The holidays are fast approaching, and with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday right around the corner, many people are thinking ahead to Christmas. On top of that, 2020 has been a stressful and chaotic year for all of us, so many people are decorating early and focusing on the joy of the holiday season. While there is much more to Christmas than presents, being able to give something to those you love or receive something thoughtfully purchased is part of the holiday. Whether you are shopping for a crochet enthusiast or looking for ideas to put on your own Christmas list, this post is a great place to start for inspiration! This list is a mixture of things that I already have and love and things that are on my personal crochet wish list. Any fiber artist would gladly get any of these gifts under the tree this year!
(Note: None of the links provided are affiliate links. I do not make any commission off of your purchasing through any of these links. I only provide these links as a resource for you.)
Books and Patterns
My mother is a writer, so I tend to lean towards putting books on any wish list I have. Not only do I enjoy reading, but purchasing crochet books and patterns is a great way to show your support for your favorite designers.
Some of my favorite crochet books that would make great gifts include: Crochet Café by Lauren Espy and Modern Crochet by Teresa Carter.
Crochet Café is an adorable amigurumi book containing “recipes” for a variety of your favorite foodstuffs. Thematically, this book takes the cake (so to speak)! It’s Espy’s second hardcover book and was released earlier this year. I already made some grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I hope to keep making food for my daughter’s future play kitchen. Whether or not you have tried amigurumi before, this book is a great resource.
Modern Crochet is a great book to gift to beginners and seasoned crocheters alike. It contains both all the technical instructions you need to crochet as well as many minimalistic patterns. I have made a point to be more intentional with the supplies I have and the crafts I make, and the aesthetic of this book is really inspiring to me.
There are some books on my wish list this year for Christmas: Making with Meaning by Jessica Carey, Crochet Iconic Women by Carla Mitrani, and Tunisian Crochet Volume 1: Basic and Textured Stitches by Petra Tornack-Zimmermann.
After a crazy year that has drained all of us, crochet can hopefully be a mindful way to relax and create; enter Making with Meaning, Carey’s debut book as the perfect gift. It has not only crochet patterns but also meditative essays to help you make the most of the time you spend relaxing and crocheting. I would love the experience of working through this book mentally and physically.
Crochet Iconic Women is the kind of tutorial book I can use to teach my daughter that she can make her mark on the world. I would love to learn about these iconic women and make dolls so that I can share that inspiration. Having the chance to introduce those legacies to my daughter makes this book a great gift!
While I have dabbled in tunisian crochet, I have a lot more to learn to truly become proficient. I really hope to practice a greater variety of stitches and projects with the help of Tunisian Crochet Volume 1. It is always a good gift to help someone broaden skills they want.
If there is a pattern you’ve been eyeing, Christmas is a great reason to put it on your wish list. Purchasing a pattern supports a small business and helps fund a designer’s dream. I have made a point to start purchasing patterns from designers I admire and not stressing about whether or not I make that item right away. I want to show my support for a creative mind and can get joy out of doing so. Even if you are not eyeing a specific pattern, you can help a designer by investing a little in their business this holiday season, or asking someone else to do so on your behalf.
You Can Never Have Too Much Yarn!
When it comes to crochet gifts, you can NEVER have too much yarn (well, ok, I mean you could probably have too much but…. not really!). Many big box craft stores are having Black Friday sales or even routinely cycle through yarn sales. If you are looking for a specific yarn at these stores, or even if you are just open to trying a new yarn, this is one of the more accessible gifts for a non-crocheter to get you. Where I am, the biggest stores include Michael’s, JoAnn’s Fabrics, and Hobby Lobby. You can also get yarn ordered direct from a company like Lion Brand Yarn or Yarnspirations, which tend to have great sales especially for bulk orders (hello, market prep!).
Christmas is a great excuse to try something new or to get spoiled by something nicer than you would buy yourself though. There are a few larger yarn brands, such as LoveCrafts, WeCrochet, Wool and the Gang, and Paintbox Yarns, that are gaining traction in the online market and would be worth trying if you haven’t already. To be honest, I haven’t had the chance to try any of these brands personally, but I have heard great things about all these brands so they are all going on my personal wish list this year. You can also branch out a little by asking for a crochet kit from companies like We Are Knitters or Lion Brand Yarn, or from designers like The Hook Nook. These kits come with a pattern and all the yarn needed to complete it, so it’s a nice gift that provides an entire crafting experience.
Along those same lines, subscription services are really common nowadays, including yarn subscription boxes. A great gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, a yarn subscription box combines patterns, yarn, and tools to diversify one’s stash and encourage a crafter to try something new. Examples include Darn Good Yarn, Knit Picks, and many indie yarn dyers.
