The picks
Best Gifts for Knitters and Crocheters
Do not buy them yarn. Buy them the thing they keep meaning to replace.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 7, 2026
Disclosure: we earn a commission when you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend or how we rank it - read the full disclosure.
The short answer
Buy a tool, not materials. Yarn is a personal choice tied to a specific project, and a knitter almost certainly has more of it than they want. Stitch markers, blocking mats, a good tapestry needle set or a hook set are all things every crafter needs and most put off buying.
| # | Product | Best for | Type | Suits | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photoClover Quick Locking Stitch Marker SetEverybody needs them, everybody loses them, and nobody replaces them until they run out. | Anyone at any level | Notion | Everyone | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 2 | No photoKnitIQ Blocking MatsThe purchase that most improves finished work, and the one people put off longest. | Someone who has been doing this for a year or more | Tool | Past the first year | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 3 | No photoStanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift (Medium)The tool that turns a two-person job into a one-person one. | Anyone who shops at a yarn store rather than a craft shop | Tool | Yarn-shop buyers | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 4 | No photoClover Amour Crochet Hook SetTen sizes with one comfortable grip - the upgrade people notice within an hour. | Someone crocheting with whatever hook they were given | Hook set | Crocheters | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 5 | No photoThe Woobles Beginner Crochet KitAn excellent gift for a beginner and a slightly patronizing one for anybody else. | Someone who has never held a hook | Complete kit | Absolute beginners | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
Clover Quick Locking Stitch Marker Set
Clover · Best for anyone at any level
Thirty-six markers in three sizes, in a case, that clip closed around a stitch instead of only sliding onto a needle.
- Contents
- 36 pieces: 10 small, 20 medium, 6 large
- Type
- Locking; also usable in the unlocked position
- Shape
- Undulated, so a marked stitch is not stretched
- Material
- Polyacetal markers, polypropylene case
- Art. no.
- 3033 (sizes also sold singly as 3030, 3031, 3032)
Who it suits
Anyone who does either craft. There is no skill level at which these stop being useful.
Why it is here
36 markers in three sizes - 10 small, 20 medium, 6 large - in a case. They lock around a stitch, which crochet requires and knitting benefits from, and the undulated shape avoids stretching the marked stitch. Polyacetal markers in a polypropylene case.
What you give up
It is a small gift and it looks like one. Pair it with something else if it needs to feel like a present.
Specifications from Clover USA - Quick Locking Stitch Marker Set. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
KnitIQ Blocking Mats
KnitIQ · Best for someone who has been doing this for a year or more
Nine interlocking EVA foam squares with a printed grid, sold with the T-pins you actually need to hold a wet piece down.
- Set
- 9 interlocking boards plus T-pins and a storage bag
- Board size
- 12.6 x 12.6in, 0.75in (1.9cm) thick
- Material
- EVA foam, heat and steam resistant
- Grid
- Printed gridlines for squaring a piece
Who it suits
Anyone who has finished a few projects. Almost nobody buys blocking mats early, and everybody benefits from them.
Why it is here
Nine interlocking EVA foam boards, 12.6 x 12.6in and 0.75in thick, with a printed grid, T-pins and a storage bag. Blocking is what turns a finished piece into the thing in the pattern photograph - see [how to block your knitting](/guides/how-to-block-your-knitting).
What you give up
It is not glamorous. If the recipient does not know what blocking is, include a note or it will look like foam mats.
Specifications from KnitIQ product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Stanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift (Medium)
Stanwood Needlecraft · Best for anyone who shops at a yarn store rather than a craft shop
A solid birch umbrella swift that holds a skein open while a winder pulls from it - the half of the pair people forget to buy.
- Capacity
- Skeins up to 6ft in circumference
- Material
- Solid birch, fine sanded, no varnish
- Mounting
- Clamp, fits edges up to 1.75in thick
- Sizes
- Medium (6ft) and large (8.5ft)
Who it suits
Anyone who buys hand-dyed or independent-mill yarn, which arrives as a twisted hank.
Why it is here
Solid birch, holding skeins up to 6ft in circumference, clamping to table edges up to 1.75in thick, made in medium and large. Hanks have to be held open under tension to be wound, and the alternatives are two chairs or a patient friend - see [best yarn swifts](/accessories/best-yarn-swifts).
What you give up
Only useful to someone who buys hanks. Give this to a craft-shop acrylic knitter and it will sit in a cupboard.
Specifications from Stanwood Brands - wooden umbrella swift specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set
Clover · Best for someone crocheting with whatever hook they were given
Ten aluminum hooks with a molded elastomer grip, covering 2.25mm to 6.0mm - the whole span most patterns for worsted and DK yarn ever ask for.
- Sizes
- 10 hooks: B/2.25mm to J/6.0mm
- Grip
- Elastomer rubber, latex free
- Shaft
- Aluminum
- Head
- Rounded, between inline and tapered
- Color coding
- Handle color differs per size
Who it suits
Anyone crocheting on bare aluminum hooks, which is most people who have not upgraded.
Why it is here
Ten aluminum hooks, B/2.25mm to J/6.0mm, with a molded elastomer grip and a rounded head between in-line and tapered. A consistent comfortable handle across every size is the single change most crocheters say they notice.
What you give up
If they already own a set, they own a set. Check the tin before buying - see [hook sets vs single hooks](/crochet-hooks/hook-sets-vs-single-hooks).
Specifications from Clover USA product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
The Woobles Beginner Crochet Kit
The Woobles · Best for someone who has never held a hook
An amigurumi kit that ships with the first rounds already worked, which removes the single step most people quit on.
