by Sarah Parrish

Created on: March 05, 2010

Knitting is back!  It was popular years ago and has since made a strong comeback as 20-something year old women (and men!) are picking up cultural traditions elders taught them when they were younger.  Yarn stores are springing up like mushrooms.  This popularity boom has raised a question for friends of all those who're catching onto the trend: if I know someone who loves to knit, what do I get them as a gift?

The Good

Knitting Needles

Many knitters have an entire collection of different sizes of needles and different configurations - double-ended, circular, straight, etc.  Check around and see if the potential gift-receiver doesn't already have a particular needle size and help round out that collection.

Knitting Baskets or Yarn Containers

Chances are if you know an avid knitter, other people have noticed this person knits as well and has probably given patterns, yarn, or knitting needles to them at gift-giving occasions.  Perhaps a container for all those beautiful yarns or an organizer to hold different needle sizes or perhaps even a nice folder for an array of knitting patterns is the very thing they're looking for.

Patterns

You can't go wrong with an interesting knitting pattern.  Yarns are tricky since it might not be the right size or type or might be frustrating to work with, but patterns are the fundamental building block for knitting creations.  If you find an interesting pattern, it's probable your friend will find it intriguing, too.  If you can find some of the right yarn for the pattern, this would also make a wonderful additional gift.  If it's a gift-giving occasion like a birthday, it's a good idea to talk to other people to see if someone else is getting the gift-receiver any particular patterns for which you could then find the yarn or some accented ribbons.

Books and magazines also fall under the category of patterns.  It's hard to go wrong with giving the gift of easy access to a knitting knowledge base.

The Middle Ground

Unusual Yarns

Those unique, out of the way yarns are tricky in terms of gift-giving.  There's a reason they're unusual.  Oftentimes knitters are going for two things: beauty and practicality (or at least use).  If a yarn is beautiful but so lumpy or tricky to work with that it's bound to be frustrating to knit something from, it's not going to be a stellar gift.  On the other hand, maybe an unusual color or texture is just the right accent for a certain project.

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