Gift Idea: A DIY Kit and Gift Cards

It’s a little late in the game to be ordering gifts for people and expecting them to arrive on time, especially from artisans at etsy or specialty yarn shops.

But if you happen to have a local yarn shop nearby, now is the perfect time to support it.

I have two gift ideas for knitters that you still have time to put together, and you get extra karma points for shopping local.

The first requires a bit of sleuthing, but can be a lot of fun. If your knitter friend is on Ravelry, you may find that they have a wish list of patterns. Pick one, buy some yarn they might use for it, and buy them the pattern. Or you can just buy some yarn you know they like, in enough quantity to make something (like a pair of socks or a small shawl) and let them pick the pattern on their own.

This works best for people whose tastes you know really well because picking colors and fibers can be really personal. But if you do it right, it’s an amazing gift.

Alternatively, just get them a gift card or certificate to their local yarn store. You may be able to purchase these online and have them sent to the recipient if you don’t live in the same place, or give the store a call and they can probably mail the card for you (or hold it for your friend). It’s always fun to be able to go in and get whatever you want.

Are you buying gifts for a knitter this year? I’d love to know what you got them, or what is on your wish list.

Next Pattern:

Last year I shared with you Maxie’s Tank Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva, mostly because I really wanted to knit one (and I still do, maybe this year I’ll finally get to it!). I also am really attracted to patterns that seem to look good on everyone, which this tank top does.

Now Ainur has released a sweater version of the top, known as Maxie’s V-neck, and it seems to have that same wonderful property of looking amazing on everyone, at least as far as I can tell from the pattern’s project page on Ravelry.

This is a top down, V-neck, ribbed top that can be knit with short or long sleeves. Bust darts help with the fit. There are also 13 size options available so you can find just the right fit for you.

The sizes are designed to fit actual bust measurements ranging from 29-32 inches (74-81.5 cm) up to 62-64 inches (158-162.5 cm) and the pattern has instructions for A-C cups, with modification notes in the pattern to help folks with D+ cups make their sweater fit them.

It calls for sport weight yarn, which is probably the only thing that kept me from casting on this sweater immediately when I first saw it because that’s not a yarn weight I typically have in my stash (certainly not in sweater quantity).

Which just gives me an excuse to go shopping! Ainur used Purl Soho Wigeon yarn, which is 100 percent wool from the Falkland Islands. You can check the pattern page for other options that people have used, though wool seems to be a near universal choice as of this writing.

Ainur also does pay what you can on her patterns so if the cost is too much for your current financial situation you can use a code on the page to get a discount. (That said, if you can afford it, please support designers to the extent they ask to be compensated!)

Check out the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Ainur Berkimbayeva]

Next Pattern:

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