Is that a magical, crystal ball with yarn I see?? No, it’s the Yarnit! It’s a nifty, new gadget for holding your yarn while you crochet (or knit). The yarn sits inside the globe so that it doesn’t roll around on the floor or get dirty. You can use it at home, but it’s also great for folks who like to travel with their projects. Is the Yarnit for you? With any item there are always pros and cons, and in this review I’ll share with you my honest opinion.

How It Works
The top of the globe twists off to place the yarn inside. The tail of the yarn is placed into one of the three holes along the side of the globe and the top twists back on. The small, rubbery locking plug is pushed into one of the three holes along the side to ensure the globe doesn’t untwist. The globe has a flat, rubbery base so that it doesn’t move around while pulling the yarn out to crochet.

The Base
The base is made with a soft, flexible, rubbery material that is great for gripping onto surfaces. It is also latex free. The base can be removed from the globe by pulling it. In the base you can store small notions such as stitch markers, yarn needles, tiny scissors, etc. The Yarnit can come “fully loaded” with 5 stitch markers, a pair of cute rainbow scissors, and a darning needle. But if you already have your own notions, simply add your own to the base. The stitch markers I received with my Yarnit were knitting markers that do not have an opening to be placed onto crochet stitches – bummer!

Holes on Top
There are two open slots on the top of the Yarnit that can be used for multiple things. The main purpose is sticking knitting needles into them to secure your project. But for us crocheters we can stick a crochet hook into it. The slots are wide enough for any regular crochet hook size. The K (6.5 mm) hook is the largest I have that will fit. It will not fit larger crochet hooks or hooks with large comfort handles.
The holes can also be used to attach a strap. Yup, you can wear the Yarnit like a purse! There are holes on the bottom to attach a strap if you remove the base, but I prefer to attach the strap with the holes on top so you can carry it with the base attached. I wouldn’t worry about the base falling off, I literally threw the entire Yarnit down the steps and it stayed in one piece (more on this later).

• I’ve always been a fan of center pull skeins and do not wind yarn into balls too often because I dislike them rolling around. The Yarnit is a great solution for those rolling balls of yarn. I’ll probably wind more balls now that I have a Yarnit.
• Indestructible really?! Since it’s advertised as being nearly indestructible, I was determined to test it. Without going to the extreme, I asked myself what is the most realistic scenario where my Yarnit may get damaged? Probably dropping it down a flight of stairs and landing on the linoleum floor. I’ve dropped many things and broken them on that floor! So I did it, I dropped the Yarnit down the stairs and it smacked hard onto the floor. I did it 3 times to be exact. It made it without a scratch all 3 times! One time the globe did pop open, but not enough for the yarn to fall out, probably because the locking plug was holding it together. The globe is made from Lexan, the same material eyeglass lens and hurricane windows are made from. From what I can tell, the Yarnit can take a good beating.
• The Yarnit is light weight, weighting in at only 7oz when empty. I double checked on my scale at home and the specs given by the company are accurate.
• It is really well made with quality material. According to the company it will not discolor over time.
• I love the variety of colors you can choose from. The globe comes in clear, sparkled, colored, or even with a cute mustache on it. The base comes in a variety of different colors, so there’s bound to be one that you like. The Yarnit I photographed for this review is a “Mr. Sparkle” with a purple base.
• The bottom of the globe, without the base, is designed to sit perfectly into a standard cup holder. It’s awesome to be able to crochet in the car (not driving, of course) without my yarn rolling everywhere!
• The Yarnit is made in the USA.

The CONS

• It’s WAY too small! The globe is 5″ in diameter, so image how much yarn you can fit into it. With worst weight / #4 medium weight yarn (the most popular yarn for a lot of crocheters) I was only able to get about 170 yards/3.4oz/95g into the globe. That’s about enough yarn to crochet an adult sized hat. If I’m crocheting anything larger, I would have to add more yarn as I go.
• When the globe is full with yarn, it can rub on the locking plug creating tension as you pull the yarn out to crochet. As the ball of yarn gets smaller, the tension isn’t as noticeable.
• Although the Yarnit can hold multiple colors at one time, and even has multiple holes for the different yarn strands, it doesn’t do it very well. Again, the size of the globe is very limiting. When there are multiple colors in the confined space, they will rub against each other making it difficult to pull out.
• If you do not usually crochet with balls of yarn, and prefer skeins, cakes or hanks, it won’t hold much of those either. The only skein I was able to fit into the globe was a small 120 yard/2.5oz/71g skein. It’s one of those small skeins of “kitchen cotton” such as Lily Sugar n’ Cream.

The Big Sully
You’ve read my rant about the small size of the original Yarnit. Well, the clever folks at Yarnit designed a bigger and better version that’s waiting to be made! As I write this review, there’s only a few days left for them to secure funding on their Kickstarter page for the Big Sully. I’m so excited about the new, bigger version! Check out the Big Sully specs on the Kickstarter page to learn more about all of the improvements. If you’re as excited as I am, feel free to leave a pledge to ensure the Big Sully gets made! You can even get a reward, such as an original Yarnit or a Big Sully, by leaving a pledge.

Is the Yarnit for you?
In my opinion, the original Yarnit is great for folks who crochet (or knit) small projects. It’s perfect if you tend to wind your yarn into balls. Other types of yarn formats, such as skeins, don’t fit as well due to the small size. It is a really well made, sturdy storage container.

If you are looking to crochet larger projects (anything big than an adult sized hat) or projects with a lot of different colored yarns, the original Yarnit probably isn’t for you. The globe is simply too small to hold the yarn you need. But the Big Sully would most likely be a promising investment if it’s made in the future.

The Yarnit can be purchased at local yarn shops, via the Yarnit’s website, on Amazon, and even by making a pledge on the Kickstarter page for the Big Sully.

What do you think? Is the Yarnit something you would use? What do you think about the Big Sully?

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 at 9:00 AM by Rachel Choi and is filed under Fun Ramblings, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.