Lastly in the yarn department, there are many small businesses that sell quality hand-dyed yarns worth splurging on. Some of my favorites that I have been eyeing include A Purpose and a Stitch, Ken Yarns, Sewrella Yarn, and Explorer Knits. A Purpose and a Stitch recently started a line of ethically sourced yarn with beautiful colorways. I only bought one skein but I had to seriously restrain myself for the sake of minimizing my stash. Ken Yarns is focusing on a Christmas Advent collection that was preordered, but I would keep my eye out for the next order drop. If you sign up for Sewrella Yarn updates, you will be notified the next time there is a collection available. Explorer Knits is another small dyer that uses preorders to reach customers. They have a brand focused on nature-inspired colorways and make donations to national parks with each purchase.
If you know of any small dyers in your area (take out that pile of old business cards collected from craft fairs!), you can probably put their in-stock products on your wish list this year. With brands that operate mostly online, you will have to be very aware of collection drops and jump on the chance to purchase. A gift card to one of these shops would be a great gift to ensure that you have the chance to purchase something when there is availability!
Tools of the Trade
With how important yarn is to the craft of crochet, you need a crochet hook just as much! There are many brands out there, including hook carvers or resin pourers, whose hooks you can put on your Christmas list this year. (Can you sense a small business theme here?) However, one brand that I absolutely love is Furls Crochet. I was gifted a couple of their hooks and now I can’t go back to my Susan Bates hooks. With an ergonomic shape and high quality materials, these hooks changed my crochet experience. They have carved wooden hooks, both streamline and luxury designs, as well as some swirled resin hooks and colorful metal hooks. More of these hooks are definitely on my Christmas wish list!
Crochet hook sets are also a great gift for a crafter. If interchangeable, they take up less space than a handful of hooks. Also, having a matching set is always aesthetically pleasing. Last year, my husband bought me a travel-sized interchangeable crochet hook set that lights up. Here is an example. Although not glamorous, I have used this set almost more frequently than my beloved Furls Crochet hooks. I can crochet in the car at nighttime, I can take this entire set with me when I travel, and I can easily switch out hook sizes when I need to adjust for gauge or different portions of a project. Every crocheter should have a hook set like this!
On my Christmas list this year, I have the Knitter’s Pride interchangeable tunisian crochet hook set. Like I mentioned earlier, I want to enhance my tunisian crochet skills. I have a cheap and bulky tunisian hook set, but a nice interchangeable set would take up a lot less space and make it easier to use the hooks I need for any given project. Knitter’s Pride has a few different set options, as well as the ability to purchase individual components in case something breaks or you are looking for a specific hook.
Branching Out
As someone who enjoys expanding their crochet skills, it’s no surprise that I love doing all things crafty. Few crocheters have just one creative hobby, and great gifts this holiday season include supplies to help your favorite fiber artist make something other than crochet. Some more obvious crafts they may want to delve into include knitting and tunisian crochet. Many of the supplies for knitting and tunisian crochet are the same as traditional crochet (yarn, blocking materials, embellishments, etc.), so needles or afghan hooks are simple gifts to give. Throw in an instruction book or pattern you are well on your way to learning a new fiber art!
Some crafts that are related to crochet that you might not have considered include embroidery and felting. Embroidery or cross stitch supplies are often intermixed with crochet tools at craft stores. Many crocheters already have some embroidery floss for adding fine details to crochet pieces. Although it is also considered a fiber art, cross stitch and embroidery require a different enough skill set to engage the crocheter’s mind and make it a really fun skill to learn and explore! Felting involves integrating pieces of colored wool together to make 3D art using a stabbing motion. Who wouldn’t love to make art by stabbing some wool? It sounds more therapeutic than most crafts to me. Again, although felting is considered a fiber art as it uses primarily wool, it requires a different skill set that can greatly entertain a crocheter who wants to branch out. Felting, embroidery, or cross stitching supplies make great gifts this holiday season.
Whether a crocheter is interested in learning a new hobby or wants to expand their crochet skills, another fantastic gift is Skillshare. This online learning platform involves a monthly subscription that gives you access to thousands of video classes in a variety of topics, from fiber arts, business, productivity, baking, organization, watercolor- you name it! I am always partial to the gift of an experience, rather than a physical item, especially as I am trying to be more minimal and intentional with the things I bring into my home. While the website offers the first seven days for free, you can find promotions from many influencers that give you two entire months for free. As I said earlier, I am a crafty person in general, and with my little business I would also love to learn more skills to help me grow Crowchet Creations. Skillshare is a great resource for hobbyists and professionals alike!
While this list is not comprehensive, I hope it is a good resource as you are thinking about gifts for a crocheter in your life. This wish list is perfect if you are looking for ideas to put on your own wish list this year or if you want inspiration for gifts to give to someone you love. Let me know down below what crochet-related gifts are on your wish list this holiday season!
XO, Emily
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