“I don’t know what to get my friend for Christmas, she’s a crocheter…” I have heard this many times over the years, and I think there are plenty of things makers would actually love to receive. I’m sharing some of my favorite wish list items here today in a quick roundup! Click on the images or highlighted text to learn more about each item. No time to read the whole post now? Pin it for later or share with people who are shopping for you this season.

*Some of the links in this blog may be affiliate links, which means if you shop through the link, I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. These purchases support my small business, so thank you!*

1. Hands Free Neck Light for Crafting/Reading

This is an absolute game changer - I LOVE my hands free neck light and use it all the time for crocheting and reading in the car. Here’s a quick run down of the features:

• Three settings: low, medium, and high (brightest)

• Charge lasts up to 8 hours (on low setting)

• Feels like you aren’t wearing anything around your neck

• Perfect for on the go crocheting - in the car or in low light anywhere

• Work with dark yarn without eye strain or angst

• Affordable and comes with charging cord

The item linked below is the exact neck light I have and love. I also bought a case to keep the neck light and cord neat and safe when I travel.

2. Crochet Friends Sweatshirt from Bags by Bento (support a small biz owner!)

Grab this comfy cozy sweatshirt or a tshirt version! Taylor has lots of fun things (including crochet patterns) on her website. I don’t have one yet, but the sweatshirt is on my wish list :)

3. Ergonomic or wooden crochet hook sets

If the crocheter in your life is on Instagram, chances are they would appreciate a set of lovely wooden hooks. Even if they aren’t a go-to for every day crocheting, they look AMAZING for photos. I have one of these sets on my wish list, even though I use my favorite ergonomic hook set for every day crochet sessions (scroll down to see my ergo set, which I absolutely love).

WeCrochet also has marbled wood hooks that are pretty! Shop here to see all the wooden standard and tunisian hooks.

Some things I love about these Boye ergonomic hooks:

• I haven’t broken a single one with almost daily use for 2+ years

• The size markings have not worn off (I have heard complaints about other sets where the size indicator text has worn off over time)

• It’s a fairly complete set, comes with US crochet hook sizes B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, and N

• These helped immensely with my wrist and hand pain when I was having marathon lockdown crochet sessions in 2020 and 2021

• Affordable - the whole set is usually around $20 on Amazon but you can also get them at Joann for the same price if you use a coupon

4. Foldable Scissors for Travel - Keychain or Necklace ready

I have seen these stainless steel folding scissors attached to keychains or necklaces for travel! These are perfect for airplane or car travel and if you attach them to something, there is way less chance of losing them between the seats…

5. Labels for Homemade Items - Funny or Sweet

Of course, my favorite labels are slightly sarcastic… But they really punch up a homemade gift, or bring humor to the fact that you labored for so many hours! These first two Boye brand tag sets are made of real leather so they are slightly more expensive, and they attach on the topside or front side. The set of 40 (Handmade with Love) I have and use as well, they are more affordable for buying in greater quantities and wrap around the edge of a product. All these sets are sewed on with thread. Scroll down for info on a small business that also makes labels.

There are some labels recommended by a crochet friend also - from All This Wood, LLC. They carry a wide variety of wood, leather, faux leather, and cork labels as well as wooden buttons for sewing pom poms onto crochet and knitted hats. Some are sew on, some attach with rivets. There are options for custom labels for your handmade business as well. Find them at their Etsy shop here, they are a Star Seller and have over 41,000 sales with an average of 5 star reviews! Photo used with permission.

6. GIFT CARDS FOR YARN!

Ooookay this might seem like a no brainer, but I’m going to list some of my favorite ways to gift yarn to a maker. I love shopping for yarn at many places, including local yarn stores, online retail brand websites, and from small business owners who are hand-dyeing their own yarn! Gimme all the yarns, please! Here are some ways to shop local or grab a gift card from a larger brand that has a much broader selection.

• Google local yarn stores where the gift recipient lives. You can call a store directly and ask to purchase a gift card (many of them will mail it for you at no cost) or try to order a gift card online from their website. Most small business owners are happy to serve customers in this way and are delighted that someone is trying to shop local.

