During the holiday season, it can sometimes feel like there is a lot of pressure to knit gifts for everybody you know and love. We’re getting down to the wire now, though, so it’s time to shift from larger, delicate projects to quick knit gifts that will still be satisfying and practical.
In today’s blog post, I have four suggestions for quick knitting projects that will make a gorgeous gift for any of your loved ones. Because I know this season is also a time when a lot of us are watching our budgets, I’ve also discounted these three patterns for newsletter subscribers. You can sign up for my newsletter here.
Pebbles by the Sea Hat – Quick and Cozy for All
First up is the Pebbles by the Sea Hat, which is now available as a free pattern on my blog. This is a great accessory for knitters with an adventurous beginner skill level. You’ll only need to knit, purl, ssk, k2tog, yo, and slip stitches. That’s it. It’s a relatively easy knitting pattern and works up quickly.
If you have someone in your life who loves simple accessories knit with a chunky yarn, this is your pattern right here. It’s graded to three sizes and can be knit with easy-care yarn like Plymouth Yarn Encore Chunky. You have plenty of options for yarn choices, though, and could also choose a luxe yarn like Madeleine Tosh TML Triple Twist. Unfortunately, the original sample yarn for this hat is no longer for sale.
Because this hat is knit in a bulkier yarn, you can probably crank out a couple over the course of a long weekend. In fact, I knit my original sample in just one evening of tv watching. Knitflixing is a beautiful thing.
Rhubarb Crumble Cowl – A One-Skein Wonder
The next option is the Rhubarb Crumble Cowl. This cowl uses just 220 yards of DK-weight yarn. For most DK-weight yarns, that’s just one skein of yarn for a cowl that is lush, squishy, and cozy. You can spend a few hours of happy knitting with this pattern and, when you’re done, you’ll have a useful gift for somebody in your life who will appreciate a handmade touch.
This cowl is pretty simple but, because of the bobbles, it is probably not well suited to beginner knitters. I’d recommend using a soft yarn because this cowl will rub up against your gift recipient’s neck and the skin there can be very sensitive. Bonus: knitting gifts with soft yarn is a more pleasant experience for the gift knitter, too.
Emily’s Garden Tea Cozy – For Your Favorite Whimsical Tea Drinker
The Emily’s Garden Tea Cozy is a great project for knitters who want to give a gift that is dainty and fanciful. Of course, the best gifts are those that meet the recipient’s needs, so this one is best suited to the person in your life who loves a big pot of tea or other hot drink.
This cozy is knit using worsted weight yarn. It includes a couple step by step tutorials for some of the unusual techniques used in the pattern. Although this is a fairly quick knit and uses less than one skein of yarn, it is not exactly an easy project. It’s probably a good idea only for more experienced knitters to try this one because this pattern uses several advanced techniques such as the circular cast on and the tubular bind off.
The sample for this pattern was knit using wool yarn, but you could also have some success knitting with pure cotton, which will still stand up well to the heat of the teapot. I would not recommend using an acrylic yarn, which can melt when exposed to high heat for too long.
Littoral Hat – A Free Knitting Pattern
If you’d like to knit a gift hat for your loved one but are trying to stick to a budget, the Littoral Hat is a free pattern that I’ve had tech edited and graded to several sizes. It’s a fairly simple knit that uses two strands of yarn held together to imitate a bulkier yarn, but it’s actually quite lightweight. This hat is a great gift idea for the person in your life who gets cold easily, because the mohair content makes it extra warm and insulating.
Hats are excellent gifts because they’re comparatively small projects that you can make quickly. With this easy pattern, you’ll be able to fly through a few hats in just a short amount of time.
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I hope you’ve enjoyed these knit gift ideas! Even if you’re up on a tight deadline, these projects should help you make the perfect gift for everyone on your gift list with plenty of time to spare. If you give these patterns a try, please drop a note below and let me know how it went for you. I’d love to see photos of your gift knits.
One last note: if you’re feeling a lot of pressure to make handmade gifts but don’t have time, energy, or interest in doing so, that’s okay, too. You don’t owe knit holiday gifts to anybody, no matter how much they might plead for one.
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That tea cozy pattern is wonderful!
Thanks, friend! Keep an eye out – I have plans for another in 2024.
Whoops! Meant the teacups in the Seaward Sock pattern photo and the Laurel Hat pattern photo. Many thanks again!—Marla
Hi there! Good eye. That’s a vintage Royal Copenhagen teacup. The modern version is the Blue Fluted Plain pattern, but I do think the vintage ones have a softer, slightly blurry effect that is so pretty.
I’ve been knitting Grace Ellis type Christmas Stockings for the newborns among family and friends.
I’ve also done hats/ gloves for them as well.
Pebbles by the sea looks interesting