Knitting

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Gift Idea: Yarn Bowls

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Gift idea for knitters: yarn bowlsI don’t have a yarn bowl, but I love the idea of them and I know a lot of knitters use them and love them.

A yarn bowl is basically a bowl with some kind of hole or groove in the side through which yarn can travel. You put your yarn cake or ball in the bowl, thread the working end through the hole and knit away, with the bowl keeping your yarn from rolling around on the floor (and protected from cats/toddlers, if that’s a concern in your house). This teapot is way too small to actually use as a yarn bowl, but you get the idea.

Some models have multiple holes for doing colorwork or for holding needles when you’re not knitting. There are all sorts of handmade ceramic versions on etsy, from beautiful pieces of pottery to whimsical pieces shaped like animals, faces with the yarn coming out of the mouth or nose and more.

I think a yarn bowl, with or without some yummy yarn included, would be a great gift for a knitter on your list.

Do you have a yarn bowl? I’d love to hear about how you use it and if you use it in a functional or decorative way, or both!

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Comments

  1. How about s strawberry pot? LOTS of holes to use and there are some nice big ones out there. I see them at flea markets all the time… and they’re so pretty!

  2. I ‘ve used a panettone tin with great success. Drill a hole either on lid or on side of tin, a large tin can easily hold a 400g ball of yarn

Have you read?

Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.