 50 g sets so you can make matching pairs of socks.  There is now a speckled form of Swish Worsted and some new handpainted colors of Stroll Fingering.  I am so excited to see both the gradient Duos and speckles on a worsted weight yarn.  One complaint about stroll gradients in the past is that you would need to purchase 200 g to create matching socks.  KnitPicks really does listen to customer feedback!

Best Bare Yarn Discounts

Earlier this year, KnitPicks released 12 new bare yarn lines.  I purchased and unboxed 8 of these yarns around the launch.  I think that I was able to pick up the remaining 4 today, Aristo, Shimmer Bulky, SuperSilk, and Super Bulky Soft.  I am really excited for my package to come so I can review these.  I left these off my previous order because they are fairly expensive for a single skein due to the luxury fibers.  Now that they are on sale... Yes Please!

The following are my picks for the best KnitPicks bare yarn deals of the Big Sale:

  • Double Stranded Stroll Fingering Sock Blanks - 50% off! At only $10 for these double stranded blanks, they are a steal! 
  • Bare Merino Style DK - 40% off.  This DK weight 100% Merino (non-superwash) isn't a yarn that I've dyed before, but at this price ($4.79/100 g) I'm going to pick some up for my second order.  
  • Bare Super Bulky Soft - 50% off.  This is a Superwash Wool/Alpaca blend that I'm excited to try for the first time. 
  • Bare Capra DK - 50% Off.  This merino/cashmere blend is AMAZING both from a knitting and dyeing perspective.  
  • Bare SuperSilk - 50% off.  This is another yarn I haven't tried (yet) but it is 52/48 Superwash Wool/Mulberry Silk and it looks like it is super shiny and soft.  
  • Bare Shimmer Bulky - 50% off.  I've used Shimmer lace yarn before, but I've never tried a bulky version. I LOVE knitting with the shimmer yarn, it is soft and shiny.  I look forward to receiving this bare yarn (70/30 Baby Alpaca/Mulberry Silk).  The lace version (just called Bare Shimmer) is also 50% off.  
  • Paragon - 50% off.  This is a Merino/Silk/Alpaca blend and it has the most stunning shine and drape.  I've dyed it a couple of times so far and I absolutely love it.  
  • Bare Aristo - 40% off.  This is a Merino/Cashmere/Silk blend lace weight yarn.  The full price ($21.99) is a little high for me to experiment with, but I am happy to test one out at this sale price.  
  • Bare Cotton Boucle - 50% off.  I absolutely love this yarn.  It is a worsted weight 100% cotton yarn and it dyes so beautifully. I don't think the Boucle is too loopy so it shouldn't split badly while knit.  
  • Simply Alpaca - Colors Alaina and Alma.  50% off.  While not technically bare, these yarns are 50% off and are totally overdyeable.  I haven't tried out the Simply Alpaca yet (I'll add these to my next order) but I love the Simply Wool line.  
  • Momo Merino - 60% off.  This is a JUMBO weight knit tube filled with superwash merino roving.  At $12/250 g, if there is any Cream left when I go to place my next order I will pick some up.  
  • Bare Andes del Campo - 50% off.  This is 100% Highland Wool and is a bit more rustic than Wool of the Andes.  The plys are chunkier, but it is still super soft and I'm sure it will overdye nicely.  
  • Bare Chroma Twist Bulky - 50% off. I'm still sad that the chroma twist fingering went goodbye, but this is a great bare yarn deal!  

Many of my other favorite bare yarns are on sale, too.  However these ones have the largest discount. I did leave one 50% off bare yarn off of this list (bare swish fingering) because I am not a huge fan of that yarn.  I love the Swish line in general (DK, Worsted, Bulky) but the fibers in the fingering weight yarn aren't Merino and it isn't quite as soft.  I was so excited for this yarn, and then felt so disappointed once it was in my hands.  I think if my expectations were different, it would still be a lovely yarn.  And at the price, it could be worth getting some more.