• Search Etsy for hand-dyed yarn seller that you think the gift recipient would like (you can even search by area if you’d like to shop local there). It’s really tricky to pick out specific yarn if you don’t know all the preferences for weight, fiber content, and quantity they would need for a certain project so see if they had gift certificates available as an Etsy shop listing. These can be delivered electronically in most cases so you could print the receipt/code out and slip it into a pretty card or envelope. To go the extra mile - order a handmade card from a local seller or pick one up at a holiday bazaar/market.

• Purchase a gift card from some of my all time favorites - WeCrochet or Joann. You can pick Joann gift cards up at grocery and big box retail stores as well as in your local Joann store. WeCrochet carries a wide variety of tools, supplies, yarns, and more. I have been very happy with the customer service I’ve received with WeCrochet - I ordered a yarn swift and it arrived broken. I got a real human on the phone and they shipped a replacement out quickly. WeCrochet has Christmas, Hannukuh, Birthday and other themed gift certificates available for US and Canadian customers. They are delivered electronically to the recipient, so be sure you have an email address for the person you intend to gift it to.

7. Large Project Bag/Tote Bag

Crocheters and knitters love large, useful tote bags to carry their WIPs and tools in! Nearly every crafter I know takes their projects on the go sometimes. I love my roomy canvas bag that has my logo on it, I literally take it all over the country. There are so many useful, lovely bags available everywhere but I like to make sure mine has at least one interior pocket for small notions and tools. I have a couple of I Crochet So Hard project bags ready to ship (click here see more details), or you can find a selection at LionBrand and WeCrochet. They also have a really nice selection at Joann!

8. Crochet Kit

Pictured below is a another great item from Bags By Bento - Taylor has two of her crochet patterns available to purchase in a kit with the supplies needed to make the project. Choose between a clutch or a hexagon purse, both made from natural jute fiber. Both are $34.99 at the time of this post. You can also find crochet kits for some really popular, modern patterns at LionBrand - the selection is huge. Designers include Make & Do Crew (Jess Coppom), Evelyn & Peter Crochet (Rachel Misner), Meghan Makes Do (Meghan Ballmer), Two of Wands (Alexandra Tavel) and more! You can also search “Crochet kit” on Etsy.

9. Pretty Stitch Markers

Every crocheter uses stitch markers - and the locking plastic markers have their place. But on the aesthetic scale… not the best. There are so many pretty stitch markers out there! Some are hand crafted, wood burned or laser engraved, beaded, molded, etc. Etsy is the best place I’ve found for unique and beautiful handmade stitch markers. Do a search for “crochet locking stitch markers” and filter by Item Type -> Handmade. If you like cats, tea, butterflies, coffee, mushrooms, football, skulls, penguins, or literally anything else, there is something there for you. Narrow it down even further by adding your material type to the search. You can also make your own with supplies from the craft store or Amazon - buy some small lobster claw clasps and get creative with charms, beads or even thread (tiny granny square stitch marker anyone?).

10. Yarn Swift and Yarn Winder

Two things that make life easier for any crocheter or knitter. If you’re into hand-dyed yarn from small indie shops, this is a MUST. It takes the hassle out of using those lovely twisted hanks that come from your favorite small batch dyers that never seem to stay neat after being untwisted. I’ve used the backs of chairs, my husband’s hands and lots of other methods before getting my swift and winder. My set is from WeCrochet and I absolutely love them both. I don’t have a good photo of my swift, but here’s a pic of the winder. I set it up on my kitchen counter, which is just the right height for me to stand and feed yarn into it from leftover skeins to make small cakes. It keeps them so much neater than just shoving it all back into a bin or bag. My kids love to help with this part because it’s so fun and satisfying. See more at WeCrochet here.

11. Pom Makers

Okay, here’s a big timesaver - pom makers!! They come in different sizes and make it super easy to create a pretty, full pom with consistency. I’ve seen many fun Instagram videos of people using these to make rainbow and graphic design poms and I love mine. I got a Clover 4-pack from Joann with a small, medium and large like the one pictured below. If you want to learn how to make extraordinary poms, follow @flynnknit on Instagram, you won’t regret it!! So many fun pom reels where a design is revealed at the end.

I hope you enjoyed gathering some ideas to gift your maker friends, or some things to add to your wish list! Just make sure you and up on the “nice” list this year, ok?

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