What to Give a Knitter for the Holidays

It happens every year: your loved one with a knitting hobby is the last one on your list, and you can't think of what to give them.  Why?  Maybe you're not a knitter.  Or maybe there's just too much knitting in the world to choose from.  What's a sure-fire gift for a knitter to cherish?
Never fear!  There are knitting gifts galore if you know where to look!  Start here.  As always, I recommend shopping locally as much as possible.  Our local knitting stores are the backbone of most area knitting communities, and the knitter in your life is probably well known to the staff of at least one of these establishments.  (They may even have a wish list on file!)

Knitting All the Day

The Savvy Girls Podcast is a knitting podcast by sisters Deborah and Melanie Gall.  Melanie is also a gifted singer, and has recorded a wonderful CD (click the link below the pic) of knitting songs from the WWI era.  It makes a great gift!  Colleen, my intrepid and magical assistant, gave me a copy during Rhinebeck this year, and I'm completely in love!  There's little chance your knitter already has one, and they're sure to enjoy it.

For the book lover on your list, The Vogue Knitting Knitopedia from Sixth&Spring Books is an extraordinary volume.  It has a little of everything a knitter needs - patterns, history, techniques, biographies, and more - all packed in one volume.  Every knitter will find things to love, and ideas to delight them.  The color photos, articles, maps and information will enhance the work of the most beginner and the most advanced knitters. Try your local bookstore, yarn shop, or favorite online bookseller to collect a copy.

Lantern Moon Ebony Knitting Needles

Every knitter loves to have beautiful tools that do the job well.  Few companies produce tools as beautiful and functional as Lantern Moon.  The needles at left are made of ebony, and are spectacularly beautiful.  The wood warms to the temperature of your hands, and the finish has wonderful action.  These needles, and most of their other tools, are not priced for bargain shoppers (the needles at left retail for around $24.)  They are fairly priced for high-end hand-made tools.  On the other hand, if they were cheap, they wouldn't be special enough to count as wonderful gift.  Lantern Moon makes a wide variety of knitting and crochet tools, widely available at local yarn stores.  You can also find their products at a variety of online needlework outlets.  Check out the complete line on LanternMoon.com. 

For many knitters, a yarn swift and ball winder are a pair of tools they would definitely use, but wouldn't buy for themselves due to the expense.  This pair of tools works together, with the swift holding large hanks of yarn and the ball winder spinning the yarn into balls without tediously hand-winding the balls.  Knitters who by their yarn at yarn shops and online outlets instead of craft stores often purchase yarns that are still in the hanks, and not yet wound into skeins or balls.  The photo at right is of a pair for sale on eBay.  Often you can find them in yarn shops and online outlets. Prices for the combination run from approximately $60-$175.  If you're not a knitter, you may want to ask for help in choosing a pair that are right for the knitter in your life.

If none of these ideas work for you don't despair; visit your local knitting store, and describe the knitter in your life.  Maybe you know they love to knit socks.  Maybe you know they knit for children.  After a short conversation, the staff at the knitting store will be able to guide your towards a gift that will delight the knitter in your life. 

Building Your Knitting Skills With Books

Knitting is one area of life where we learn best by doing.  We can read about knitting, watch someone else, or study a completed garment, but nothing gives you the muscle memory and even tension that experience will develop.  So why do people try to learn to knit from books?

For me pride is involved.  I know I hate when I'm in a class working on a new skill and I'm having a hard time picking it up.  I don't want to hold up the class, and I feel a lot of pressure to figure it out, so I'll break out the books when I get home.  Another time to learn from books is refreshing an old skill.  If we haven't done it in a while, we figure reading it through will put us back on track.  And of course, sometimes we want to learn how to do something when we have no opportunity for a friend or colleague to teach us.

The bummer is that we'll spend a small fortune on a book only to learn that it doesn't make sense to us.  Not every book is meant for every knitter.  How do you know what book is a really good bet?  Borrow from the library or a friend first, whenever you can.  A preview will increase your odds of buying the book that works best for you.  Can't find what you need?  I'll recommend some of my favorites.

