Knitter’s Wish List 2017

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone! It’s time once again to share a few ideas that might make a knitter’s dreams come true, just as we did with the Knitter’s Wish List 2016 and Knitter’s Wish List 2015 and maybe even before that! Lavish these lovely things upon yourself, knitters you know and love or simply leave a carefully placed tablet or laptop open in full view of Santa. We knitters have to work together on these things 😉 Today’s featured image is the Holiday Trees Highland Knitting Kit from Craftsy.com.

ADVENT CALENDARS

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a surge in popularity for the humble Advent Calendar. Pictured above is the Countdown to Christmas Garland by Rae Blackledge. This is a free pattern on Ravelry. There are many variations that include everything from little doors hiding squares of chocolate to more elaborate strands of mittens, socks or Christmas themed trinkets. All help to count down the days leading to Christmas, celebrating each day from Advent Sunday (the fourth Sunday before Christmas) to Christmas eve, usually with a little treat, toy, poem, song or bible verse. Of course, for the knitter, it makes sense to celebrate each day with yarn. In recent years, the most popular Advent ticket has been the Opal Advent Calendar. I’m happy to say that there is a brand new version available for 2017, prettily styled as an antique Christmas book and brimming with self-patterning mini-skeins tucked behind irresistible little doors. Get this one early; they tend to sell out quickly but are available all over the internet. I think they run a little over $100 US.

If you are a knitter yourself or simply want to get a little more creative, why not make your own Advent calendar for a cherished knitty friend or relation? Order a beautiful handmade Advent calendar from a talented Etsy seller, such as this cute burlap one from PushkaHome.

Trip down to your LYS or order 25 or so Indy-dyed mini-skeins like these (Hint: get a couple extra skeins for yourself 😉

BlackCatCustomYarn brings us the luscious Kirby gradient colorway, BlissfulKnitsYarn has created a charming group of variegates while TeenyButtonStudio has created some sweet speckles in the Sprinkles set.

YARN

If yarn’s the thing, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the holidays. Look at these gorgeously dyed Christmas skeins from Etsy, perfect for that Christmas eve cast-on or KAL:

From FeltFusion, we have the Whoville colorway which just delights me with it’s sweet pinky-greeny nod to my favorite Grinch. From StrayCatSocks, this Kiwi Christmas colorway makes me want to kick up my heels and dance. LochBriarKnits brings us this classic red/green variegate that reminds me of tartan and Scotch whiskey.

How about the yarn gift that keeps on giving? There are many great yarn club subscriptions out there and the numbers are increasing by the minute. The reining favorite “big girl box” seems to be Yarnbox which offers several subscription levels, color ranges and difficulty scales. Yarnbox has also compiled some specialty boxes; there are collections for baby knitting, sock knitting as well as one for luxury yarns. I might just get one for myself…the curiosity is killing me!

KITS

Kits make the perfect gift for the beginning knitter or for someone whose equipment or skill level might not be known to you. Several really pretty, luxury kits come from the legendary NYC yarn purveyor, Purl Soho. It’s pretty special to have a luxury gift from such an iconic knitting shop! This glorious wrap is simple enough to knit while watching a movie or sitting by the fire, but the magic lies in having one’s hands buried in cashmere up to the elbows!

And speaking of iconic yarn shops, what about a little something from the smashing Loop of London? This gorgeously simple shawl kit “On the Spice Market” by Melanie Berg includes 420 yards of Aerie by Shalimar. Drooling yet? You can also buy the pattern separately on Ravelry.

Kits are not just limited to knitting, either. How cool is this “Learn to Dye” kit from The Woolery? It has everything you’ll need to experiment with color and dye 14 lbs of wool. Comes with a selection of 9 dye colors, a color card, recipe pamphlet and 1 lb of wool, plus the handy dandy “Ashford Guide to Dyeing”. Pretty cool, no?

NON-WOOLY KNITTY GIFTS

Not all great knitting gifts have fuzz! One of the best knitting aids I’ve ever received is the gift of Audible.com. It was suggested to me a couple of years ago by my friend Elizabeth over at Chez Lizzie, and it has rarely been silent since! Membership gets you 1 credit per month and optional “Deals of the Day”. Books are narrated by amazing voices, many of whom you’ll recognize from film and TV and range over hundreds of genres. Once purchased, an Audible book is yours forever, even if you cancel. I can’t get enough! I can be swept away by a story without ever looking up from my knitting. This is another great gift for a knitter with unknown tools and skills, as are online classes like these from Craftsy, and if you shop today, you’ll get 3 classes for the price of 1!

Craftsy.com engages experts in every creative field to compile a menu of classes with mass appeal. There is literally something for everyone. The classes are beautifully photographed video tutorials in real time. You can stop the feed at any time and revisit material you don’t immediately grasp. Craftsy stores your course selections, so you can enjoy them over and over. I’ve enjoyed several Craftsy classes myself and have encouraged many to do the same.

Well folks, I could have gone on and on with this list. I haven’t even begun to  tell you about all the interesting little stocking stuffers and small gifts I’ve found for knitters. You’ll have to tune in again for that one…”The Knitter’s Last Minute Wish List”. See you soon!

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave