Do you remember when you were first inspired to take up knitting? Perhaps it was after your grandmother gave you a wooly knitted by her own hand. Wasn’t it remarkable to receive something that hadn’t been made in a giant factory but by the gentle hands of an elderly woman?

Or maybe your love affair with knitting began at school. Perhaps you have an older sibling and were captivated by their beautiful cross stitch designs out of threads and needlepoint canvas and that’s what motivated you to try it for yourself.

If you’ve built up your knitting skills, here are few ideas for gifts you can make for your friends and family. If you don’t feel confident enough to make these yourself yet though, you could always ask somebody else to make them for you.

Baby Socks

These have got to be the cutest of all the knitwear I can think of. Imagine your little tot, or one of your nieces or nephews scurrying around in a pair of baby socks. Adorable. And you’re not just limited to plain old boring designs. Why not make them big and green, like Kermit the frog‘s feet? Or maybe fashion them into the shape of a duck’s flippers.

Be warned, they might not last a long time. But that doesn’t matter. Growing children will soon grow out of them anyway.

Make A Beanie

For beanies, the best material is extra fine merino wool. They’re a good opportunity for practicing your stranded knitting skills. Make sure you choose a few different coloured yarns so that your pattern weaving really stands out. You may also want to try hand dyed yarn for your next knitted beanie project.

Reversible Lace Scarf

You’ll want to choose lightweight yarn for this. If you’re a beginner, try to do a simple single row lace stitch scarf first. From there you can build up your scarf knitting skills. The finished article should be about one and a half metres long. Resources like Knitting Brain can guide you through the process. Don’t be afraid to mix up the colours a little bit, especially if you’re making it for somebody with a particular favourite colour or style.

Knit A Purse

I think a knitted purse is an amazing idea. It’s something that’s definitely a bit out of the ordinary. You’ll want to choose lace for the outer. And then the inner needs to be lined with something like rayon ribbon. Work the ribbon into the interior of the bag, just as you laid the exterior lace. Aim for something that’s about six by six by five inches.

This is a fun idea, so I’d go with bright multi colored yarn for that hippy effect. And don’t forget the strap.

Knit Something For Him

Men secretly love getting knitted tops for Christmas. There’s a certain pride in knowing that somebody went to all that effort just for you.

When it comes to menswear, choose a design that’s super stylish. I’d go with a light colour personally. You might want to use a material like Berroco Ultra Alpaca. It’s the ideal balance between luxurious, superfine Alpaca, and Peruvian Highland wool.