23 Knitting Gifts People Will Actually Want.

Have you ever spent days or maybe even weeks knitting something for someone and then wondering whether they are going to actually use it? Because I think as knitters we sometimes get so excited about making something beautiful that we forget to ask a very important question. Is this something the other person would actually want? And I think that is what can make gift knitting a little bit It's a bit tricky because... Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with gifting a cozy pair of socks or a beautiful scarf, but I think the best presents are the ones that truly take the recipient into consideration, thinking about what they would enjoy having in their everyday life or what would reflect their personality or their unique interests. So in this video I have put together a list of 23 gift knitting patterns that I think would be wonderful to make for either this Christmas or for any other occasion throughout the year. There are gifts for book lovers, travelers, people who are always cold, and even a few things that I honestly wouldn't have thought of knitting myself. Some are very quick so you could make them in an evening and others are a bit more substantial. And I've also included several free patterns and a couple of crochet ideas. And I'm also going to share a couple of patterns I have made and gifted myself, including one that I ended up making for my entire family for Christmas last year. So whether you are looking for some Christmas gift knit inspiration or just looking for a special present for someone you love, I hope you are going to discover a couple of patterns that you have not seen before. So without further ado, let's get started. Part one. Gifts for people who love being cozy. I don't know about you, but I think this is one of the most adorable knitting patterns I have ever seen. This is the Echino Bear by Eve Veyencourt. And what makes this design particularly interesting is that it can be made as a stuffed animal or a heat pouch. And I immediately thought of all those people in my life, myself included, who seem to be cold all the time. So a handmade heat pouch could be such a lovely gift for those people. And I also love the idea of giving something that is both practical and a little whimsical. I think this pattern looks particularly cute with the bouclé yarn that she used, but of course you could use any yarn for it. In fact, I think it would make for a great scrap yarn project. Now this next pattern that I chose is the one I just mentioned, the one that I ended up making for my whole family for Christmas last year. And it is the Community Slippers by Helene Röhnquist Knudsen. And this is the first version that I made here. I'm sorry if they look very used, but that's just because they are so well loved and used. We use them a lot all the time and I think this is This is such a fun and... Practical gift. So this is actually my pair, but I also made, let me see, one for my husband. One for my older daughter and also one for my younger daughter. So everyone chose their favorite color and I knitted them up. And this was actually my very first time that I felted a knitted item. No, that's not true. It was the first time that I intentionally felted a knitted item. Thank It was a very fun experience. I used the recommended yarn which is the fritidsgarn by Sandnesgarn and this is a yarn that's specifically made for felting you and I have to admit I found the felting process itself so to be a little more challenging than I had anticipated at first. much. So initially I thought I would felt them by hand because I assumed that would give me more control over the process but That didn't really work out at all so eventually I moved on to the washing machine and the dryer and even then it took several washes before the slippers were properly felted. One important thing to keep in mind if you want to make felted slippers is that you need to choose a yarn that felts easily. So a more rustic 100% wool yarn is usually a good choice, because you want the fibers to be able to bond together during the felting process. So super wash treated yarns generally aren't going to work. And what I absolutely love about this pattern is that it comes with some really lovely embroidery options. So unfortunately I ran out of time before Christmas last year to add the embroidery for the slippers that I made but I do have plans to add them sometime in the future because I think This is going to make the slippers much more personal. I mean, everyone chose their favorite color for the socks, the slippers that I made. But still, I mean, adding a personalized embroidery, that would just be like taking things up a notch. But anyways, I can highly recommend this pattern because they are not only beautiful, but also very useful. And for the next pattern again if you have someone in your life who gets cold easily I think this would be a wonderful gift and it is called the Snowfall Town Hot Water Bottle Cover by Season Tien. I think the little winter scene is absolutely charming and the pattern is available for free as well. You could give it together with a hot water bottle itself so the recipient has everything that they need. And although I think this particular design is especially lovely for winter and Christmas, there are also plenty of other hot water bottle cover patterns available on Ravelry. I've also seen some very simple all-over stockinette stitch hot water bottle cover patterns on Ravelry, so you could really choose a pattern or a design that is going to fit the recipient that you want to give it to. Let's move on to the next pattern and this is one that I have had in my favorites for a long time. This is the Bubble Mac Cozy by Donna Smith and I do have to admit I have a very soft spot for anything that has sheeps on it and I think this one is just particularly cute. And what I really love about this project is that it is not