I’m so excited to share with you 10 gift ideas for yarn lovers that aren’t yarn! Do you stare at family blankly when they ask you for gift ideas? Under normal circumstances I can think of lots of things I’d love to have. Whenever someone asks for a list, all those ideas disappear! Whether you struggle to think of ideas to share with others or you have some yarn loving people in your life and you don’t know what to get them, I’ve got you covered!
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Project Bags
Because WIPs (works in progress) keep multiplying, you can never have too many project bags! I like to keep my pattern, yarn, hook and notions for a project all together in one project bag. Since I have lots of projects I have lots of bags and I can always use a couple more! Personally, I have learned that I prefer project bags with a pull closure rather than a zipper. I find that sometimes my yarn will snag in a zipper since I usually leave the yarn in the bag while I work. Pockets inside for notions are a definite bonus! Extra bonus if it has a handle for me to grab when I head out the door. Extra, extra bonus if it folds flat when I don’t have a project in it, which is hardly ever!
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, cute project bag I love this one from WeCrochet. It meets two of my four wants with a drawstring closure and folds nice and flat when not in use. I tend to go a bit fancy with my project bags. I’m totally in love with this adorable bag! If you’d like something handmade there are a ton of them at a lot of different price points on Etsy. Plus, it’s always good to support small businesses!
Lucet Fork
If you’re like me, you saw the Furls Lucet Fork and immediately wanted one! If you didn’t, I’m here to tell you, you’re definitely going to want one! Not only is this a beautiful and easy to use craft tool; but also, I’ve found making a cord with the Lucet Fork to be extremely calming and meditative. Working with the Lucet Fork takes a little bit of practice but I think you’ll find your rhythm quickly and will soon be making yards and yards of beautiful braided cord!
I love the way my Furls Lucet Fork fits in my hand. They’ve really paid attention to detail. The handle fits nicely in my hand and has a place to rest my thumb making it easy and comfortable to hold. The tines of the fork curve in slightly helping to keep the yarn in place while you wrap it and make tensioning the yarn easier.
If you’re looking for a more inexpensive Lucet Fork to try or you know a child who would like to try their hand at making cord, I found this one on Amazon.
Blocking Mats
I spent years hunched over children’s playmates pinning my handmade items down over bumpy, cutouts of letters. This was always a tedious and frustrating task.Once I finally invested in some nice blocking mats I couldn’t believe I had spent so many years without them!These blocking mats are definitely worth the splurge, especially if someone else is giving them to you as a gift! I purchased these blocking mats on Amazon and love them for several reasons. First, they are nice and thick. This allows me to place my pins in without worry that I might be damaging the flooring or table on the other side of them. Second, they have a straight line grid. This helps me keep my straight lines of my blocking items straight and helps me make sure my blocked items are symmetrical. While I’ve only blocked one sweater, I did absolutely love the circle lines on these blocking mats. They made it super simple to block my neckline into a really nice shape. They also come in a carrying case, which helps me keep my closet organized.
If you’re looking for more affordable blocking mats, I highly recommend these blocking mats from WeCrochet. They are still nice and thick, and have helpful gridlines, but they are a bit less expensive than my face favorites.
Blocking Pins
You. Guys. If you’re going to be blocking a lot you are going to want these blocking pins! If you have ever hunched over an enormous piece carefully putting in one pin at a time then I’m sure you immediately understand why these blocking pins are like magic! They are like putting in several pins all at once! They decrease the amount of time it takes to pin down a blocked item immeasurably! I absolutely love them and use them all the time!
Fancy Hooks or Needles
I always think that some of the best gifts are things that you really want but are not necessarily willing to splurge on for yourself. Fancy hooks and needles are definitely one of those things. It’s no secret that I love and almost exclusively use Furls Crochet Hooks. But before I tried them, I was very hesitant to spend that much money on a crochet hook. I eventually made the plunge around this time a couple years ago. On top of being a fun gift, there are often lots of great deals around this time of year that make these splurges a little more affordable.
Furls Alpha Series is my favorite hook line. It’s absolutely stunning and fits so well in my smaller hands. It is one of their pricier hooks, but well worth the splurge. If you’re looking to dip your toes into Furls hooks, I love their wooden Streamline hooks too. Because of their more affordable price, I have a lot of these hooks and use them regularly. They fit nicely in my hands too, are so comfortable to work with, and glide nicely through yarn!.
Clothing
Who doesn’t love a good hoodie or t-shirt? I love showing my yarny loyalty through my clothing and have purchased several yarn themed t-shirts and sweatshirts! There are so many creative people out there who design such wonderful crochet and knit themed t-shirts and sweatshirts. They range from hilarious to vulgar to absolutely adorable! I personally own several items from Rebekah Haas Crochet’s Store. Rebecca’s designs are super fun and adorable! I’ve also been eyeing all of Lisa’s fun gear over at Green Fox Farms Designs! Both of these shops have so much more than crochet gear and I hope you’ll take time to explore all their beautiful goods!
Swift
This is another one of those items that I don’t know how I lived without! If you’ve ever bought yarn that comes in a skein or hank- that twisty, long ball of yarn – and tried to wind it by hand you know what I mean. To do this by hand you have to open the skein, wrap it around something, maybe the back of a chair, your feet or a very patient partner’s hands. It often gets tangled, only adding to the time and frustration of the whole situation.
Once you have a swift, you just place the yarn around the swift and wind the yarn into a ball. The swift spins smoothly, unwrapping the yarn as you wind it up. Even if you’re winding a ball by hand, the swift makes it so much easier.
Yarn Ball winder
If you want to make the job of winding yarn extra easy, pair your swift with a yarn ball winder! Interestingly, this handy machine will wind your yarn into a cake and not a ball, but that doesn’t matter because it turns a 45 minute job into a 5 minute job. Use it along with the swift to wind skeins of yarn into cakes or frog that project you’re never going to finish in record time. Once you get the hang of using your yarn ball winder it will save you so much time!
Shawl Pin
Alright, I think this is one of my most unique suggestions. I know so many fiber loving friends who make shawl after shawl after shawl and almost never wear them. What a shame! A shawl pin can help make your handmade shawls more wearable! These long “pins”, which aren’t very pointy, are carefully woven through the stitches of your shawl to help it stay in place. These are especially helpful when trying to style asymmetrical shawls!
I found this beautiful shawl pin at my local yarn shop, but you can find all sorts of beautiful shawl pins through many yarn sellers or Etsy shops. There are several beautiful and reasonably priced shawl pins on WeCrochet!
Interchangeable Set
When I first started knitting, I was an elementary school teacher and my husband was a graduate student. Money was less than abundant. I slowly purchased needles as I needed them until I grew quite the collection. A couple years ago I splurged on an interchangeable knitting needle set. Who knew that it would bring me so much joy? It was so wonderful to pare down the many, many, many pairs of needles into a compact and organized set.
Later when I was gifted a set of interchangeable Tunisian crochet hooks I was absolutely thrilled! I didn’t have to even go through the process of collecting hooks one by one. I went straight to the upgrade of a perfectly organized set! I was thrilled!
Interchangeable sets can be quite pricey. They can come in all sorts of beautiful and exotic woods or from very notable makers. They can also be found at more reasonable price points. And I encourage you to do some searching around to decide what you value most in an interchangeable set before you add it to your gift list.
WeCrochet has a beautiful and reasonably priced set of interchangeable Tunisian crochet hooks. I have this set and really enjoy working with them! KnitPicks, WeCrochet’s sister company, also has a variety of interchangeable knitting needles. Lots of gorgeous sets to choose from here!
So there you have it! 10 gift ideas for yarn lovers that aren’t yarn! While many of the links above go to larger companies or Amazon, I highly encourage you to look around for these items made by small businesses, sold by local artisans or at your local yarn shop . It is always wonderful to be able to support small businesses and local artisans!
Affiliate Links
I’d also like to share a quick note on affiliate links. Many of the links above are affiliate links. When you use these links and purchase items I earn a small commission. This does not increase the price you pay, but does support my small business business. I would be so appreciative if you would use these links when shopping! You can even pass this blog post along to your loved ones so they can purchase your gifts through them. Thanks as always for your support!
Watch 10 Gift Ideas for Crocheters and Knitters on YouTube
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