Updated: 7 November 2026 by Sylwia (MyCrochetory)
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Gifts for crocheters go wrong in a very predictable way. Someone buys the giant 40 piece hook kit with the shiny case. Three weeks later it lives in a drawer, next to the novelty socks.
I taught myself to crochet in 2016 and started designing my own patterns almost right away. My real toolkit is still surprisingly small.
Good hooks, plain locking markers, pins, blockers and a mat.
So today I’m sharing what’s actually on my table, the yarns I keep coming back to, and gift ideas matched to what your crocheter makes.
Shopping for yourself? Even better. Send this link to whoever won’t stop asking what you want for Christmas.
Gifts for crocheters, sorted by what they make
The fastest way to choose gifts for crocheters is to look at their last finished project. A lace shawl person and a chunky blanket person want completely different things. Here’s a quick cheat sheet.
The shawl and lace person
Blocking gear, full stop. Lace straight off the hook looks like a crumpled fishing net, and pinning it out is the moment it turns into actual lace. Add a cake of Scheepjes Whirl and you’ve covered their next shawl too.
The blanket person
A blanket needs a lot of yarn, often ten balls or more. So a yarn pack in shades that already match is the safe bet. Throw in a bent tip tapestry needle, because every one of those balls leaves two ends to weave in.
The hat and cowl person
Quick projects, and lots of them. One or two skeins of soft merino turn into a hat before New Year’s Eve, and my 30+ free crochet beanie patterns for beginners give them plenty to choose from. A few locking markers for the start of the round finish the gift.
The colorwork and mosaic person
Contrast is everything in mosaic. I pair a gradient cake with a solid in the same weight, and the higher the contrast, the clearer the pattern shows. My mosaic pattern bundle gives them a reason to open both, and my 10 free mosaic crochet patterns are a free place to start.
The brand new crocheter
Keep it small and kind. A first easy pattern matters more than any tool, like my reversible Valentina Infinity Scarf. My free crochet tutorials for beginners can do the teaching.
Gifts for crocheters under $20
Small gifts for crocheters are often the ones that get used the most. Everything here cost under $20 when I wrote this post. Stocking stuffer territory.
Locking stitch markers
I have stitch markers in every shape you can imagine, and yes, some of them are very cute. Still, when I grab one without looking, it’s always a plain locking marker. It clips into a stitch, stays there, and opens in a second when I move it up a round.
A pack of 20 Clover locking stitch markers is about $5. Buy two packs. One marker will vanish into the sofa within a week, it’s basically a law of nature.
One skein of Malabrigo Rios
Hand a crocheter a skein of Malabrigo Rios and watch. They squish it first, then they start planning what it should become. It’s soft superwash merino in deep, hand dyed colors.
My Diana Herringbone Shawl is even named after a Rios colorway I fell in love with in a yarn store. The Valentina Infinity Scarf is Rios too. Pick a color they already wear and you can’t go wrong.
A cotton yarn pack
The Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK 5 ball ombre pack gives five shades that already go together, so nobody stands in the yarn aisle for an hour. Cotton is great for bags, blankets and summer tops. And nobody gets the wool itch.
A pattern PDF
A PDF costs a few dollars and lands in their inbox right away. That makes it the hero gift of December 23rd. Pick a pattern they’ve pinned or talked about, and scroll down to see how to send it as a gift.
Crochet tool gifts that make long evenings easier
A fancy hook won’t fix anyone’s tension overnight. What a good tool does is quieter. The hand stops aching at row 40, and that’s when projects actually get finished.
Clover Amour and Tulip Etimo hooks
My first hooks in 2016 were the most basic, cheapest metal ones I could find. They worked, and I learned everything on them. Now I reach for Clover and Tulip, with soft handles and smooth heads that slide through stitches without splitting the yarn.
The Clover Amour crochet hook set covers sizes B to J and costs about $80. If that’s too much, both brands sell single hooks, and one good hook in their favorite size feels like a treat every time they pick it up.
A yarn ball winder
Here’s a gift almost every crocheter wants and almost nobody buys. A yarn ball winder turns a twisted skein into a neat cake that sits flat and pulls from the center, so the yarn doesn’t tangle or roll away.
Most of us put this one off because we “manage somehow”. I’m exactly the same. But if someone gave me a ball winder as a gift, I’d be over the moon.
The Knit Picks yarn ball winder is about $30. Pair it with a skein of Malabrigo Rios from the list above, and they can wind their first cake on Christmas morning.
A bent tip tapestry needle
Weaving in ends is everyone’s least favorite job. A bent tip needle makes it faster, because the little bend slides under stitches instead of stabbing the fabric. It’s also handy for joining pieces with the mattress stitch.
For fewer ends in the first place, a magic knot joins two yarns with nothing left to weave in, and my guide on how to join yarn ends shows more ways.
A yarn bowl
The ball rolls off the sofa, under the table, and comes back covered in cat hair. Every single time. A yarn bowl holds it in one place, and the Knit Picks wooden yarn bowl (about $25) looks pretty on a shelf when it’s empty.
Blocking gifts for crocheters
Blocking gifts for crocheters are the ones people almost never buy for themselves. That’s exactly why they make such a good surprise. Blocking is the step between “hmm” and “wow”, when a lumpy shawl turns into the one from the pattern photo.
Blocking mats
My own blocking mat isn’t even a real blocking mat. It’s the foam puzzle mat my kids used to play on, and I took it over once they outgrew it. It still does the job.
A proper set makes a great gift, though, because the squares click together and have a grid, so edges come out straight.
The Knit Picks premium blocking mats come as nine 12 by 12 inch squares with 100 T pins. Lay them out as a big square for a blanket or a long strip for a wrap.