only cute but it also has a bit of a of a interesting construction because this one is actually steeked. That means you can knit the stranded colorwork in the round, which is generally much easier than trying to work colorwork back and forth. And once you've finished knitting, you can take your scissors and cut open the steek to create the opening for the mug handle. Now if you've never tried steaking before this might sound a little terrifying but I think if you choose the a suitable yarn and follow the instructions and also make sure to reinforce the steek it should be no problem at all. Again a 100% wool yarn that is a little bit more on the rustic side is going to work best so that the fibers are going to cling to each other. But yeah I have to admit this is a very special pattern. At least to me, I think it would be so cute if you were to knit the cozy and then also gift a beautiful mug with it and then maybe some coffee or tea. I think this would be just such a fun gift. Part two. Gifts for someone's favorite hobby. Now let's move on to gifts for people with particular hobbies and I would like to start with the book lovers and this pattern is called the evergreen book sleeve. I think a knitted book sleeve is such a lovely idea for someone who always carries a book in their bag. Gives their book a little protection from everyday scratches but it also makes the simple act of taking a book out to read feel a little bit more special I could imagine. The book sleeve is knitted flat in stockinette and the Christmas tree is done by intarsia. Once the knitting is done, you add the tree decorations and then you fold up the panel in half and close the side seams. And then the contrast edge is crocheted around the opening and then the whole project is felted. And what I think would be so lovely is if you were to knit the book sleeve and then pair it with a book that is... Specifically chosen for the recipient and what they like to read, I think that would be like just such a special and unique gift. And what I really like about making gifts yourself in general is that it can not only be Beautiful for you to make and wonderful to give but also be a way to try out new crafts and step outside of your comfort zone and maybe create something with a different craft that you have not tried yet. And that is actually something that I experienced with my younger daughter during the last Christmas season. So we decided to take an afternoon and to make some needle felted ornaments and we made two two angels so this one is mine and the one with the green dress is the one that my daughter made who was 10 at the time and we actually found a class on Skillshare taught by Zainab Mohamed Ali who showed us how to make these super cute angels and I do have to say I was so surprised how easy it was. I have never done needle felting before and I thought it would be It would be just like much more complicated, but we were able to create. those two angels in just about two hours and as you can see I still have those angels today because we use those as ornaments during Christmas time and what I really like about them what they represent is that sometimes you don't have to make something huge or intimidating or very time consuming you can just make something thoughtful something where you also have a lot of joy during the making of the item and That's just something that I personally value so much about handmade gifts and that's also why I'm so happy to have Skillshare as the sponsor of today's video. Skillshare is an online learning community with classes covering all kinds of creative interests from illustration and photography to knitting, needle felting and many other crafts and what I like about it is that you can explore something new without having to figure everything out on your own. And it's become a place where I just go if I want to feel inspired and maybe slow down a little bit and make something with my hands instead of just scrolling. And especially this time of year when you are thinking about meaningful gifts, I think it is so wonderful being able to learn a new craft while At the same time creating something personalized and handmade to give to somebody else. And now is also a perfect time to join Skillshare because they're actually offering their best deal of the year and that is valid only until the end of November. The first 250 knitters of my creative community will receive a 30-day free trial plus 20% of the first year. So if you've been thinking about trying Skillshare this is a wonderful opportunity. Thank you so much to Skillshare for sponsoring today's video and now let's get back to the knitting patterns because the next couple of ideas I would like to share with you are also about very particularly interests of people so they would make for very personalized gifts and the next one that I have picked out is called the Travel Doodle Infinity Cowl by Jamie Lomax and it takes this very Classic and traditional piece or a handmade hand knitted cowl and makes it incredibly special by adding those Super cute and very unique travel motifs. The pattern comes with 24 different doodle motifs, so you can choose which ones to include and create something that really reflects the person you're knitting it for. So, for example, if you know someone who loves traveling, you could choose motifs that remind them of their favorite places or adventures. But Jamie also has other themed doodle designs. There is Garden Doodle for nature lovers and Music Doodle for people who love music, for example. Now this is definitely not one of the quicker gifts on my list because this is not only a an accessory, a larger accessory, but it's also an all over stranded color work and it is knitted in the round as a loop. So it will definitely take some time to create, but I think that also is part of the its charm because Just think about it, being able to choose from this large number of different motifs and then