Items for the needle-savvy knitter in your life

Show some knitting love, god yarn it.
needles and yarn
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When temperatures start to drop, a knitter’s hands start to itch with the need for cozy projects to execute. Hopefully by a warm fire. With a cup of cocoa. Wrapped in a homemade blanket.

If you have such a person in your life, help satisfy their knitting cravings with one of these amazing gifts. From those who’ve always wanted to learn, to those who’ve only knitted a scarf (badly), to those who only wear what they knit, there’s something here for everyone. The best part? You might get a new sweater out of it.

Storage tote

 Homest XL Yarn Storage Tote
Keep your supplies tidy.

You may not know this, but knitting can be messy business. As the yarn stash grows bigger with every project, you end up with more knitting needles than socks in your drawer. And good luck trying to find all five of that double-ended, 6mm needle set. This extra-large yarn storage tote by Homest, however, is the perfect solution for all that woolly chaos: It has 16 outer pockets for anything the knitter in your life would want, six inner compartments that will prevent yarn from tangling, and a central space to store any current projects. It also comes with a tiny take-along yarn drum with capacity for two standard balls.

Knitting book

 Vogue Knitting The Ultimate Knitting Book
Read up.

You know how Vogue magazine is the go-to place for fashion? Well, they also have a knitting magazine, which is the go-to place for … you can figure out the rest. Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book it’s exactly what its title promises. It includes the 101 on yarns, tools, and techniques, along with how to work with different colors, cables, and stitches, and, of course, beautiful patterns for all levels. This revised edition has 70 more pages of tips and fundamentals, making it holy scripture for any knitter.

Bamboo-needle kit

 Vancens 18 Pairs Bamboo Knitting Needles Set
Starter setup.

Knitting requires a lot of tools. Different kinds of yarn need different kinds of needles depending on their weight, and on top of that, the type of needle you use depends on what kind of project you’re working on. (You wouldn’t be able to make a pair of socks with two long regular needles.) If you’re thinking about someone who has yet to start knitting, this is the perfect nudge to get them going. This pack includes 18 pair of bamboo round needles in sizes ranging from 2.0mm to 10.0mm (each size with a different color, which is oh so useful to tell them apart quickly), a measuring tape, a pair of scissors, four plastic yarn needles, a 2.00mm crochet hook, and ten plastic stitch markers. This is seriously everything a knit-noob would need to start.

Pom-pom maker

 Clover Pom Pom Making Set
For your hat.

Seriously—what good is a winter hat without a pom-pom? This set of pom-pom makers by Clover comes with four sizes, from the tiny and shy pom to the XXL statement ka-pom. Your knitter can use them to add cute finishing touches to your scarf, make a huge keychain they won’t be able to lose, turn regular Bic pens into Cher Horowitz-worthy fashion statements, or just make pom-poms because they’re so much fun.

Harry Potter patterns

 Harry Potter: Knitting Magic: The Official Harry Potter Knitting Pattern Book
Make your own Hogwarts scarf.

Let me tell you an absolute truth: The intersection on the Venn diagram between knitters and fandoms is huge—but the one between knitters and Harry Potter fans is (almost) a circle. There are a lot of knitters out there whose first project was a Gryffindor scarf or a sweater with a big golden “R” on the front. This book is for all of them. With tons of patterns that go from a cute woolly Hedwig to a Beauxbatons Academy cape, Harry Potter: Knitting Magic is the dream for any Potterhead who’s ever held a pair of knitting needles.

Crochet hooks

 BeCraftee Crochet Set
Super-comfortable grips.

Whether the knitter in your life uses crochet hooks or not, having a set at home is always useful for cleaning up projects, casting extra stitches, or adding finishing touches. This complete kit by BCMRUN comes with 14 aluminum hooks in different sizes (ranging from B1 to N/10), all with easy-grip, color-coded plastic handles.

Embroidery scissors

 Hitopty Unicorn Embroidery Scissors
Flashy scissors.

Every DIY project needs functional tools. But how about functional and cute? Anybody who’s ever dealt with yarn, thread, or fabric knows that good, precise scissors are a must in each tool kit—and these stainless steel unicorn ones are just that and more. Their pointy ends will allow for perfectly sharp trimming, and the pocket-size dimensions makes them a solid carry-on tool for on-the-go knitting. Plus, they’re cute (had to reiterate that).

Alpaca yarn

 AndeanSun Alpaca Yarn
Set of three.

There’s nothing better than working with high-quality materials, and in the realm of yarn, there’s nothing more luxurious than Peruvian baby alpaca wool. Extremely soft and pleasant to the touch, this natural fiber is warm, light, breathable, and cozy— wearing any garment made from it will surely feel as good as snuggling a baby alpaca. This set of three skeins from AndeanSun is great for a small project, such as a hat or a pair of short socks. For anything larger, you’ll have to splurge just a little bit.

Chunky yarn

 Fohoma Giant Wool Yarn Chunky
Tons of color choices.

Chunky yarn is fluffy and fun, and you don’t even need needles to knit it. All it requires is fingers and arms. Gift a couple of these balls to that knitter in your life and watch while this thick fiber becomes the coziest blanket ever. Besides, aren’t oversized knits just so much more endearing than regular-sized ones?


Sandra Gutierrez G. Avatar

Sandra Gutierrez G.

Associate DIY Editor

Sandra Gutierrez is the former Associate DIY editor at Popular Science. She makes a living by turning those “Wait, I can make that!” moments she has while browsing the internet into fully-fledged stories—and she loves that. A native from Santiago de Chile who will never get used to the Northeastern cold, Sandra moved to Brooklyn three years ago, where she paints, draws, drinks green tea, and lives with her 11-year-old beagle Lucas. 

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