Knit blockers
I still block with regular pins, and I don’t plan to give them up. But I also have a set of knit blockers now, little combs with several pins in one. One comb holds a whole stretch of straight edge, so a long shawl edge needs a handful of combs instead of a whole box of pins.
Mine are the Knitter’s Pride Mindful set in teal, in a clear box that keeps them all together. Any set of 20 is a good start.
Wool wash
At my place, wool and alpaca get wet blocked. I soak the piece, stretch it, pin it out and let it dry. Cotton and acrylic get steam from an iron held about half an inch above the pinned piece, then stay pinned for at least 20 minutes.
For the wet blocking crowd, a no rinse wool wash like Eucalan is a tiny gift that lasts for many projects.
Yarn gifts for crocheters that won’t sit in the stash
Yarn is the riskiest gift on this list. It’s the best present ever when you know their favorite weight and fiber, and a bit of a gamble when you don’t.
When you’re not sure, go for a gradient cake, because the colors change by themselves and nobody has to match dye lots.
Scheepjes Whirl
Scheepjes Whirl is the yarn behind my Kalinda Shawl, the pattern that grew into a whole family of Kalinda designs. It’s a cotton and acrylic gradient cake, so the color shifts slowly while you work. The stitches stay simple, and the shawl looks like you planned every color change.
The same colorway shows up again in my Havra Wrap. And for my Flourish Linen Wrap, Whirl is still the yarn I recommend.
Scheepjes Whirlette
Scheepjes Whirlette comes in small balls, solid or softly shaded, and it’s the easiest way to add contrast to a Whirl cake. Black Whirlette next to Whirl is what gives the Havra Wrap its dark waves. I also recommend it for my Monochrome Bias Wrap and Clamshell Shawl.
One Whirl cake plus one dark Whirlette makes a gift set that’s ready for mosaic.
Malabrigo Silkpaca and Malabrigo Lace
Lots of crocheters are scared of lace weight yarn. I find it one of the most satisfying yarns to work with. Thin thread, tiny stitches, and a shawl that weighs almost nothing.
Malabrigo Silkpaca is alpaca and silk, and it’s what I chose for the Nightfall Shawl and the Greta Shawl. Malabrigo Lace is soft merino, and it’s the yarn in my Lace Shawlette.
Gifts for crocheters who want to learn something new
Gifts for crocheters who want to learn something new last the longest, often until spring. A pattern bundle keeps a crocheter busy for months, and many of my ad free PDFs include stitch charts you won’t find on the blog.
My pattern bundles
- Shawl Pattern Bundle, 14 shawls and wraps for the person who always has a shawl on the hook.
- Mosaic Pattern Bundle, colorwork without juggling five balls of yarn at once.
- Kalinda Pattern Bundle, the Kalinda Shawl, Wrap and Blanket together. Wrap it up with a Whirl cake.
- Pillow Pattern Bundle, five pillow covers in intarsia, cables and mosaic, quick wins for the home.
Small tip from the inside. My Etsy and Ravelry shops have a Black Friday sale from November 27 to 30, the cheapest moment of the year to grab a bundle.
How to give a crochet pattern as a gift
A PDF has no box to wrap, but you can still send it to someone else. On Ravelry, open the pattern page and click “send as gift” under the buy button. Type their email or Ravelry name, add a short note, and the pattern goes straight to them.
On Etsy, buy the pattern and send me a message with the name and email of the person it’s for. I’ll send them the PDF myself.
Free ways to learn something new
No budget at all is fine too. Send them a tutorial with a note that says “make me one” and wait.
My guides on how to crochet a shawl and how to read crochet charts are both free. So is my herringbone stitch tutorial, and herringbone is my favorite stitch of all time.
Storage gifts and project bags
Is their yarn traveling in a grocery bag? Then you’ve found your gift. A project bag keeps a work in progress clean and ready to grab on the way out.
A project bag
The Knit Picks Sweater Magic project bag is 100% cotton, about 13 by 17 inches and about $15. Big enough for a shawl in progress, or a few skeins for a sweater.
A bag you crochet yourself
For a handmade gift, my Herringbone Crochet Drawstring Bag holds a hook, a few markers and a ball of yarn. I made it in Scheepjes Catona, a cotton with a soft shine, and embroidered little daisies on the front.
A hook case
Hooks go missing the same way that stitch marker in the sofa does, one by one, until the 4 mm is gone on the exact day you need it. A roll or zip case with a slot for each size shows the gap right away.
Gifts for crocheters FAQ
What do you get someone who crochets?
Look at what they make most, then pick a tool they use all the time but rarely upgrade. Locking stitch markers, a comfortable hook or a set of knit blockers work for almost every crocheter.
What is a good gift for a beginner crocheter?
Think one comfortable hook in a middle size, a small pack of markers and one pale worsted skein. Add a link to my beginning crochet stitches guide and they have everything to start.
Is yarn a good gift for someone who crochets?
Yes, as long as it suits many projects. Gradient cakes and soft merino are the easy wins. If they avoid wool, choose cotton or a cotton blend.
Are ergonomic crochet hooks worth it as a gift?
For someone who crochets a lot, yes. A soft handle is easier on the hand during long sessions. A total beginner can still learn on a basic metal hook, so save the fancy set for the second year.
What crochet hook size should I buy as a gift?
If you buy just one, go for a 5 mm (H-8) hook. It works with worsted yarn, which most crocheters use a lot.
Save it for the gift panic
Not ready to shop yet? Pin this post to your Christmas board on Pinterest and come back when December sneaks up on you.
Unwrapped one of these? Show me what you make with it on Instagram with #mycrochetory and tag @mycrochetory.
Stuck on a pattern or looking for a yarn swap? Ask in my Facebook Group or Ravelry Group, or email me at mycrochetory@gmail.com.
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