Handmade gifts you can knit and crochet with your yarn stash
Images courtesy of Canva
Now is the time to start thinking about gifts. This is a time of year when the obsessive crafter in me wants to make all the things for all the people in my life! It leads me to unachievable goals - knitting 10 pairs of socks in a month?! Who do I think I am?! Every year I tell myself I’ll plan months in advance next year (I don’t).
If you’re like me and only just thinking about gift-making now, I have compiled a list of relatively quick knit and/or crochet projects that would make great gifts and have the bonus of being good leftover yarn and stash busters if you’re into that too!
25 patterns, connected to 10 different handmade ideas that you could start knitting or crocheting now, that would be a great gift, as well as help you get through your stash! Everyone’s a winner!
These patterns and more are saved across my special Pinterest board and Ravelry bundle page, so make sure to check those out for more inspiration. Follow me on Pinterest to keep seeing Pins as I add them.
Note: The patterns listed are a mix of free and paid-for patterns. I haven’t tried and tested all of these pattern, they have simply caught my eye on either Pinterest of Ravelry.
I have also covered the content of this blog post in a Youtube video, which I have embedded below.
Don’t forget to give the video a like if you do watch it, and let me know what you’ll be making.
Signing up for my newsletter will also ensure you get the latest from me - from videos, to new pattern releases and exclusive discounts.
So lets get into it
Bookmarks
First up, bookmarks! If you have an avid reader in your life, a handmade bookmark could be a really thoughtful gift. There are so many cute free patterns out there, both knit and crochet, I’ve linked to many on my Pinterest and Ravelry pages. They are fun, easy to customize, and don’t take much yarn, so they’re perfect for those smaller scraps in your stash. Two patterns I particularly like the look of:
Arrowhead lace bookmark by Scenery Changes (FREE). I really like the intricate lace details and the little tassel at the end too. It really ensures you can easily find your page
Little hearts bookmark by Rich Textures Crochet (Free on blog or $5 CAD for printed copy on Ravelry). This bookmark is made with sportweight yarn. I’m drawn into the two-colour combination, as it’s an even better use of leftover yarn! The free pattern blog also includes Youtube tutorials.
Hats
Next on the list: hats! Hats are always a crowd-pleaser, in general I recommend Tin Can Knits. They have a lot of free knitted hat patterns on their website. I’ve made a few of their patterns before and always find them easy to read, and I love that most of their patterns are available in newborn to adult sizes. But other hat patterns to highlight include:
My Journey Hat by me ($5)! A great example of an easy, quick knitting project that would make a great gift. I designed it specifically to be something easy to pick up and knit while you’re out and about running other errands.
Lonesome highway Crochet hat - by Wildsapling. ($8.75 CAD on Etsy). This crochet hat is simple half double crochet stitch pattern. Made with medium weight yarn and designed for sizes for Infant, child and adult.
Primrose proper twisted head band by Kristen Holloway. (Free on blog and $3 CAD for pdf) Something a little different to a hat - a headband! Headbands are slightly more versatile than hats, allowing you to wear your hair up. I saw this one and think it’s got a really pretty lace detail to it.
Cloths
An extremely use gift, cloths cover lots of different purposes, face cloths, dishcloths – you name it. They’re practical gifts that can be as simple or as detailed as you like. These are best made with cotton yarn, and you can get really creative with colours and textures. They’re great as standalone gifts or part of a bundle.
Whats also good about cloths, is that you don’t have to worry about gauge too much. Just have fun with it!
Colourful half wash cloths by Purl Soho (FREE). Designed with sport weight, cotton yarn. The multi-colour options allow maximum use of leftover yarn. I really love this design and am already mentally putting colour combinations together for my own home (gifting myself?!)
Crochet face scrubbies by Loop Hole fox (FREE) These are real little treats, you can make multiple colourful scrubbies and give them away in bundles. They’re always useful for face washing and cleansing and are a great eco friendly alternative to cotton pads too.
Socks
A love making socks for gifts. Yes, they can be time consuming, but most people love a handmade sock. Last year I made six pairs to gift for Christmas. Now that was too much, and I was still knitting the last pair on Christmas morning, but make one or two for some special people in your life, is a perfect stash-busting opportunity.
Here are some patterns that I recommend:
Downtown socks - by me ($7 CAD) My latest pattern release and my final pattern of the year was released- the Downtown socks! This design was inspired by city skylines, but it’s also a great small stash use up! On average, one skein of fingering weight yarn and small ball of contrast colour yarn and your good to go,
Sonder socks by Sonder Yarn co (FREE) A highly rated pattern by me if you are looking to nail down a basic sock. You can use this pattern as a base to get more experimental. If you’d really love to use up lots of small balls of yarn, why not make them stripey?
Alpine Mint slipper socks by Rohn Strong (FREE). I’m yet to make crochet socks, but plenty of patterns exist! Including these ones. They look very festive, but as usual, different colour combinations could really change that.
Coasters
Now, how about coasters? Coasters are another useful and unique gift idea, especially if you personalize them with fun colours or patterns. They’re small, quick to make, and perfect for stash-busting! To make them really unique and special, why not make some Christmas themed ones- like these two patterns I have found below:
Christmas tree coasters by Nimble Needles (FREE) These festive themed knitted coasters claims to be good for beginner knitters. I think that’s because the Christmas tree outline is very simply done using purl stitches against the knit stitches.
