It’s the MOST WONDERFUL tiiiiiiime of the yeeeeaaar!
Ok, that’s about all the genuine excitement I have for the holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, October through January is quite simply the best. I love all of the gatherings, the chilly weather, snuggly clothes, delicious foods and tasty beverages. But a lot of it can be downright stressful and unnecessarily so. Especially when it comes to gift giving. And even more so if you have to travel for the holidays, which I do not have to do this year. YAY! I get to be a hermit at home with my husband and cat.
You may be jealous now. 😉
Anyway! Since I’m having a relatively stress-free holiday season, I’m hoping that I can alleviate some of the stress that comes with gift giving for all of you and help you come up with some easy, but amazing gift ideas. This will be a new mini-series of posts, so check back every Friday for a new gift guide!
This week’s gift guide is intended for any beginner, newbie knitters in your life.
Perhaps you’re a knitter yourself and are trying to convert a non-knitter over to the dark side (heh heh). Or maybe you know somebody who has recently started showing an interest in knitting and you would like to encourage them to keep at it! Either way, this guide is meant for you! In addition to your standard gift ideas and recommendations, I’ll also give you some helpful guidelines to use if you’d rather plan your own unique gift for that newbie knitter if your life.
Gift-spiration
If I had a newbie knitter that I needed a gift for, I would want that gift to reflect my best practices for knitting and also to encourage my newbie knitter to see him/herself as a REAL knitter and not just a beginner.
This is the gift that I would want to put together:
This post contains affiliate links below. That means if you click on one of the product links, it gives me a little cash for the yarn stash!
1. Italia Shopper Bag from KnitPicks
Dual purpose. A fantastic knitting project bag AND the perfect packaging for your knit kit gift.
2. Worsted Basics Collection from KnitPicks
This is a great pattern collection that almost any knitter can benefit from. Worsted weight knitting is PERFECT for beginners. And with simple patterns like hats and mittens, a beginner can use this right away. And as they progress their skills, they’ll be able to move on to the move involved sweater projects in this book.
3. Swish Worsted Yarn from KnitPicks
100% Superwash Merino Wool. From left to right, the colors are Squirrel Heather, Dove Heather, and Conch. These are my personal color choices, so feel free to choose a different color palette to suite your newbie knitter. My color combo rule is 1 dark/medium neutral, 1 light neutral, and 1 pop of color.
4. Options Interchangeable Nickel Plated Circular Knitting Needle Set from KnitPicks
I think learning to knit on metal needles is the best way to learn and using circulars as soon as you can is 100% worth it. But really any needle is a good needle and better than no needles. 🙂
5. Calliope Small Zipper Pouch from KnitPicks
To hold all your knitting accessories. You can never have too many pouches. Or accessories.
6. Double Ended Stitch Holder from KnitPicks
7. Chibi Tapestry Needle Set from KnitPicks
8. Split Ring Stitch Markers from KnitPicks
9. Clover Yarn Cutter Pendant from KnitPicks
Gift Recommendations
Here are a few of my recommendations if you’re looking to purchase a quick, but thoughtful, gift for your newbie knitter.
Psst, in case you weren’t sure, the affiliate links continue below.
Left to Right: Learn to Knit Club, Arm Knitting Kit, Beginner Knitter Tool Kit, and The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting
KnitPicks has a TON of crafting kits available right now and I must say, they’re pretty awesome. And I kind of a want like… all of them. Also, if you’re looking for a knitting book, this is my FAVORITE for beginners. Trust me, they’ll hold on to it long after surpassing beginner status (I still have mine and reference it every now and again).
We Are Knitters also has a huge selection of knitting kits, ranging from beginner to advanced, that you can even filter by a custom price range. Perfect!
This kit is my fav:
The Air Snood Kit
Tips + Tricks
If you’re still not sure that any of these gifts are quite right for the beginner knitter in your life, here are a few words of wisdom to keep in mind while you search for that perfect present.
• Don’t fret over the yarn choice. Stick with something simple, accessible, and within your budget; superwash merino wool is always a crowd pleaser. Your biggest decision should be choosing colors that they’ll love.
• Make sure they’ll have everything they need. Newbie knitters don’t often have all of the little accessories that go along with knitting, so if you’re giving a project-based gift, take a peak at the required supplies list on the pattern and sneak in any necessary stitch markers or tapestry needles.
• Say NO to scarves (unless the recipient asked for a specific scarf pattern/kit). Nothing personal against scarves (I love them!), but they take FOR-EVER to finish and for a newbie knitter it can be a bit discouraging to knit for days upon days and feel like you’re making no progress.
• Keep it fun! Think about what styles, trends, colors, and activities your giftee enjoys and let that guide your gift inspiration.
Have you already planned the perfect gift for a newbie knitter?
Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments!