Here is a look at my first order.  At least, I think this was my first order.  I forgot to take a screenshot before I checked out!  I do know that I also got a free totebag with the coupon code FREEBE150. I picked the "I'm working on my PhD, Projects Half Done" bag which I've been wanting for a very long time.  I could have picked a free yarn bowl or ball winder since my purchase was over $200 (code FREEBE200), or a project bag (FREEBE100), but I already have a KnitPicks yarn bowl and ball winder!

Another reason why I say that I "think" this is my order is that I'm not 100% sure that everything I purchased is still going to be available when they pack my order.  Sometimes with the KnitPicks big sale, they have some really great deals and multiple people will add the items to their cart at the same time.  Unfortunately this results in someone not getting an item from their order. (Don't worry - you won't get charged for it.) Since the Stroll sock blanks are still listed as in stock, I'm going to cross my fingers that I will get the 20 (yes 20!) that I ordered today.


KnitPicks Daily Deal

In addition to the thousand+ yarns that are already discounted, KnitPicks is going to have a special daily deal.  I have no idea what these will be, but I'm going to keep an eye on them all week and will keep updating this blog post.

  • Thursday 11/8 - $1 KnitPicks Exclusive Patterns
  • Friday 11/9 - No new deal - the next deal will be out Saturday at 5 AM PST.  
  • Saturday 11/10 - 30% off Interchangeable Needle Sets and Crochet Hook Sets!  (The Options Wooden needles are my favorites ever!) 
  • Sunday 11/11 - I noticed they changed "Daily Deal" to "One Day Deals" which makes more sense.  The next deal will come Tuesday at 5 AM PST.
  • Monday 11/12 - Waiting for Tomorrow!
  • Tuesday 11/13 -  DOLLAR DEALS DAY!  There are limited colors at $1, $3, or $5/skein.  There are also books at these prices, too!  There are limits per person, but these will sell out fast so don't miss your chance. 
  • Wednesday 11/14 - The next deal will come Thursday at 5 AM PST.  
  • Thursday 11/15 - Freebie Frenzy!  There are some tools, swag, and kits bundles where you can get a free item with the purchase of others.  I think the winner is the free lace blocking wires with blocking mats purchase.  Other freebies include free pin with stitch markers, free yarn with winding station purchase, and free project bags with tote bag purchase.  
  • Friday 11/16 - Waiting for Tomorrow!  
  • Saturday 11/17 - 40% off Select Kits! (Patterns + Yarn)
  • Sunday 11/18 - Waiting for Tomorrow!
  • Monday 11/19 - Free shipping over $35 with the coupon code FREESHIP for the US and Canada!   The sale ends at 11:59 PM PST but there is one more daily deal scheduled.  

KnitPicks launched 5 new "Special Reserve" yarn lines this morning.  These yarns include some wools, acrylic, and polyester blends.  It is interesting to see some yarn come in 40 g balls (instead of 50 or 100 g), and I will admit I'm a little perplexed as to why KnitPicks developed these yarns.  The colors are lovely, and I think the wool ones look like a lot of fun.  I tend to avoid acrylic and polyester yarns in my knitting personally, but I do know people want to see me dye some more synthetics.  


A KnitPicks Package I plan to unbox tonight on YouTube.  This is not my big sale order, it definitely did not arrive that quickly! 

Phew! That is a lot of a big sale.  I haven't even touched on the KnitPicks Exclusive Tools & Notions sale, the Tools sale, or even the other sales that have been going on all fall (Sock Needles Sale, Sweater Weather Sale.)  I am really excited to see what pops up over the course of the KnitPicks Big Sale.  The Big Sale will technically end on 11/19/18 at 11:59 PM PST.  In past years it has been extended a bit, but we should never count on them doing things exactly the same way.  I expect that there will be a lot of discount codes through the end of the year, but I also plan to make at least one more order during this big sale.

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All prices and discounts that I mention are subject to change by KnitPicks.  I am a KnitPicks Affiliate, but I have no inside information about their marketing strategies and I only get information on sales when it becomes available to the public.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, and KnitPicks did not ask me to write this post.