The way I build or rebuild a skill when I need improving is by knitting swatches.  I've made a couple of blankets this way, just by making all the swatches the same size and in coordinating colors.  There is a wonderful book by Barbara Walker called the "Learn to Knit Afghan Book" that takes this concept as far as I can imagine it.  Her directions are very straightforward.  She walks us through knit, purl, mosaic stitch, cables, lace, and a variety of shaping techniques one small square at a time.   Since each square is a manageable size, it isn't at all intimidating.  And you can make as many or as few squares of each type as you need to feel good about a skill before moving on.  Combine them into blankets, pillows, bags, etc. There are several editions of this book available - it originally came out almost 40 years ago - so you can pick it up new or used, locally or on line.  It's well worth it.

Another indispensable book is Seven Things That Can "Make or Break" a Sweater, by Margaret E. Fisher.  Published in 2008, it is a common sense guide in the vein of what a close girlfriend would teach you as you sip coffee on her couch.  Ms. Fisher walks us through the knitting and assembly of a child's sweater.  It builds and reinforces all the necessary skills, but in a small sized garment that won't cost a fortune in yarn or time.  I've seen several brand new knitters turn out lovely garments on the first try by using this book.  Even if you don't have a special child in mind to receive the finished sweater, buy this book and make this sweater.  Maybe make more than one.  The sweater is adorable!

The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe is always in my knitting bag.  The layout is unique, in that the entire book is a question and answer format.  It's my go-to answer guide to confirm the order of steps in a particular bind off style, making an unusual button hole, and just about everything else.  (It would be swell if she'd write a book about coping with teenagers, but I digress.)  It's very small and lightweight, so it's the ideal guide for your project bag.

Looking to get into socks?  The first few pair are going to involve a learning curve.  Rather than get a big book with dozens of involved patterns, I recommend How to Knit Socks by Edie Eckman.  There are ten attractive but uncomplicated patterns.  She explores three basic methods of knitting socks in the round, on several needle sizes and sock sizes.  DPNs, magic loop method, and working on two circular needles are all represented, and explained with clear and simple instructions.  You'll enjoy knitting your first socks from this resource.

Gifts for Knitters - Books

At this point, with 11 days until Christmas, you may have decided it's just too late to knit something for a knitter in your life, but they're still on your list.  Now what?  You probably don't want to give a Random Act of Yarn (a skein of yarn you think is pretty and have no idea what your knitter will do with it.)  And needles?  With so many kinds in so many sizes , circs, dpns, short straights, long straights... well, it can be hard to feel good about that, too.

Here's the thing: you're thoughtful enough to want to get it right, and yet don't know what that particular knitter dreams of at night.  These books would be welcomed by most knitters I've every met.  Try them for your favorite knitter, or leave this list out for folks who are shopping for you!

BOOKS:  Generic knitting books are usually safe and welcome.  Try The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliff, a tote-able resource that covers basic to intermediate knitting conundrums.  Vogue Knitting Quick Reference: The Ultimate Portable Knitting Compendium is another great basic, and is spiral bound, making it lie flat when opened.  (This is very handy when your hands are full of knitting.)

Any of the Knitting on the Edge  (Over the edge, Beyond the edge, etc.) by Nikki Epstein books are a great inspiration and addition, even if your knitter is still diligently knitting their first scarf.  Specifically containing only edge treatments, each offers a plethora of "spice it up" ideas with complete pattern instructions.

Stitch dictionaries are also very handy and popular.  Try any of these: The Encyclopedia of Knitting by Stanfield and Griffiths has explanations of how and why certain techniques are used, as well as abundant photos and directions.  Knit and Purl by Erika Knight covers hundreds of beautiful designs you can make with just the two most basic knitting stitches - an excellent reminder for those of us who over complicate everything.  Knitting Stitches Visual Encyclopedia by Sharon Turner is just that - an easy to understand visual index of knitting stitches.

For the knitter who has everything, try the latest in the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary series, Stitchionary 6: Edgings.  As this series goes on, it becomes more addictive.  Have a big budget?  Collect several of the titles above for your favorite knitter.  They'll swoon in delight!