Sock Clubs

There's a discussion on the Knitter's Review about sock clubs, a topic that is of abnormally large interest for me. I've considered joining a few, but never did, mostly because I'm an anal-retentive freak.

I do understand the reasons why people join sock clubs, despite what sometimes seems like excessive cost.

1) You receive a unique sock-club-only yarn.
2) You (most of the time) receive a unique sock-club-only pattern.
3) You have access to a community of knitters that is knitting the same exact thing as you are, in the same exact colorway (most kals cannot match the "exact colorway" part).
4) There are extra little surprises included most of the time, little notions or extra patterns or whatever.
5) Sometimes being a member of a sock club grants you extra rights, like being able to go to Camp Cockamaimie for the Socks that Rock club (which was initially open only to sock club members, and the general public later if there was room).
6) Sometimes the sock club provides yarn that is not only unique to the sock club but also EXTREMELY hard to find. The Pureknits Yarntini sock club comes to mind.

Sock clubs cater towards people that love that kind of experience, people that enjoy being surprised and trying something new or different. It does not cater to the anal-retentive among us (such as myself) who might fret if the yarn color isn't what they might like, or the pattern is toe-up instead of top down. I like knitting socks on four needles from the top down, with a heel flap. I've tried the other ways and this is what I do. I would not do a toe-up sock pattern on a dare, and I don't want to pay for a pattern that's toe up, or have to dither with changing it. As for the yarn, I saw the colors of the first two Socks that Rock shipments and I would not have bought either one. So why not peruse the site and pick out a couple of skeins that I *do* like for less money?

But that's *me*. A lot of us knitters challenge ourselves with something completely new we would never have considered doing, and like that. However when I try something new, I like to do something that I have thought about, and that I've planned in advance. Thus, sock clubs are not for me, even though I'm very drawn especially to the little surprise "happies" that come with the yarn.

It's odd that the most expensive sock club out there is the one I most considered joining. The Pureknits Yarntini club, which works out to almost $60 a shipment because the first shipment comes with a book and a misocrafty bag as well. The yarn cost, even with shipping, would usually come to about half of that. But Yarntini is extremely hard to find, and unlike Socks That Rock can't be bought easily under ordinary circumstances. Surely that accounts for the popularity of the club (it's sold out) as well. I was tempted myself, because Yarntini is just glorious stuff.

It just comes down to the type of person you are. Control freak knitters, who have a harder time going with the flow (such as myself) will just end up annoyed. I don't even want my *husband* to buy me anything without telling me, because I'm afraid he'll waste his money on something I won't like that I'll have to pretend to like when all I'll be thinking about is why he spent money on something I don't like.

You can see why I wish I were the other kind of knitter, sometimes.