Before we begin, please let me be clear to my family & friends, this isn’t my personal wish list. Don’t literally get me this stuff! Chances are, I have caved and already bought these things for myself…
Right, anyway, this really is very simple. You have a lover of crochet in your life and you need/want to get them something for Christmas. Take a look at this list and I’m sure you will find something that they will LOVE.
You’d think this was a post containing those affiliate links, it’s not. I’m just making things up as I go!
1. Yarn
Goes without saying. Make it good stuff though, yeah? Think along the lines of posh(ish), high end commercial yarn or a gorgeous skein (or two) of indie dyed. Take a look at the sort of thing your friend/family member likes to make and try to match up a bit. If they only like to make baby blankets, the likelihood is they won’t be into a hank of speckled 4ply. Get them quality DK instead. If they’re into making shawls or socks then the indie dyed hank/skein would be brilliant. Find a local yarn shop and chat to the owner to get some help if you need it, or if that’s not possible then you probably won’t go wrong in a John Lewis haberdashery department. Don’t forget that mini skeins make great stocking fillers!
2. Magazine Subscription
There are loads to choose from so this is hard. If I narrow it down to UK subs that makes it easier. Inside Crochet magazine would be my choice, it has contemporary, stylish designs and also embraces the traditional. I also enjoy Mollie Makes as an all round crafty mag. Then there’s Simply Crochet and Crochet Now, both have a good mix of content.
For high-end there’s Pompom Quarterly but I get cross with Pompom. It says there’s crochet on the front cover but there’s rarely any inside of its pages, just a lot of (amazing) knitting patterns. I got a subscription for Christmas a couple of years ago. For the entire year, there was only one crochet pattern. Still, the pictures were pretty…. Fingers crossed some amazing crochet designs get featured soon. Come on Pompom, crochet is awesome!
Toft and Scheepjes both feature crochet in their seasonal magazines too. For the US, I’ve been told that Interweave is a good choice.
3. Clothes!
I got myself an early present in the form of a sweatshirt from Stitchers Tees. You can choose from hoodies and t-shirts as well. I love mine!
4. Pins/Badges/Buttons etc
A fabulous stocking filler idea! Enamel pins are super popular right now. Try Joanne Hawker or Lanabou for craft related accessories. Crochet Luna has an impressive array of crochet buttons, many of which adorn my project bags. I also recently bought myself a pretty brooch from Shirley Rainbow. I know that it isn’t crochet but neither is the cross stitch bauble from Stitchsperation!! I don’t care, they’re still crafty and gorgeous!
5. Project bag.
Loads of makers on Etsy sell handmade bags you can store your crochet projects in. One that is most definitely on my Christmas list is a Floofhunta bag from the Yarnistry shop (navy medium or large with rose gold please!). Or, look at the beauty below from Handmade by Yael.
6. A pattern
You can buy patterns from an independent designer (like me!) all over the internet. These are mostly digital downloads, which you can choose to gift. You just need the email address of your crochet loving pal so it gets sent to them. Try Ravelry, Love Crochet or Etsy, and now there’s the Making Things app, which is a monthly subscription where a maker can get their hands on loooadds of crochet & knitting patterns. I’ll be finding out more about this soon; I’ll be sure to pass on the info.
7. A Fancy Hook
I always see people using Furls hooks, I’ve not tried one before but they’re supposed to be very good to use and ergonomic too, they’re like the designer hook, I guess. Or there are handmade hooks. I’ve seen beautiful hooks whittled from wood (want!). For example, drool over Knitbrooks twig hooks, and squee over Make.E’s hooks which are wrapped in funky Fimo designs.
8. Tickets to a Yarn Festival
There are yarn festivals all over the country and all over the world. Buy a pair of tickets. Day pass, weekend, whatever. Throw in a fancy hotel too! ;p
9. Stitch Markers/Progress Keepers
Another stocking filler. Lots of people make and sell these in online shops. You can quickly end up with a large collection!
10. Yarn Bowl
I’m not fussed about yarn bowls, I quite like my yarn bopping about all over the place as I work, but I know not everyone feels the same. Keep your woolly bits in check by keeping your balls in a bowl.
11. A Granny Square Print
This is stunning! I love this so much! Such treasure. The artist is Kirsten Sevig of Striped Pear Studio. I love the sentiment behind it too. The original painting was made for a crochet loving friend of the artist. The friend, Susan, founded Granny Square Day over on Instagram!
12. A Workshop or Retreat
Workshops are wonderful things; fab community get-togethers for like minded makers where you learn a new skill. There will be a small business near you running crafty workshops. They’re great fun! Some will only be a couple of hours and cost just a few quid or you could splurge and book a weekend retreat for proper indulgent crochet time.
13. The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater
Books!! A book can be tricky because there are so many to choose from. Too many, even. Not every book will please every crocheter. Unless you know their style then it might be best to avoid a pattern book and go for memoirs instead. A few months ago I got The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater it’s a collection of essays about being a crafter. It’s mostly knitting orientated but crochet gets a look in too. Having just looked on Amazon I can see a whole load of yarn related memoirs! A Stash on One’s Own sounds good…. eh, I don’t know if I want to go down this rabbit hole. Ooh, I remember getting Dead Men Don’t Crochet a while back, a crime/murder mystery that’s also about crochet. I couldn’t finish it, it was too daft but you might think it’s great! 😀
I’ve got to stop there I’m afraid. I know there are loads more ideas out there but I’m going to rein it in before I get carried away. Have I missed out of any obvious ones? Let me know! x
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I would be interested in knowing where to find the mouse that is posted in the picture in this particular blog. He is really cute. Thank you very much.
I made him years and years ago. He sits on a shelf in my living room all year. Definitely a free pattern from the internet somewhere but I wouldn’t know where to find it now. I’m glad you like him!
Good list. You pretty much have it covered. I could only think of a few other stocking stuffers. How about a nice sharp pair of scissors. I guard my best pair. Other ideas: little tins or boxes for storing stitch markers and other notions, a nice hand balm, a hook gauge. A gauge is especially useful if you have handmade hooks like those twig hooks you mentioned that might not have the size on them. A memoir I enjoyed is “Hooked for Life” by Mary Beth Temple. “It Itches” is a funny yarn related cartoon book by Franklin Habit. I must be a bit daft because I enjoy those crochet murder mysteries. 🙂 Totally mindless reading which is sometimes just what I need.
Brilliant, thank you!! Yes, I’ve got fancy scissors and a gauge measurer for list number 2! I’ll be looking up that book too.
I gave up in the murder mystery about thirty pages in 🙁 I should probably give them a proper go. 🤣
Thank you so much for the badge shout out! Lots of lovely stuff in your list, I’d rather like a few of those bags and hooks!
Oh my goodness what an awesome list! I would love literally everything on it! And I have serious envy if you have already bought all of it for yourself 😉
Oooh, I don’t have all these wonderful things. I wish!! Haha! Although, yep a few things have been bought… 😀