Tag Archives: gift

What to Buy the Knitter Who Has Everything…

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I get this question all the time:  “I don’t knit, but my buddy does.  What does he want for Christmas?”

My usual response is: “Well, what does he like to make?”

And their answer is usually: “I donno.”

Super.  Really helpful.

Obviously, if you know the kind of project that your knitting friend likes to make, get them a gift that speaks to that interest (sock yarn for a sock knitter, lace weight yarn for a lace knitter… this isn’t rocket science).

But, if you really don’t know, here’s my standard answer, because every knitter can find a use for it:

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-2 or 3 skeins of NICE medium weight yarn in the recipient’s favorite color, or a color that they wear a lot.  (Go to a fancy, independent yarn store, if there’s one in your area.  Spend 10 or more dollars per skein.  Pick out something pretty and soft. Bonus points if the label says “mohair,” “cashmere,” or “merino”)

And then, if you have extra money burning a hole in your pocket, pick one or more of the following:

-Fancy knitting needles (get the size that is recommended on the yarn’s label)

-Buttons (6 or more in a coordinating color to go with the yarn, no smaller than a half inch, no bigger than an inch and a half.  Tiny and gigantic buttons are harder to find a use for.)

-A project bag (These are usually draw-string or zippered fabric bags about the size of a piece of printer paper, and they’re used to carry around half-finished projects.  I’ve yet to meet a knitter who has enough project bags, me included) If you sew, might I recommend the Fat Quarter Project Bag?

-A pattern printout or flier that uses the yarn you picked out (but make sure you buy enough yarn to complete the project, if you do this.)  Or, a knitting book.  Take a few minutes to look through the knitting section at the book store, and pick out one that has patterns that your knitter friend might wear.

-Other fancy notions (decorative stitch markers, fancy scissors, a cute measuring tape, etc.  Knitters love pretty things.  We’re like magpies.)

Wrap up everything you bought, and be the king (or queen) of Christmas!

A Super Exciting Post About Yardage and Budgets

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Yarn does not grow on trees (if only… that would be amazing.  Scientists: get on that).    And there are only so many hours in the day.  It’s still relatively early in December, but you are probably starting to feel the pinch.  Obviously, knitting big projects takes more time than knitting little projects (because… duh), so banging out a sweater in two weeks (while that would be amazing) is probably not going to happen.

When I want to make someone a knitted gift, my usual go-tos are knitted accessories: hats, mittens/gloves, and scarves.  Accessories are always useful, appreciated, don’t usually need to be washed (and potentially ruined), and are small enough that you can finish a project in the time it takes to watch a Sunday marathon of Law & Order.

I’ve undertaken a semi-scientific* study of some of the knitted accessories I have sitting in a box in my closet.  I wanted to see about how much yarn I used in each project, but I didn’t want to unravel everything and measure it out (because I’m not a masochist).  Instead, I broke out the kitchen scale and weighed each item, which will let me estimate of how much yarn each type of project requires.

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After much data collection and number crunching**, here’s what I found out:

A hat uses approximately the same amount of yarn as a pair of mittens. ***

A scarf uses about 2 to 3 times as much yarn as a hat or a pair of mittens.

So, if you’re trying to save money, time, and yarn, try making a gift hat.  If you’re feeling generous, how about a nice long scarf?

*Not at all scientific.

**I measured three of each item all knit with worsted-ish yarn (three pairs of mittens, three scarves, three hats) and averaged the weights.

***Note: my mittens were knit at a slightly finer gauge than my hats and scarves.  So while they may weighed the same, the mittens used more yardage, and probably took more time to knit up.

An Amazing Surprise

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A friend of mine, Heather, has been threatening to give me “a bag of knitting junk” for a really long time.  Apparently a friend of her mother’s had been about to donate all her knitting things to Goodwill, when my Heather’s mom took the bag to give to her daughter, who is an occasional knitter.  Unfortunately, Heather lives in a tiny apartment with a dog and two cats, and thus, did not really want the big bag of “knitting junk.”  So, she decided to give it to me.  (Woo.)

I tried not to take it, since these sorts of situations usually result in me having to pretend to ooh and aah over a half-dozen skeins of fun fur and three mismatched knitting needles.  But, Heather was persistent and last Thursday she brought along the big trash bag  full of craft supplies to our evening practice.  I tried to appear appreciative as I opened up the bag. 

