Gifts for Knitters Days 10 and 11

Day 10:

Today’s gift for knitters is and easy one.  It’s knit related pottery. I’ve done all the hunting for you.

First up, all the knitters know who I’m going to say.  Jennie the Potter. Her etsy shop is here, and stuff goes fast, but everything she makes is beautiful.  I’m a huge fan. I love the mugs, the bowls – everything. Anything.  If you sign up for updates (on the right hand side of her site) you can get updates about when her stuff is going up. 

If you can’t get that, how about a great knit/button mug from Caractacus Pots?
This tall ceramic mug that looks like knitted fabric – from ReShape Studio (That would be a great decorative knitting needle holder) Here’s a great mug from Knit Purl, made by Leigh Radford. It’s a mug cast in a handknit mold. Very cool.

Don’t forget yarn bowls too – although their purpose maybe arcane to you non-knitters, to us they look like a really great way to keep a yarn ball from roaming around while you knit.  There’s these, from Knit-Witch,  There’s beautiful yarn bowls (and bells– I love the bells) from The Blue Brick – carried at The Purple Purl here in Toronto.  Darrielles Clay Art looks to have some beautiful ones…and so does The Mud Place but here’s a link to follow for a million of them.

Day 11

This is a simple one, and requires only a little detective work or investigation on your part.  One of the best things to give a knitter is stuff that gets used up, and after yarn, the number one thing on that list is some sort of nice wash to clean our (and yours, now that I think of it) woollies in.  There’s several good varieties out there, and all you need do is hunt around the house, see which brand your knitter already has, and go get more of it.  They have it at the local yarn shop.  If you can’t tell which sort your knitter has, then just go ahead and buy one of these that appeals to you.  They’re all good.  (PS. If you put this in their stocking, they would think you were super dialed in this year.)

These are some that I’ve used and think are quite good.  (These are also the ones that are in my house right now.) There are others- if they sell it at the yarn shop, it’s probably just fine.

Soak: Soak is a no rinse wash that comes in several different smells.  If you don’t know what scent your non-knitter would like, go check the laundry detergent that they have now – it might give you a hint.  If it’s unscented, then get the scentless soak.  (This is totally unrelated, but Soak also makes temporary tattoos for knitters, which could be a big hit, depending on your knitter.)

Eucalan: Ahh, Eucalan, you charming old standby. Eucalan is another no-rinse wool wash, and I love the lavender one.  They’re all scented with essential oils (except the unscented one. Duh.) and the eucalyptus (a nice manly smell) and lavender both claim to be moth repellent, which isn’t something any knitter can be opposed to.

Finally,  if you do decide to get your knitter some wool wash, remember this:

Nothing is a better gift than learning how to wash your own (and your knitters) woolies with care and respect. There’s a tutorial here at Exercise Before Knitting, and of course, you can always count on Clara.  Go learn – then dare to impress.