Wednesday 2 December 2015

Christmas Gifts For Knitters

Now that the commercial buying frenzy of Black Friday (which turned out to last the whole weekend) and Cyber Monday are out of the way it's time to support Small Business Saturday on 5th December. Awoollyyarn believes in buying British yarn, particularly wool, and supporting our island's designer/makers rather than the big multinational companies that pile acrylic and polyester yarn high and sell it cheap.

Here is my choice of ten presents for knitters that can be purchased online. Buying one of these creates a double whammy: not only will you put a smile on the recipient's face on Christmas Day, but also you'll be supporting the livelihood of the independent yarn stores and designer/makers who rely on the Christmas season to make the bulk of their yearly profits.

I've avoided choosing patterns and yarns because it can be difficult to guess the colour, style and weight your gift recipient may like. Please note that all prices were correct at the time of writing and do not include postage and packing.

1. Baa Baa Brighouse Stitch Markers

These adorable stitch markers come on a large safety pin that in itself will be handy for a buttonless cardigan. The stitch markers come in two sizes, up to 3.5mm and up to 7.5mm. The six designs include a ball of wool, tape measure and pair of scissors. £4.

Image courtesy of Baa Baa Brighouse


2. Herdy Tape Measure

A tape measure is a necessity for knitters and this version from this company founded in the Lake District has a cute sheep on the front, which is also the company's mascot. £3.50.
Image courtesy of Herdy

3. Susan Crawford's Vintage Shetland Project Book

This book chronicling Shetland's rich knitting history and featuring 25 patterns for garments from Shetland Museum's textile archive, along with an essay on each piece, is available for pre-order. It's a book that both knitting and social history fans will treasure. £25.

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

4. Max's World Knitting Needles Earrings

Knitters with pierced ears will adore these handmade ball of wool and knitting needle earrings. The yarn is hand dyed 100% lace weight merino with a streak of sparkle running through. £10.



5. Kelly Connor Designs Knitting Bag

Nobody puts my knitting in a corner! So says this delightful knitting bag, reminiscent of the famous Dirty Dancing movie line said by Patrick Swazye 'Nobody puts Baby in the corner'. Practical and fun, what's not to love? £24.95.

Image courtesy of Kelly Connor Designs

6. Brityarn's Stitch Safe Mini Hooks

Not only are these small hooks gorgeous to look at but also they are very handy at picking up dropped stitches. Available in purple, red or cream. £8.50.




7. Loop Heavy Duty Wooden Ball Winder

This is more an investment piece than a one-off present but although it's not cheap it will be a lifeline for knitters sick of trying to use their arms and a back of a chair to untie yarn skeins and roll them into a ball. £290.

Image courtesy of Loop Knitting

8. The Yarn Ball Yarn Bowl

I've got my eye on this myself. Handmade by ceramicist Annette Bugansky the ball splits in the middle. Pop your yarn inside, pull the end out of the top and you have an efficient yet beautiful solution to keeping your yarn-in-progress safe. £70.

Image courtesy of Knit With Attiutde


9. Baa Ram Ewe Travel Mug

Leeds-based yarn store baa ram ewe has produced this travel mug as an antidote to the throwaway packaging used for takeaway coffees. There are three cheeky designs at £10 each:

  1. Voulez vous crochet avec moi ce soir?
  2. Get your steek on
  3. No woman no ply
Image courtesy of baa ram ewe


This entry receives a special dispensation to appear in the list. Although the sheep is hand carved in Japan it is of the much-loved British sheep and sold by a Yorkshire company. Hailing from Yorkshire myself I'm biased towards most things connected with my birth county! This wooden sheep is a lovely ornament for sheepy wool lovers. £30.

Image courtesy of Eden Cottage Yarns

And finally ...

Just in case you need a spare present on hand in case there's someone you haven't thought of how about this Brighton-made small alpaca necklace from Toft Alpaca? Non-knitter ladies will love it too.
Image courtesy of Toft Alpaca
Are there any gifts you think are perfect for knitters? Do let me know in the comment box below.


1 comment:

  1. Hello! Do you have an contact email? I wanted to ask you about a review.

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