- Includes
- Pre-started piece, yarn, 4mm hook, stuffing, safety eyes, tapestry needle, stitch markers
- Yarn
- 75% cotton, 25% nylon, described by the maker as fray-resistant
- Instruction
- Step-by-step video tutorials, right- and left-handed
- Age
- 12 and up
Who it suits
Not for someone who already crochets. It is our top pick for a complete beginner.
Why it is here
A pre-started piece, yarn, a 4mm hook, stuffing, safety eyes, a tapestry needle and stitch markers, with left- and right-handed video. Rated age 12 and up.
What you give up
Giving a learn-to-crochet kit to someone who has been crocheting for five years reads as not having noticed. Buy them a tool instead.
Specifications from The Woobles product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Why yarn is the wrong gift
It is the obvious present and it lands badly more often than not. Four reasons, and none of them is about taste.
- Yarn is bought per project. A knitter chooses fiber, weight and yardage for a specific pattern. A ball that fits nothing is a ball that sits in a box.
- Quantity is everything. One ball of something lovely is not enough for anything except a hat. A sweater's worth is eight to twelve balls in one dye lot - see how yarn is dyed and dye lots.
- They already have a stash. Almost every established crafter owns more yarn than time.
- Fiber preference is strong and personal. Someone who has settled on wool will not use acrylic, and vice versa.
What to buy instead, by budget
| Budget | Gift | Why it lands |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Locking stitch markers | Universally needed, constantly lost |
| Small | Bent-tip tapestry needles in a tube | Every project ends with ends; the tube is why it gets found again |
| Small | Good small scissors | Most people are still using kitchen scissors |
| Medium | Blocking mats and T-pins | The biggest visible improvement, and the last thing people buy |
| Medium | A hook set or a needle case | Organization nobody buys for themselves |
| Large | An interchangeable needle set | The definitive knitting gift, if they do not own one |
| Large | A swift and ball winder | Only for someone who buys hanks |
| Any | Yarn shop gift certificate | The honest version of giving yarn |
The four things every crafter needs and nobody buys
If you know nothing about the recipient beyond the fact that they knit or crochet, these are the safest bets on the page.
- Enough stitch markers. Most people own about six and need thirty.
- A proper tapestry needle set. Most people are using a bent plastic one from a kit - see best tapestry needles.
- Blocking mats. Almost universally postponed.
- Somewhere to keep it all. A project bag or a lidded drum - see best yarn storage solutions.
How to find out what they already own
The single biggest risk with a tool gift is duplication, and it is easy to avoid.
- Ask what they are working on. It tells you which craft, which weight, and often which tools are in play.
- Ask someone in their household to look in the tin. Needles and hooks live in an obvious container.
- Ask directly. Crafters are not coy about equipment, and being asked is not the same as being asked what they want.
- Buy consumables if you cannot check. Markers and tapestry needles are never unwelcome, however many they own.
Gifts to avoid, and why
- A cheap unbranded needle or hook set. Rough finishes teach a beginner that the craft is uncomfortable, and an experienced crafter will not use them.
- A learn-to-knit kit for someone who already knits. Reads as not having noticed.
- Novelty yarn. Eyelash, ribbon and pom-pom yarns are difficult to work with and difficult to place in a project.
- A pattern book without checking. Taste in patterns is narrower than taste in yarn.
- A yarn bowl, unless you know they want one. Beautiful, and the most-gifted least-used object in this craft.
If the recipient does not craft yet
Different problem, different answer. What a beginner needs is instruction more than equipment, so buy a kit with video rather than a set of tools - our are crochet kits worth it page covers what a kit is actually selling.
For a child, the answer is different again and comes down to whether the project finishes before they lose interest - see best yarn craft kits for kids.
What we would buy
- Under a small budget: locking stitch markers and bent-tip tapestry needles together.
- The gift they will actually remember: blocking mats.
- For a crocheter: the Clover Amour hook set, if they do not already own one.
- For a knitter, generously: an interchangeable needle set.
- For someone who buys hanks: a swift and a winder.
Questions people actually ask
What should you buy a knitter for a gift?
A tool rather than yarn. Stitch markers, a proper tapestry needle set, blocking mats or an interchangeable needle set are all things knitters need and put off buying for themselves.
Why is yarn a bad gift?
Yarn is chosen per project - specific fiber, weight and yardage - and one ball rarely fits anything. Most established crafters also have more yarn than time. A yarn shop gift certificate solves it.
What is a good cheap gift for a crocheter?
A 36-piece set of locking stitch markers, a set of bent-tip tapestry needles in a tube, or a decent pair of small scissors. All three are universally needed and rarely replaced.
How do I know what tools they already have?
Ask what they are working on, or ask someone in the household to look in the tin where needles and hooks live. If you cannot check, buy consumables - markers and tapestry needles are never unwelcome.
Should I buy a learn-to-knit kit as a gift?
Only for someone who does not knit yet, and choose one with video instruction. Giving a beginner kit to an experienced crafter reads as not having noticed what they do.
Sources
- Clover USA - Quick Locking Stitch Marker Set
- KnitIQ product page
- Stanwood Brands - wooden umbrella swift specification
- Clover USA - Amour crochet hook set
- The Woobles - beginner crochet kits
- Clover Chibi darning needle set (bent tip) - retail specification
- ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Complete interchangeable set specification
- Stanwood Brands - YBW-A yarn ball winder
- ArtBin Yarn Drum specification
- Clover USA - Patchwork Scissors