creating a very unique item that contains all of the different motifs that the recipient has a special connection to. I think that is just such a wonderful idea. And speaking of travel the next pattern is also something that is very suitable for travel lovers especially if they maybe also happen to like or have cats and this is the snoozing cat travel pillow by Ryan Anderson and that is definitely a pattern I did not expect to find on Ravelry while I was looking for those gift ideas. If the recipient owns a cat, you could even knit the pillow cover in the same colors as their pet. I think that would make such a personal gift. And if you've knitted stuffed animals before, I imagine you could also adapt the design to resemble a dog or another animal. Of course, that would require a little bit of creativity and some modifications to the pattern, but I love that there are so many different possibilities here. It is definitely a practical gift, but I think one that would probably also make the The recipients smile every time they use it. Now the next pattern I want to show you is actually a crochet pattern but since I know that many of you also like to crochet I wanted to include it anyway and this is called the Maze Laptop Sleeve by Katerina Bro and I think it's a wonderful gift for someone who works on a laptop or studies or maybe travels with their computer frequently. I particularly like the geometric design because it gives the finished piece a modern almost like an architectural look. And this is another free pattern. Of course you would want to make sure that the dimensions work for the recipient's laptop and I would think of it more as a decorative sleeve rather than heavy duty protection. But I think this is a wonderful example of how handmade gifts can truly fit into someone's everyday life. Part three. Small gifts with big personality. I think this next pattern is absolutely adorable and it is the Lemon Pouch Back Charm by Alexandra Sovovyanuk. And what makes it even better is that it's not just a cute bag charm, it also functions as a tiny pouch. You could use it to hold small things like earphones or perhaps a few treats for your dog when you're out for a walk. I think that is such a clever idea. And because it's such a small project I think it would be also very suitable for using up some leftovers maybe and you could even put some tiny presents inside it as well or maybe use it as some kind of a like maybe a stocking filler. Now, the next pattern is also a small cute pouch, but when I saw this one, I immediately had to think about children, because this is the Zoo Pouch by Sedina Yang. And the pattern gives you three different options. You can knit a bear, a cat, or a bunny, and I think they're all absolutely cute. I can imagine this being such adorable gifts for children or maybe your grandchildren and you could even put a little surprise inside. Something like some sweets or a small toy or something else that the child would enjoy. And I think that is part of what makes these little pouches so special. It is not only about the pouch itself and also about a little surprise that might be hiding inside. And if you're looking for something a little more classic and sophisticated I wanted to show you the gingham pouch by Saskia and Co. What I particularly like about this pattern is that you can make it with or without the handles. So depending on which version you choose it can function as a small pouch or more like a little basket. You could use it to store small accessories like socks maybe or use it to keep things organized or even fill it with a few little gifts. I think this is another wonderful example of a knitted project that doesn't necessarily look like a traditional knitting gift. And you can make it feel very different depending on the colors that you choose. Now if you're looking for a very quick but beautiful gift let's talk about the December Bow by PetiteKnit because I think this is just such an elegant accessory. You could attach it to a simple hair tie and give it as a hair accessory but I also think it would be beautiful as a Christmas decoration. You could hang it on the Christmas tree or perhaps use it to decorate your home And depending on the color you choose, it doesn't necessarily have to look particularly festive. I think a bow like this could be lovely in a soft neutral or a deep red or even a dark blue like she did for one of the samples. It is a relatively small project, but I still think it would make for a very thoughtful and pretty gift. Now the next pattern is both practical and beautiful I think and it's called the glasses case sunshiny day by Elizabeth Jarvis and I think it would be such a great gift for someone who either wears glasses or maybe sunglasses. It's something they can use regularly and it can be personalized to the colors you choose. You could even make it in their favorite color or choose They choose something that matches their handbag. And because it's such a relatively small project, you wouldn't have to worry about things like garment size or anything like that. Just make sure that the dimensions that you create are going to match the pair of glasses that you have in mind or that the recipient owns and I would also make sure to maybe have another you know more rigid case to put like over it just to make sure that the glasses are protected at all times Part four, beautiful gifts for the home. Now here's another pattern that I think is very interesting and it is the Fairmont Felted Bowls by Nancy Ekvall and this is another free pattern. I love the idea of knitting something that doesn't immediately look knitted once it's finished. Felting changes the appearance and texture of the fabric so much and I think it's a wonderful technique for creating useful objects for the home. Just like with the slippers I showed you earlier, you just want to make sure that you're using a yarn that felts easily. So a 100% wool yarn is