70+ gifts for knitters and crocheters

It shouldn’t be hard to find gifts for knitters and crocheters, right?

After all, you can always buy them yarn, right?

Wrong.

Knitters and crocheters love yarn by definition, but they’re also fussy about it. Not just colour, but merino vs alpaca vs silk and worsted weight or worsted spun, and don’t get me started on nylon in sock yarn.

It’s better to leave the yarn buying to the knitters and crocheters.

Still looking for something to give? I’ve rounded up the best gift ideas for knitters and crocheters, just in time for the holidays.

This list is split up by craft and skill level:

• Gifts for knitters and crocheters
• Gifts for beginning crocheters
• Gifts for advanced crocheters
• Gifts for beginning knitters
• Gifts for advanced knitters
• Gifts for knitters and crocheters that don’t have anything to do with knitting or crochet (trust me)

I’ve added in approximate price ranges (in US dollars) so you can skim this list and not click on the perfect thing which is a million dollars.

Heads up – a lot of links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on something, then buy something, I might get a few cents. This helps me out, obviously, but these links are just suggestions. Etsy and your local bookshop are great places to shop too!

21 clever gifts for both knitters and crocheters

Sometimes we talk about knitters and crocheters as if they’re miles and miles apart. But there’s a huge overlap between the crafts. I mean! Sticks + string = fabric, right? Anyway – these are gifts for knitters and crocheters and bicraftual folks.

A voucher for more yarn

Price range: the more the better, really

Your knitter or crocheter really wants yarn, but they want the right yarn. Trust. You do not want to get this wrong.

Instead, pick up a voucher to their favourite Local Yarn Store or online shop. They’ll thank you later. Not sure where to find a local yarn shop? Login to Ravelry (you’ll need a free account) and click the Yarns tab. There you can search the yarn stores directory.

A wrist ruler so they know when to stop

Price range: from $20

“Work in pattern until 5 inches…” What the heck does that mean? Get your knitter or crocheter some really functional jewelry like a ruler they can wear on their wrists.

A leather one like this will be much admired at Stitch and Bitch night, but may stretch out over time.

If it were me, I’d go with this silicone ‘snap bracelet’ style option, both because it’s more likely to be more accurate longer and because it’s a snap bracelet style (90s kids forever!).

Stitch markers to mark their place

Price range: less than $10

Stitch markers are good for marking the beginning of your round, for holding a dropped stitch in knitting or a live crochet stitch.

Here’s the thing about stitch markers: you keep losing the damn things. When I first went yarn shopping, I picked up a pack and said, “How handy, I won’t have to buy these ever again.” HAH. Now I add a pack to every online order of yarn I do, and can still never find any.  A pack of 200 will last out the year, just.

I like the ones which look like safety pins, but you can also get ring stitch markers (these are only for knitters – they don’t work for crocheters), split stitch markers (good if your recipient hates fiddling about) and novelty ones (these ones look like dogs, for example).

Row counter (for just one more row)

Price range: less than $10

Counting to ten is more or less impossible. That’s why we need row counters. This one goes on a string around your neck which is a bit ugly, but hey, you won’t lose it.

This one looks like a panda, which is great.

This one is a chain, which is very cool, but will only work for knitters – not crocheters (it’s a shape-of-the-sticks thing).

Or, there are a bunch of row counting apps. Download one and show them how to use it. This will cost you $0, although it’s harder to wrap up for the holidays.

Blocking mats for the perfect finish

Price range: $20 – $50

Before a piece of knitting or crochet is ‘finished’ it needs to be blocked: that is, washed and dried into shape. Although some people who work mostly with acrylic do skip this step. Not sure? If your crafter has ever made a sweater or something with lace, they’ll like this.

Pieces can be blocked on the floor or a spare bed, but the best is blocking mats: they’re easy to pin into and are easy to store (unlike a spare bed!).

This set looks nice – I like the grid line for perfectly straight sweaters and shawls.

Blocking wires for perfectly straight scarves

Price range: about $20

Have you ever spotted your crafter wearing a lace shawl? Then they need blocking wires. Sweater and scarf makers like them too. These hold the edges of a finished piece in shape as it dries. It’s the sort of tool you might skip buying for yourself, then use All. The. Time.

Yarn swift for faster yarn winding

Price range: $20 – $50 and up

Um, excuse me, Rachel, what is that thing? Well, when you want to yarn a skein of yarn into a ball ready to work with* you can slide it over your swift and wind it a lot more easily.

Look for an umbrella swift, which folds down much like uh, an umbrella. I like this wooden swift, but I currently own a metal one like this. It’ll set you back about half the cost of a wooden one, but they just aren’t as fancy.

