What to gift a person who loves knitting?
Yarn, project bags, notions… If you’re looking for a Holiday Gift Guide for knitters in 2023, you came to the right place! You probably love someone who loves knitting and you are clueless about what to give them. You’re used to hear a lot of “wait, I’m counting!” or “just one more row!”, and despite the fact that you may sometimes feel that knitting comes first and you come second, you know that knitters are absolutely amazing people. Your knitting-loved-one is lucky, too, to have someone in their lives who really cares for what they love. If you need help to find the best knitting gift, I’m here to help! Here is a curated list of some of the best gift ideas for knitters that are sure to be a hit.
The number one best gift idea for knitters: YARN!
Knitters love yarn more than anything in the world and this is, of course, a wonderful gift idea! But it’s hard to find the right yarn for your knitter friend. Before deciding which yarn to give them, ask yourself these questions: do they already have a stash full of yarn, or are they fairly new to knitting (and hoarding yarn)? What do they usually knit, socks and shawls, accessories, or sweaters?
Keep in mind that colors are probably the first thing to consider when picking a skein of yarn, and make sure to pick a color that they will love, something that is similar to their previous knitting projects or to the clothes they wear.
Yarn ideas for beginning knitters and accessories knitters
Beginning knitters will enjoy knitting with medium to bulky yarns, which are also a good choice for knitting accessories. Look for easy care yarns in DK, Worsted or Bulky weight. About 600 yards is plenty to knit a hat or a pair of mittens.
4 balls of soft, fine merino superwash wool
Generous skeins of a soft machine wash blend
This color-changing, bulky yarn will turn into dazzling accessories
Great acrylic yarn, budget-friendly and easy care
Yarn ideas for sock knitters
A good sock yarn should be sturdy (opt for 80% merino, 20% nylon or something similar) and pretty! Aim for about 100g / 400 yards of fingering weight yarn for a pair of sock.
Beautifully hand-dyed sock yarn (make sure to pick the 80/20 Sock yarn!)
A beautifully hand-dyed set with a mini skein to knit heels and toes
Self-striping sock yarn to create the perfect striped pair
This famous brand combines dreamy colorways with high quality yarns
Yarn ideas for shawl knitters
Shawl projects are often a knitter’s favorite because they are easily made, they are pretty and they let us use our creative side to pick the right colors and the right pattern. The perfect yarn for shawl knitting is usually fingering weight yarn in one or two colors. I recommend gifting a total of about 800 yards, or two skeins of fingering weight yarn (in two contrasting colors or in the same colorway). A lot of knitters like to knit their shawls with a strand of laceweight or fingering weight yarn paired with a strand of mohair. If you opt for this option, make sure to offer about 800 yards of each yarn.
This set is the apotheosis of luxurious yarn. Offer this and be loved forever.
Madelinetosh have high quality yarns and numerous colorways. Pick two skeins for a perfectly sized shawl.
Sturdy yarn, pretty colors, generous yardage and sweet price tag!
Pair 3 balls of this yarn with 2x100g skeins of fingering weight yarn to create the perfect fluffy shawl.
This famous brand combines dreamy colorways with high quality yarns. Pick two skeins for a perfectly sized shawl.
Yarn ideas for sweater knitters
Nothing is cozier than a knitted sweater! Gifting yarn in sweater quantity can be tricky but it can also be the best gift for a knitter! First, you need to figure out how much yardage you will need. This yardage calculator will help you. (I think that the results are fairly generous.) The favorite yarn weights for sweaters are Fingering, DK and Worsted, so please consider your knitter friend preferences when picking a yarn weight. If your friend is a beginner, I recommend picking worsted weight yarn and it will knit up quickly and they’ll have plenty of patterns to choose from.
This yarn have been a favorite for sweater knitting since 2002. Its numerous color options makes it a perfect choice for colorwork or for plain sweaters.
This budget-friendly yarn is perfect for knitting soft and lasting sweaters for the whole family. It's also a great choice for all season accessories.
One of my personal favorites for sweater knitting, this alpaca and wool blend makes warm lasting sweaters with a rustic touch, without sacrificing softness.
This is my go-to yarn for basic sweaters. It pairs well with mohair and also makes gorgeous results alone. The many hand-dyed colorways are sure to please any knitter.
