Even selfish knitters like myself find a need for a knitted gift here and there. I pretty rarely knit for others, but sometimes it just feels right (I like to think us knitters have a certain intuition for knowing when a hand-knitted gift is just what the doctor ordered).
I took a look through ALLLL my projects on Ravelry, specifically at those that were knit as gifts. I was looking for the common themes, or even for repeats (I don't often knit anything twice), and I found that I have some favorite gift projects that I want to share with you.
#5 Socks
Whether lightweight, midweight, or boot weight, knitted socks are something I have gifted repeatedly (but only to the REALLY deserving!). I have made a total of 23 pairs of socks for others, ranging from kids socks to size 12 men's socks. That's 46 socks! (Remember that time I had to make the SAME pair twice?) I mostly just follow one of my plain vanilla sock patterns for socks on 2 circular needles, because I don't have to think about it. Socks are definitely a bigger time commitment - a pair can take anywhere from a week to a month, depending on the weight of your yarn and your speed. Here's a throwback to some matching socks I made for Jason and wee baby Campbell, about 13 years ago:
#4 Seamless Baby Cardigan
This neck-down, seamless cardigan is so quick to knit, even if you put a giant skull and crossbones in the back. ;) I have made this several times for friends' wee ones, both plain and with pictures knit into the back. In worsted weight a 4.5 sts/inch, you can knit one of these up in under a week. I especially like adding little custom details like a few rows of contrast colored edging. Here is the Skully Girl sweater I knit for a new babe in the family a few years ago:
#3 The Diamond Slouch Hat
This one is actually one of my own designs, and I've made it several times as gifts for friends with milestone birthdays. The pattern is easy yet has enough going on to be entertaining, and it's worked in light worsted weight, making it doable in a weekend. It's a flattering hat that doesn't crush hair, which is always important (to me, at least). Here's my original diamond slouch:
#2 The Honey Cowl
This easy cowl makes such a great gift, and can be especially good for using that unique skein of hand-dyed yarn. The slip stitch pattern is easily memorized, and there are two size options: a shorter length, or a long length for doubling. This is great if you are short on time; the smaller version can be knit in a couple of days, and the longer version in about a week. I still wear my almost-black honey cowl daily during the winter, but my favorite might be this version I knit in Knitted Wit's Reforestation - the special colorway she dyed to support the re-building of the Gorge trails after the disastrous fire in 2017:
#1 The Wurm
Aside from plain socks, this might is my most repeated project, as to date I have made no fewer than 5 Wurms. To me this might just be the perfect hat - the slouchy fit means it never crushes your hair, and it works in a nice range of heavy sport to DK weight yarns. Start to finish the Wurm can be knitted in about 6 hours. Over the years I have made Wurms out of alpaca, wool, and silk/cashmere blends, and they've all turned out great. Here is the Wurm I made for my mom a couple years ago in Feederbrook Farms Entropy DK:
There you have it! I'd love to hear in the comments what some of your favorite gift projects are!