This is the sort of thing that can last years and years and years. Someone gave me my metal swift as they were upgrading (“It’s a bit crap, but it works,” she said, generously). I thought I’d upgrade myself when it died, but here we are years later, and it’s still going strong.

Match this gift with a ball winder, if you’re feeling generous. Any crafter that works with yarn will appreciate this: they’re perfect gifts for knitters and crocheters.

*Yarn is often sold in skeins, but if you try and knit or crochet from them without winding into a ball first, you get a huge mess.

Ball winder for the perfect ball

Price range: $20 and up

A ball winder is a device which makes it easy to wind yarn from a skein into a, well, ball. Winding a ball of worsted weight yarn by hand might take half an hour. Winding laceweight takes all day (no kidding).

If your crafter has ever used lace weight yarn, they need one of these. This perfectly serviceable one from Knit Picks is currently less than $20.

You can get fancy ball winders, but most crafters will be delighted with a cheapie. If you have to choose between a ball winder and a swift, I think I’d choose a ball winder.

Yarn bowl to defeat the cat

Price range: from $20 

So a yarn bowl holds your ball of yarn and stops it flying all over the place. This would be a good gift for crafters who mostly craft on the couch (vs their commute or at Stitch and Bitch night).

And it’d be an especially good gift if you have a cat.

This is something your crafter probably doesn’t already have. And there are lots of good options on Etsy if you prefer to buy local.

Project bags for every knitter and crocheter

Price range: from $5

You can’t just leave a knitting project lying about. Okay, well, I obviously do, but it’s nicer to pop it in a bag. It keeps the dust/cat off it and makes it easy to grab for your commute. And that’s why they’re great gifts for knitters and crocheters.

A bag like this is perfect and classic. Plus no zips to snag your knitting! Similarly this bucket bag has no-snag drawstrings and a wide base (wide base = it won’t fall over and spill your work). Or if you want something fancy, HiyaHiya do a nice sock-sized bag.

It doesn’t have to be made for knitters and crocheters either. Try this ‘You’ve cat to be kitten me right meow’ bag, for example.

If you’ve got kids in your life who love your crafter, why not buy a few plain totes and get them to decorate them? If my niece did this I would be beside myself with joy and basically never use anything else.

11 gifts for new crocheters

So you have someone new at crochet – congratulations! You are going to be given so very many warm things over the coming years. These gifts will make someone who has only been crocheting a year or less very happy indeed.

A crochet hook set which they’ll use for years

Price range: from $10

“Oh, no you’re not listening – they already crochet!”  Sure sure, but they they have a set of hooks? It’s just as likely they only have one or two. A set will let them branch out a little (you match the hook size to the wool) and work on multiple projects at once (you can leave the hook stuffed in the project bag).

This set looks good for absolute beginners (it comes with some great accessories), and this one has ergonomic handles FOR EXTREME COMFORT which is how people talk in online ads and nowhere else.

A learn-to-crochet book to get them started

Price range: from $20 

I taught myself to crochet with this book and YouTube! Tell your crocheter it’s highly recommended by some lady from the internet. Pros: funny title. Cons: some projects look really dated at this point.

You can also try a book with ‘One Skein’ in the title. One skein is not very much yarn, so one skein projects by definition lean towards the quick ‘n easy. Here’s Crochet One-Skein Wonders®: 101 Projects from Crocheters around the World, and Crochet One-Skein Wonders® for Babies: 101 Projects for Infants & Toddlers.

An easy amigurumi book to inspire them

Price range: from $15 

Amigurumi can be dang fiddly, but also so dang cute there’s no reason a beginner shouldn’t try it! Just look for a book with ‘easy’ in the title.

Try Super Easy Amigurumi: Crochet Cute Animals, or Fun and Easy Amigurumi: Crochet patterns to create your own dolls and toys,  or Easy Amigurumi: 28 crochet doll patterns. 

I haven’t read any of these books myself, but they all look, well, super cute!

A book about granny squares because it’s essential

Price range: from $20

Granny squares are a really, really basic crochet motif and one of the best.

They’re simple enough for beginner crocheters to master, and who knows – you might just get a granny square blanket for your birthday!

This book looks good (although I can’t vouch for it, it’s well reviewed).

This book promises modern granny square projects, but if you don’t mind the vintage vibe, here’s a granny square book which has an uh, vintage vibe.

8 gift ideas for advanced crocheters

An advanced crocheter is someone who has moved past granny squares to more complex shapes and garments. And I’m pretty sure they’d be delighted with just about anything on this list.

A crochet stitch dictionary to help them design their own patterns

A crochet stitch dictionary contains all the different sort of stitches you can make. Your crocheter will flick through it for inspiration – and may end up designing their own patterns!

This book for example has 500 different designs (that’s a lot of hats!), or how about the “Vogue” Dictionary of Crochet Stitches. If your crocheter is a blanket maker then Crochet Kaleidoscope: Shifting Shapes and Shades Across 100 Motifs or Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes

For the enthusiast who wants to make something really unique, try Design Your Own Crochet Projects: Magic Formulas for Creating Custom Scarves, Cowls, Hats, Socks, Mittens & Gloves

Japanese crochet pattern books to amaze them

Price range: from $20

Japanese crochet books are so, so different, I can’t even begin to tell you. They aren’t just a different language (although they’re not always translated), but the whole concept is different. Your crocheter may not make a whole lot of things from a Japanese pattern book, but they’ll be so inspired.

Don’t worry about too much about the language – Japanese crochet pattern books always contain charts.

One thing to note: Japanese garment patterns often aren’t graded, but are written in a single (tiny) size. Clever and determined folk can usually size things up, but it’s safer to stick to books on motifs and lace in case you accidently insult your crocheter.

An amazing blanket-to-be

Price range: $40

Repeat after me: it’s not a great idea to buy yarn for people. But… we can make an exception for this exceptional yarn pack.

The Eastern Jewels version of the famous Persian Tiles blanket will make any crocheter swoon. Best of all it looks harder to crochet than it really is, making your crocheter feel very, very clever.

Plus it’s beautiful, right?

PS I made this in a different colourway. It’s totally doable!

14 great gift ideas for new knitters

Welcome to the flock, new knitter! You are going to have so much fun. If you have a new knitter in your life, these gifts will make them very, very happy.

A knitting needle size gauge they’ll use forever

Price range: from $2 

What size is your knitting needle? Good question, we’ll never know. Knitting needles often have their size printed real small on the side of the needle. You can squint, or you can pull out your handy needle gauge!

This one looks like a sheep, or this needle gauge is less than $2 and is also a ruler – handy.

A set of knitting needles for every project

Price range: from $45

There are hundreds and hundreds of different knitting needle options. Straights, circulars, DPNs. Confession time: I only use HiyaHiya interchangeable needles. I bought them when I was a little baby knitter, and have never needed anything else.

Interchangeables work like this: you attach the needle size you want to the length needle you want. So if you want to knit a hat on 4mm/30cm length, you can do that, then unscrew the same 4mm tips and knit a jumper on a 100cm cord… they make so much more sense than having needles in every size and length.

My top recommendation is to pick a ‘big’ brand so they can easily get spares if needed. Maybe a set of Clover needles, Knitters Pride knitting needles (again, I’ve never used ’em, but good name), or Aldi Clicks.

Topper hat yarn for the cutest dang project

Price range: from $10

Okay, first things first: don’t buy yarn for other people. Not unless you know them well enough to buy them underwear. But here’s an exception: if they like hats and are new to knitting, buy ’em a topper.

That’s a ball of yarn with a pom pom attached. So you knit knit knit and suddenly you’re at the end of ball of yarn and have a finished hat. Amazing.

If your knitter is whimsical or has kids in their life, you can get toppers where instead of a pompom, there’s a wee animal softie. Ah-maze-ing.

Pompoms. Because pompoms.

Price range: from $5

Beginner knitters make hats, and hats need pompoms. It was ever thus.

I learned how to make pompoms as a kid with two circles of cardboard and I am here to tell you that is boring and pompom makers are faster and make better ‘poms.

Pompom makers come in a variety of sizes, so you can make a variety of different sized pompoms. You can get fancy pompom makers, but something like this will do just fine (and is less than $2!).

And pair them with a book like this and you’ll be very popular. Pom-ular.

Cable needle to push your knitter to the next level

Price range: from $2

Here’s a secret: cables are the easiest dang thing, yet they look so complex. Empower your knitter with a cable needle (another secret: you don’t really need a cable needle to cable, but beginners like them a lot and they’re nice to have).

Okay, those are less than $3, so maybe throw in a book? I haven’t read this book, but it’s got easy in the title, and I promise the project on the cover looks easy easy easy.

Knitting pattern books to inspire new-ish knitters

Price range: from $10

Here’s a tip: any book with ‘one skein’ in the title will be great for a newer knitter. One skein is not very much yarn, so one skein projects by definition lean towards the quick ‘n easy.

These books are wildly popular, so you may well be able to find them at your local bookstore too, but here’s 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders®: A World of Possibilities Inspired by Just One Skein and One-Skein Wonders® for Babies: 101 Knitting Projects for Infants & Toddlers.