usually the best choice and you'll want to avoid super wash treated yarns. These little bowls could be used to hold jewelry, keys or other small things. And because those bowls are very simple in shape, I think choosing some colors that your recipient is going to enjoy is going to make such a difference. And I think those could make for very beautiful housewarming gifts too. Now the next pattern is I think one of my favorites on the list and it's one I've been wanting to make for the longest time and it is called the Bobble Sheep Pillow by Pearl Soho. It's another free pattern and just look at it. Isn't it just so adorable? What I particularly love is the texture because all of those little bobbles create such a wonderful impression of a sheep's fleece and I think this would be a lovely gift for someone who appreciates handmade home home decor or perhaps for a child's room. Although, to be perfectly honest, I would happily have one of these in my own home as well. In fact, I think this is one of the patterns on today's list that I would really like to make myself. And I was thinking that if you made the body extra long, you might even be able to adapt the design into a cute draft excluder. That's something that I have been looking for for a long time. And I have not tried it myself yet, but I think it could be such a fun idea. Now the next pattern is a pillow as well but one that comes with a personal story because this is the Santa pillow by Kathy Lewinsky and I actually made this one as a gift for my parents for Christmas of 2024. At first glance the pattern might look a little intimidating especially if you don't knit a lot of color work and I have to admit I don't knit that many color work projects myself but I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly this came together. The pattern is written for worsted weight yarn and it took me less than two weeks to finish the pillow. So although it looks quite elaborate, it might actually be more achievable than you would expect. And another thing I really like is that you can slightly adapt the color work chart and make little Christmas trees instead of the Santas. I've seen that version on Ravelry several times and I think it looks absolutely adorable. Personally I really love handmade Christmas decorations because I think it's just so fun being able to bringing those out year after year and experiencing the joy all over again and I'm not sure if this is the case but I like to think that my parents do the same with their Santa pillow if they bring it out each Christmas they hopefully think of me and how I made it for them. Now the next pattern is something that might look a little ordinary at first but I think it is so beautiful and also very useful. Those are the Easy Scalloped Washcloths and Hand Towels by Pearl Soho. Another free pattern and I love the delicate scalloped edge which gives them just such an elegant finish. And if you want to knit these I would recommend that you use a cotton yarn because Because cotton is absorbent and well suited to washcloths and hand towels. And I think a set of handmade washcloths would make such a lovely gift, especially if you pair them with a beautiful soap or another small self-care item. And I think there is something so satisfying about making a everyday item, something that is very useful, just feel a little bit extra special. Part five. Christmas gifts with a little magic. Now I could not make a gift knitting guide without including those super cute little characters. This is the Never Knot Gnoming pattern by Sarah Shearer and over the year I have made several of those myself. These are the three versions I have here. This one is mine, this one belongs to my younger daughter and this one is the one that belongs to my older daughter. And I absolutely I absolutely adore this cute pattern. I think they are so charming and I love how much personality they have and what I particularly like about this pattern is that it comes with three different sizes. You can make a small gnome ornament, that's the one that I just showed you, then there is a version of like a medium-sized gnome that stands on its own or a larger gnome. So depending on how much time you have and what kind of gift you're looking for you can choose the version that works best. And Never Knot Gnoming was actually Sarah Shearer's first gnome pattern. And since then she's designed a whole collection of other gnomes, many of which are also worth checking out. I think these are such lovely little decorations and because you can choose different colors and sizes you can really make each one unique. And the next pattern is such a clever idea because it is reversible. It's called the Reversible Tree and Snowman by Susan B. Anderson. And what makes it so interesting is that you can transform it from one Christmas character into another. I think that little element of surprise makes it especially appealing. It's the kind of gift that invites someone to just pick it up and interact with it, rather than simply placing it on a shelf. And I can imagine children having a lot of fun with this especially. In fact I would really like to make some of these for my little nieces. I'm sure they would absolutely love them. And I think this pattern is a great example of how something that is rather small can become very special as well. And the next pattern is one I've actually made myself. It is called Tjärna by Carolina Eckerdahl. And Tjärna means star in Swedish, which is of course very fitting and I think it is a very pretty pattern and it's actually available for free as well. I have to admit I don't remember all of the details of knitting this one and unfortunately I didn't make notes at the time and I also wasn't able to locate my star ornament. I was going through my Christmas bins this morning and I couldn't find it but I do remember that it was a little bit fiddly to knit. So this might not necessarily be the pattern that I would