These gift ideas for people who love to knit will help you find something perfect, unique, and creative. Gifts for knitters aren’t easy to find if you yourself don’t knit – but luckily, we’ve done the groundwork for you!

The downside of knitting is winding wool, which is why one of the best knitting gifts is the  Needlecraft Large Metal Yarn/Fiber/Wool/String Ball Winder. It doesn’t look pretty to non-knitters, but it’s a surprisingly pleasing gift for people who knit!

This article was written by Sydney Tyler Thomas, who wrote The Joy of Soulful Knitting: Reflections on the Art of the Craft.

“The joy of knitting comes from the process – from the relaxing rhythm of our needles, the feel of the yarn gliding through our fingers, the flashes of color and subtleties of texture, the sense of accomplishment, and the satisfaction of creative expression.”

If your knitter is also an artist, read 12 Gifts for Artists – Inspired by Picasso.

8 Creative Gifts for Knitters

Buying gifts for the knitters on your list may seem confusing if you’re not a knitter, but it doesn’t have to be!  With a little detective work to figure out what your knitter may already have, it’s not hard finding a gift she’ll truly enjoy.

Therein lies the first clue to buying a gift for someone who knits.  Since knitters understand what it means to create something for themselves or for another person, they appreciate the true value of handmade gifts more than the average gift recipient might.

One of the most heartfelt knitting gifts I ever received is a set of handmade knitting needles that were given to me by my then-husband. He didn’t know anything about knitting, other than the fact that I loved it.  He sanded and stained a pair of wooden dowels, added end caps complete with small jade medallions, and presented them to me for Christmas one year.  We had no idea what size they were and it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that he’d taken the time to make something that he knew would mean more to me than any gift he bought in the store.

Knitting needle organizer and tote bag

A KnitOne Sunset Plush Designer Knitting Bag is a lovely and practical tote bag for curved bamboo and straight needles. The zipper on top opens to a beautiful ruby and topaz shimmery silk accessory pouch and interior. This is a great gift for knitters or people who like to do needlecrafts or crochet projects.

The shape of this bag is particularly interesting, because it’s long and narrow. Many knitters’ tote bags are round, and the needles get lost in the balls of yarn.

Yarn winder

A  Lacis Jumbo Yarn Ball Winder is a wonderful gift for knitters who have large yarn stashes.  A yarn winder attaches easily to the edge of a table and has a handle which turns the winder.  Knitters use it to wind skeins or hanks of yarn into center-pull yarn “balls” or “cakes” that are much easier to knit from.

Yarn winders save knitters a lot of time, particularly when they’re working on projects that require a lot of yarn.  According to Knitter’s Review, “depending on the yarn’s bulk, you can typically wind a 50-yard ball in a minute or less. It’d take easily 10 times longer to do this by hand. Multiply that by 20 skeins for a sweater and you get the idea.”  Although many yarn shops will wind yarn bought there, or allow the buyer to wind their own, if your knitter is buying a lot of yarn online, a yarn winder makes a great gift.

Yarn swift

A yarn swift is an umbrella-looking gadget that also attaches to the edge of a table and is often used in conjunction with a yarn winder to wind yarn sold in hanks into balls.

If you’ve ever had to stand or sit for long periods with your hands spread apart with long lengths of yarn around them while your knitter winds the yarn into a ball, you’ll appreciate why she could use a yarn swift!  Not only will a yarn swift save help her, it’ll save you time and energy as well!

Interchangeable circular knitting set

Having the right needle size, in the right length, is a challenge faced by many knitters of all experience levels.  Knitters know that different types of items, using different types of yarns, almost always necessitate buying a new set of needles. This can get awfully expensive, as well as tedious trying to keep all those pairs of needles stored and organized.

Interchangeable circular bamboo knitting needles are a great gift for knitters. The kits include several sizes of knitting needle tips and several lengths of cable to connect the needle tips to make a set of circular needles.

Some sets come in a handy pouch so that all of the various circular knitting needle combinations are readily accessible.

Knitting needles set

Another type of knitting gift set is one that has metal screw-on hardware with a locking mechanism to hold the needles and cables firmly together.  There’s nothing worse for a knitter than having the needle and the cable come undone in the middle of a long row of knitting! The  Pink Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles Set has this option.

DIY (do it yourself) knitting gifts

If you’re a crafty person, make a handmade gift for the knitter on your list.  Examples of relatively easy DIY gifts include a knitting needle case, beaded stitch markers, or a knitting tote bag. If you aren’t a crafter yourself, consider a handmade gift made by another artist.  Many local yarn shops and online retailers provide countless options, as do local art shows and museum gift shops.

Most experienced knitters seem to prefer wooden needles over plastic or metal ones.  They are usually a bit more expensive, but the wood is much more comfortable on a knitter’s hands.

If your knitter is close to 40, read 40th Birthday Gifts for Women – 20 Ideas She’ll Love.

Books about how to knit better

If you’re still not sure what to get for the knitter on your list who seems to have everything, consider a more unconventional knitting-related gift.  My book, The Joy of Soulful Knitting: Reflections on the Art of the Craft, explores the parallels between spiritual life lessons and lessons learned from two sticks and some string.  This thought-provoking book makes a great gift for knitters who are passionate about the art of their craft and who truly want to experience the joys knitting and life have to offer.

What’s the best gift you’ve given to someone who knits – or received as a knitter? Comments welcome below!

Written by Sydney Tyler Thomas, a writer and small business owner living in Virginia.