12 delightful gifts for advanced knitters

What’s an advanced knitter? Well, if your knitter has knitted lace (pretty patterns made out of holes in the fabric) or things with shapes (like sweaters or socks), they’re ‘advanced’. If your knitter likes making scarves or dishcloths, the things in this list probably won’t excite them as much as the previous category.

A stitch dictionary for original designs

Price range: from $15

Once your knitter has been knitting for a while, they’re going to want to experiment with stitches. A stitch dictionary is a handy thing to have. You can plug them into a plain scarf and end up with a unique pattern you made yourself: extremely satisfying.

Try 400 Knitting Stitches: A Complete Dictionary of Essential Stitch Patterns, or I have The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook: An of 300 Designer Stitches and Techniques and quite like it. Even better is Up, Down All-Around Stitch Dictionary: most stitch patterns are written bottom up, but this book flips and reverses a bunch of different patterns – recommended.

If your knitter already has some of these books, try AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary: 200 Modern Knitting Motifs.

Japanese knitting patterns to blow their minds

Price range: from $15

Japanese knitting patterns are just so different! They shake up the vocabulary of knitting and create a whole new language.

I own the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Patterns by Hitomi Shida and really like it.

There’s also books of patterns such as Japanese Knitting: Patterns for Sweaters, Scarves and More: Knits and crochets for experienced needle crafters (15 Knitting Patterns and 8 Crochet Patterns). I can’t speak to this book, but as the title says knitting is often mixed with crochet where as in the west we keep ’em completely separate. Plus, watch out for direct translations: Japanese patterns are typically written in one (really small) size, which can be dispiriting or downright insulting in a gift!

A yarn guide for the most fashionable colourwork sweaters

Price range: from $5

Colorwork takes a little less concentration with a yarn guide. Worn like a ring, you can thread the colours through the little guides, keeping colors in perfect order. Okay, I’ve never tried one, but that’s because I like to live dangerously. A lot of people swear they make colorwork faster and more precise.

Try this simple Norwegian knitting ring (pictured), or this yarn guide from Clover slips over the finger like a thimble.

Sock blockers for perfect socks

Price range: less than $20

Do you have the sort of knitter that knits socks? They’ll be very into a pair of sock blockers. Even if they have some already, these will go down a treat.

I like these minimal wire ones, but there’s also chunky plastic ones which are a little cheaper, and look like they may be easier to handle.

This is also the kind of thing you can DIY for a couple of bucks!

A classic knitting book

Price range: from $7

Okay, this one seems kind of weird and old fashioned, I know, but there’s a real advantage to following in the footsteps of those who have come along before us.

Elizabeth Zimmermann was prolific, and produced a bunch of patterns which are still relevant and interesting today, such as the Pi Shawl and Baby Surprise Jacket.

Best of all, the writing in humourous and warm, while somehow being nothing like what’s being produced today.

Try The Knitter’s Almanac. It’ll go down a treat.

4 gifts for knitters and crocheters (that aren’t knitting and crochet related)

Yarn-this and yarn-that! Your knitter or crocheter is a whole person, dang it! They don’t need everything in their life to be yarn-related. Hey, I hear you. But you ended up on this page for a reason no?

Here’s a list of things that your knitter or crocheter is likely to love – and not a stitch in sight.

Voucher to their Stitch and Bitch cafe

Price range: from $5

This one requires a little research, but if your crafter goes to a Stitch and Bitch (Knit and Natter, Stitching Circle etc), find out where it is and buy them a voucher for a few beverages or slices of cake. My group meets in Starbucks. If someone got me a Starbucks gift card, I would buy the fancy seasonal lattes instead of the regular ones. Faaaancy.

Something to listen to

Price range: from $20

I’ve had an Audible membership for years, and it’s helped me deal with chores, commutes and long plane rides. It’s also good for sitting and knitting. You can gift a trial Audible membership for not very much – or send them a link to their first book for free!

A board game to play together

Price range: from $35

Wish your crafter would put down the string for once? Try a board game. It’s not knitting, but it is sitting quietly, which, let’s face it, we like a lot.

Patchwork is for two players (very nice for small families) and is fibre-related. I have this game and I like it.

For two or more players, Azul is delightful. It’s not fibre-related, but it’s got a lot of pretty colours. I also own this game, and highly recommend it.

Phew! That’s enough gifts for knitters and crocheters. I hope I’ve inspired you to tick something off your list.

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PS – I mentioned up top that a lot of links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. That doesn’t mean you can look for similar items on Etsy or in your local bookshop!