On the same theme, but crochet, here are the crochet Christmas tree coasters by Crochet 365 Knit Too (FREE) A bit more 3D than these other and I really like this minimal, but quite effective style of these.
See all the wonderful knit and crochet coaster patterns on Pinterest
Coasters made by me
6. Coffee Cozies
I’ve lived in North America for quite a while now, so I know you love your coffee! If you know a coffee lover, a handmade cozy is the perfect gift to keep their cup warm and stylish. You can make cozies for mugs or to-go cups, and there’s a pattern out there for every occasion and personality.
These Festive cups cozies by Handmade Mary Ellen ($3 USD) give you three different festive design, including a spooky one for Halloween too.
But First Coffee Cozy from I like crochet magazine (FREE) This cozy uses aran weight yarn, and while the sample looks very festive, you could easily use other colours to make it non-festive and suit the person you’re making it for.
7. Home Decor
Home decor would be a particularly good idea for anyone you know that has just moved home. Or even find some festive themed home decor that people can use every year! There a lots of home decor options to choose from, but two fun ideas and patterns I wanted to highlight here are:
Retro crochet wall-hanging by Spin a Yarn Crochet (FREE) This is a pattern that I’ve actually made myself. It was to decorate the bedroom of the last home we lived in before we went travelling. I made it for the exact purpose of using up some yarn, but I went for this design because I liked the simply geometric design. This is another type of project that you could do at any gauge and all that’s impacted is the final size.
I have no particular pattern for the next one, but I did want to give a shout out to gnomes! I think they’re so fun, and seem to be very popular in the lead up to Christmas. I’ve linked to some on Pinterest and Ravelry. One designer I do recommend is Imagined Landscapes. Each year they release a new gnome design. One year was like an advent, where you got a new piece of the pattern each day, and you don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like until you’re finished.
8. Small bags and bottle holders
Small bags and bottle holders are really handy gifts. Especially if you like to go out for a walk and don’t want to take much with you. If you know anyone that tends to go out with just their phone and a bottle of water, maybe these pattern ideas are for them.
Salt Spring phone and bottle holder - by me! These two patterns come as part of a collection of three bags. But in particular the bottle holder and phone holder are really quick to make. in fact, you might be interested in watching the video of the making of this collection, where I timed how long it took me to make the phone holder (spoiler - 27 minutes!). They’re made with worsted weight cotton yarn, that I bought for a very affordable price from Michaels.
Bishi by Georgie Nicholson (FREE) This bottle holder is knitted mesh stitch design. A very similar style to many crochet bottle holders, mine included. This pattern also uses worsted cotton yarn.
Sunny crossover - Sandes garn (FREE) This is a free crochet pattern from the popular Sandes Garn yarn company. I must note, that the pattern is very brief, which I think speaks to the simplicity of it, but may be more tricky for a beginner crocheter. However, there are some instructional videos to help you out.
9. Key chain, bag charms and lanyards
These items would be particularly useful for people who are also losing those essentials like keys, work i.d. badges and lip balm! coughs - me - coughs. Hundreds of free and paid for patterns in this genre, but a couple of that would be great for gifts and yarn stash-busting are:
Spiffy knit lanyard by The Toasty Yak ($1 USD) Knit with worsted weight wool, I was drawn to the two-tone aspect of the cord…. if you’ve got this far through the blog post, I’m sure you get why!
Your the balm key chain by George William ($5 CAD) As the pattern description says, who hasn’t bought a lip balm and proceeded to loose it in their bag or around the house? This crochet keychain is here to help! Clip to bag or keys and never lose a your lip balm gain! https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/youre-the-balm-key-chain crochet
10. Fingerless gloves and mittens
I’ve yet to make gloves or mittens, but as it’s getting colder, I’m really feeling the temptation to. A couple of patterns to highlight:
Sea Glass mittens by Wool and Pine ($5 USD) Wool and Pine have lots of stash-busting patterns within this Sea Glass theme, but these mittens definitely meet the small project criteria if you’re unsure how much yarn/time you have! Knit with DK weight yarn, the sizes goes from toddler to adult. The pattern follows a simple 1x1 knit stitch pattern that alternates colours every round. The end result is. a very effective look. They just released a Bluegrass shawl with a similar feel and I’m really temped to cast that on at some point in the near future.
And last by not least, the Endgame Mittens by Evergreen Whimsy.($5 USD) Again, back with the two tone. Crocheted with aran weight. The pattern covers adult sizes, small medium and large. The pattern covers options to do fingerless or full mittens.
So, those are some quick and easy stash-busting gift ideas for the season. I hope this list gave you a little inspiration! Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest board for more ideas and patterns – there’s a mix of free and paid options, so you’ll find something for every budget.
Let me know in the comments if you’re planning on making any gifts this year or if you have any other stash-busting ideas.
Don’t forget to check out more inspiration on my Ravelry stash-busting gift page. Please like, share and save if you enjoyed what you read today.
