Wednesday 30 November 2016

The Knitters' Gift Guide 2016

Christmas is fast approaching, and if you are a knitter who wants to add a few more things to their Christmas list, or someone who needs to buy a gift for a knitter, look no further. Here is a selection of knitting-related items that I would love to find under the Christmas tree.

Background image from PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay

An animal head: I had heard about Sincerely Louise's animal heads through social media and very nearly came home from Yarndale with her unicorn head. Louise has a large selection of kits in her Etsy shop. Knitted in super chunky weight yarn, these are definitely a talking point.

Sincerely Louise's Unicorn head

Some woolly jewellery: Another shop I discovered while at Yarndale, Max's World sells jewellery with a yarny-theme, from acrylic necklaces that shout 'KNITTER' to earrings made from tiny balls of wool. I love them all.

A selection of the gifts available from Max's World. Images copyright Max's World

Funky stitch markers: Can't remember what type of decrease to do when? Yarnistry's laser cut stitch markers are there to help. Brightly, coloured and hard to ignore, these stitch markers feature common knitting abbreviations to make it easier to keep track of what you're doing. Yarnsitry also make fab needle gauges that have a slot you slide the needle tip into to work out the size, rather than having to guess which hole your needle will fit in.

Something for the home: If you feel your love of yarn should spread beyond the yarn basket, this mug from Debbie Bliss might fit the bill - it has garter stitch on the outside and knitting instructions on the inside.

Some pretty yarn: plenty of recommendations on this front:

Anything by Mothy and the Squid. Mothy and the Squid's yarns are hand-dyed in Glasgow and come in a huge variety of bright colours, with rainbows, stripes and mini skeins a speciality. I have never managed to look at her shop without adding something to my wishlist.

Beautiful yarns from Mothy and the Squid. Images copyright Mothy and the Squid

Malabrigo Worsted is wonderful to work with, it's soft and comes in amazing colours. One skein would comfortably make a hat, two will make a good-sized crescent shawl (Susan Ashcroft has lots of designs that can be made in any weight with around 400 m of yarn). I am coveting the Purple Mystery.

Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply; made by a British company, Fyberspates yarn has a beautiful shimmer to it, and comes in intense jewel-like colours. I have a skein that I bought a couple of years ago that I have been known to pet; it might be too beautiful to actually make into anything! One skein will make a pair of socks, or a crescent shawl; I made Helen Stewart's Spindrift shawl in the summer, and this yarn would be perfect for it.

Spindrift shawl, which would look great in Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply

Hope this gift guide has given you a few ideas; do you have any other suggestions of must-have items that I should be adding to my list?

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