by Roz Andrews

If you have a friend or relative who loves knitting, why not take some time to select a unique gift that she will use throughout the year as she pursues her favourite hobby? Here are some ideas.

Knitting Bags

Every knitter will find a knitting bag useful for carrying her latest project around, so that she can knit during any spare moments during the day. The bag needs to be large enough to hold needles, yarn and patterns. There are many different designs of knitting bag available today, ranging from traditional carpet bags with wooden handles to stylish, modern leather bags that can be used as both a purse and a knitting bag.

Take some time to consider which type of knitting bag would be the best fit for the knitter’s lifestyle. A career woman would appreciate a large, leather bag that looks like a purse, while an older lady may prefer more traditional design. The colour of the bag is also an important consideration. If the recipient will take the bag to and from work, it is important that the colour coordinates with her business suits.

Expect to spend from around £15 to around £50 on a knitting bag.

Knitting Needle Cases and Storage Boxes

All knitters find it hard to find a suitable receptacle for their long, thin knitting needles. Thankfully, specially designed knitting needle cases, storage boxes and organizers are available to solve this problem.

For storing knitting needles at home, the best option is perhaps a tall, tubular box that may have more than one compartment to allow needles of different lengths to be stored separately.

Needle cases made from fabric are more suitable for carrying knitting needles when you are out and about. Some cases also contain pockets for holding other knitting accessories, such as scissors, circular needles, rulers and crochet hooks. There are a variety of beautiful designs available, some of which are hand made.

Knitting needle cases and storage boxes are usually priced from £10 to £25. If you wish to buy a needle organizer containing a full set of needles and accessories, expect to pay between £25 and £75.

Yarn Baskets

Many knitters store their yarn in plastic bags as they have no dedicated storage. Canvas yarn baskets that enable knitters to sort and store their yarn would therefore make an ideal present. Some yarn baskets fold flat for easy storage when they are not in use.

Yarn baskets cost around £10 per basket. At this price, you can afford to buy several baskets so that a large quantity of yarn can be easily stored.

Electronic Row Counters

An electronic row counter is an easy-to-use alternative to using pen and paper to keep track of the number of knitting rows completed.

There are a variety of electronic row counters available. Most of them can be worn around the neck, making it easy for the knitter to record each row with a click of a button. The more complex row counters allow you to keep track of the number of rows completed on multiple projects.

Expect to pay around £10 to £20 for an electronic row counter.

All of these gifts can be ordered on the Internet, or, you can use the Internet to find the address of a nearby store that sells the gift you have chosen. If you still cannot decide which gift to buy for the knitter in your life, a good solution would be to give a gift certificate redeemable in a knitting-related store.