recommend for a complete beginner but I think the finished result is absolutely worth the effort. And I think I already mentioned, but what I like so much about those handmade Christmas decorations is that they can become part of someone else's Christmas tradition as well. It's relatively easy to store and you can bring it out year after year. Yeah, just enjoy this wonderful and special gift. And I wanted to show you another beautiful Christmas pattern and this is called the Colorwork Mrs. Claus by Amy Munson. And not only is this an absolutely adorable decoration in my opinion, but there is, she also has a matching pattern that is called Colorwork Santa and you could knit a little pair of these two. So I think knitting both of them would be just so adorable and they would make for such a sweet gift which again someone could have as their own. Christmas decoration and bring out year after year. And if you enjoy these kind of whimsical knitted decorations I would definitely recommend having a look at Amy Munson's other designs as well. She has so many cute and whimsical patterns in her portfolio so I highly recommend that you check her out and get even more inspiration for future knitted Christmas gifts or Christmas decorations for yourself. Part six. Gifts that make gift giving more thoughtful. And next I wanted to include a couple of patterns that are a little bit different because in these cases that we're going to have a look at the handmade item is not the present itself, it becomes the way of how you give the present. And the first pattern that I would like to show you is called the Santa Gift Bag Knit by Premier Yarns Design Team. And I particularly love this idea because in my own family, we've actually been using reusable fabric gift bags instead of wrapping paper for years. I love that we can use them again and again rather than throwing away so much wrapping paper every Christmas. But I think a knitted gift bag would make giving gifts to your loved ones feel even more special and if you would want to make it a bit less Classic Christmassy I think you could easily just omit the Santa motif and have a knitted gift bag that you could use all year round not only for Christmas but also for birthdays and any other occasions. But if you do decide to knit the Santa version this one is made with super bulky yarn so I think it would make for a very quick knit and the pattern is also available for free. To me there is something just so lovely about the thought of having this handmade gift bag that keeps being passed along through the family or between friends. And I have another idea that I would like to show you. This one is a little bit more simple and it's called the Knit Drawstring Bag and Backpack by Pearl Soho. I think this would be a great gift for someone who enjoys practical handmade accessories and because it's not specifically designed for Christmas, It could be used throughout the year. So you could make it in the recipient's favorite color or choose something that works with their everyday wardrobe. And this is again another free pattern. I think this is a wonderful example of a present that is useful in its own right, but could also be a great way to present another present that is hiding inside the bag. And while we have been talking a lot about more unusual gift ideas this video, I think I also want to emphasize that of course things like socks hats and scarves have their place as well and I wanted to give you a little bonus pattern because if you do decide to knit socks I think it's always a good idea to choose some kind of a ribbing pattern because ribbing is so stretchy that it can accommodate different widths of legs and feet. So I wanted to show show you one of my own knitting patterns called the The Happiness All-Around Socks, and it is a very simple, straightforward pattern that's knitted from the cuff down with a heel flap and gusset, and it features a three-by-one rib. But there are so many different ribbed socks knitting patterns available. I just wanted to mention this quick little tip if you are maybe not 100% sure about the foot size of the recipient. And I also wanted to mention that I have a new sock knitting pattern that's going to come out very soon and you are the first to know about it. Here it is going to be called the Seafoam Socks and this is the pattern. So as you might be able to tell this is also A ribbed pattern is going to come out December 1st and if you would like to be the first to know about the release you can sign up for my newsletter because then you're going to get a special discount code for the first days after the release. I'm going to leave the link to my newsletter in the description box below for you. So I hope this video gave you some ideas for knitted Christmas gifts for this year and hopefully also some things that you maybe have not considered before because I think there is something just so beautiful about giving something handmade where you can truly personalize something and make it unique and very tailored to the recipient. I think it gives us such a great opportunity to think a bit more deeply about the person we want to give the gift to and think about things like what would they enjoy, what would make their everyday life a little bit easier or what would make them smile every time they see it. And I think sometimes the answer doesn't have to be something very complicated and elaborate. It can Can be something as simple as like a time. Tiny little ornament or maybe a pair of cozy and practical slippers or something totally unexpected maybe. Now if you would like to get even more knitting ideas, gift knitting ideas for Christmas I am going to link my video that I did last year on the screen for you and in this video I show a bit more of those more traditional gifts that I mentioned like socks, hats and scarves. So I hope you have a lovely day and I'm going to talk to you soon. Happy knitting, take care, bye!