When I actually looked inside, I was totally floored.  More than a dozen almost-full balls of crochet cotton, about 20 pairs of antique knitting needles, and the best gift I have received in a really long time:  The Bantam Step-by-Step book of Needlecraft by Julie Brittain.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s an amazing all-encompassing needlecraft book with pictures that are awesomely eighties, but instructions that are totally timeless.  It’s got knitting, crochet, embroidery, tatting… everything.  It covers the history of needlework, as well as including patterns and techniques.

And best of all (this is actually  making me tear up a little), it’s the same book that my mom had when I was a kid.  I spent hours and hours (probably days… maybe even weeks) pouring over this book.  I taught myself so much from its pages.  It’s the reason that I know what Turkish Crochet is, how to do the Bobble stitch, and the recipe for my favorite mittens.  It was simply amazing to receive something so dear to my heart, and that I had totally forgotten about for years.  I’m pretty sure the rest of my team thought that I was a little crazy, the way I was carrying on.

But, you knitters understand!  Here are some of the fantastic knitting contents of this book:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAwesome eighties sweaters!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADelightful lace patterns!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAClassic mitten and glove recipes!

Do you have a pattern or book that is particularly close to your heart?

Pattern Spotlight: Turkish Bed Socks

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I love knitting gifts for other people, but there are only so many hours in the day, and so many yards of yarn in my stash.  So what’s a girl to do?  How about making Turkish Bed Socks for all your friends.  These ankle socks are a great compromise between being a quick little project, and producing something beautiful and useful.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThey make great gifts, since they’re one-size-fits-most (even I, with my big man feet, can fit into them if I add a few extra rows in the foot part, but that’s easy to do).   They’re nice for bumming around the house and keeping your tootsies warm, and they look really cute peeking out of clogs or Converse sneakers.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, a pair of these socks takes only a fraction of the amount of yarn that regular socks take to work up.  I managed three pairs of these from one 100g skein of sock yarn.  A bargain, if you have to manufacture a bazillion of these.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAlso, while the pattern is written as a simple stockinet stitch sock, they suggest that you work your favorite cable, rib, textured, or lace pattern on the top of the foot, which can make each pair unique, and will keep you interested while you knit them up.

So, if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, try making up some Turkish Bed Socks.

So Twisted

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So,  you’ve got your pretty yarn all died and dry.  It’s in a big skein, but the threat of tangles still looms.  What’s a girl to do?

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Here’s what to do to get your yarn into a pretty little twist.  It’s not terribly practical, but it’ll keep your yarn tangle-free until you get a chance to ball it up.  (Also, skeined yarn looks pretty, so if you’re giving your yarn away as a gift, this might be the way to go.)

Step 1:  Loop the yarn around your hands.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAStep 2: Twist, twist, twist.  Twist until you can’t any more.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAStep 3: Fold the yarn in half.  I either hold the middle of the yarn in my mouth or under my chin. Don’t gag.  Ew.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAStep 4: Tuck one end of the skein through loop at the other end.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAStep 5: Futz with the skein to even out the twists.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAStep 6: Success!

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Christmas Knitting: Kiddos

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Kids are great.  You can make all sorts of ridiculous stuff for them to wear, and they’ll do it!  If you made a hat shaped like a fish and gave it to your sister-in-law to wear, she’d probably look like you were a tiny bit insane.  If you gave the same fish hat to your kid brother, you might just win Christmas.  Here are some fun knits for kids’ Christmas gifts:

Fish Hat [Dead or Alive?] by Thelma Egberts

fish

Pocket Ted by Frankie Brown

ted

Owlet by Kate Davies

owlet

Baby Alligator Scarf by Morehouse Designs

aligator

Coffee Sweater

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coffee sleeve

Keep your coffee comfy and cozy with this cup-sized sweater! If you’re as caffeine-addicted as I am, you know how important it is to keep your coffee nice and hot, while avoiding burning your fingers.  This coffee cup sleeve is super-fast to knit up, and the addition of a few simple cables will keep the attention of even the most caffeine-addled knitters. Since it’s a small project worked with worsted-weight yarn, you can make several from a single skein of yarn, making the Coffee Sweater a great pattern for gift knitting.

Get the pattern here:

Coffee Sweater