Pair this yarn with another one to create the perfect fluffy sweater! Make sure to get coordinating colors and the same yardage in both yarns.
Gift a knitting kit
Knitting kits are a real treat to knitters, they really make the perfect gift idea! Knitters create them with love and care, while being aware of what other knitters love. Offering a knitting kit to a knitter is sure to please, especially to beginning knitters who will feel confident to tackle a new project with everything on hand.
This is a knitting advent Calendar filled with over 1000 yards of Madelinetosh Merino Light! It will give goosebumps to any knitter!
A perfect choice for beginners! This kit includes a pattern book, enough yarn for up to three projects, as well as the required notions.
This luxury kit includes a project bag and notions hand-made in Canada, in the best materials.
This kit is a budget-friendly option that includes a pattern book, enough yarn for two projects and the required notions.
Project bags are the weak spot of knitters
You can’t go wrong by offering a project bag to a knitter, as it’s impossible to have too many project bags. Every project needs a bag. Ideally, every project needs a bag assorted with the yarn color, the size of the project, as well as the time and place where the knitter is knitting. Picking the right project bag for a knitting project is a complex science. But luckily, you don’t need to master the art of picking a project bag, you just have to offer one and your knitter friend will do the rest. (You’ll notice that I filled this category with a lot of options, and that’s because I’m personally in love with each of these bags!)
Hand-made project bags for knitters
Besides being an amazing gift for a knitter, gifting a project bag is a great way to encourage small business and makers. Here’s a curated list of hand-made bags that I could use for years (I actually own several of these…!)
Jesabelle's project bags design is inspired by an old bag that her grand-mother gave her. She makes perfect bags for knitting-on-the-go, in sturdy fabrics.
Jenna Rose makes project bags (and a lot more!), using her own screen-printed fabrics, with nature-inspired patterns and perfect finishing details.
This bag's whale pattern stole my heart! Handmade in Germany, the beautiful bags by this maker all have a lovely pattern and hidden pockets.
Handmade in Ontario, Canada, Monique Savoie always uses the best fabrics and the cutest prints (look out for animal prints), and the confection of her bags is spotless. I love mine!
Heidi West makes project bags using screen-printed fabrics, with botanical and geographical patterns. Her bags are handmade in Oregon, USA.
Handmade in Poland, these bags are cute and have nice finishing touches, such as a sturdy drawstring and convenient pockets inside the bag.
NatalaStudio makes nature inspired handmade bags with a full organizing system inside the bag and outstanding finishing touches.
The best budget-friendly project bags for knitters
These budget-friendly project bags ideas are really great, too!
The print on this pouch is so adorable! The bag is big enough to fit a small project or a lot of accessories.
This project bag is between the knitting basket and the project bag. Perfect for every bee lovers!
This bag has a convenient shape and a lovely print, perfect for the winter Holidays.
Best ideas for beginning knitters
Offering some basic knitting tools, yarn and patterns is sure to please beginning knitters. The most basic tools are essential in their knitting journey and will surely be used for many years, so be sure to get some good basics, such as the following. An amazing gift would be pick a few of these notions and offer them in a cute accessory pouch.
Stitch Markers
Retractable Tape Measures
Various Knitting Notions
Knitting Notions Pouches
Miscellanous gift ideas for the knitter who has everything
If your knitting loved one has everything and none of the ideas above inspired you, these are a few more miscellaneous ideas that they probably don’t own… yet!
This sweater by Lolodidit will tell people that you're a knitter, even when you're not wearing your creations!
This lamp makes it possible to knit even the most complicated stitch patterns in the dark.
Wear these only when all your knitted socks are in the laundry.
Knitting patterns
Knitters love patterns! You can gift patterns directly from Ravelry, sent directly to your friend’s email address. This is a great gifts for knitters living far away from you.
Beginning Knitting Patterns
Intermediate Knitting Patterns
Advanced Knitting Patterns
I hope that you appreciated this gift guide for knitters! I had a lot of fun putting it up!
Happy Holidays and Happy Knitting!
– Gabrielle xo
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The Comments
Maryon
Wow!
Thank you for taking the time to put this list together. It’s very helpful and comprehensive.