If You Can Knit or Crochet, You Can Make...

Knowledge of needle arts is useful for gift-giving. There are a variety of things, large or small, easy or difficult, that make great gifts. Of course, keep your recipient in mind: not everyone appreciates handmade items, and even if they do, they might not like the specific item you've chosen--no matter how beautiful, an intricate Christmas ornament isn't appropriate for someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. So long as you know your recipient doesn't have a strong preference for store-bought items and you have the right category of gift in mind, and that you have enough time to complete the project, you're set. Patterns are all over the place online and at bookstores, yarn stores, and libraries. For example...

BLANKETS

There are patterns for all sizes of blankets, and lots of fun designs as well. Baby blankets, toddler-sized lap robes, afghans all the way to king size, teeny sizes for pets or dolls--it just depends how much yarn and time you want to use! 

How do you pick a pattern? The search engine on Ravelry (a wonderful website) is a fantastic resource--you can input yarn weight, needle sizes, yarn amount, and select whether you want your results to show free or paid patterns and patterns for knitting or crochet. Think of the size you want, and how complicated you want the pattern to be, and go from there. Some patterns make pictures--this one makes a Diplodocus:

Picture by Ravelry user amgoth2000, Diplodocus Blanket, pattern here

This one makes a roadway for toy cars:

Picture by Ravelry user HappyBerry, pattern Road Play Mat, found here

Once you have your pattern selected and you have appropriate yarn (that is, the correct weight, yardage, and appropriate fiber content--machine-washable is best for babies), it's time to figure out colors. Maybe a favorite sports team--and there are also patterns for many of the logos--wedding colors, colors from a pop culture item (maybe a big blanket striped in the colors of the famous scarf from Doctor Who), the recipient's favorite colors... Keep in mind that complicated patterns, such as ones with lots of cables, work best with few or one color. Too many colors can make the pattern hard to see. My personal preference is to knit (because I'm terrible at crochet) fairly simple patterns with two strands of yarn at once. I use patterns meant for bulky weight yarn, and hold two colors of worsted weight as if they were one, which gives me a nice blend of colors.

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Susan's Zig Zag or Chevron Blanket, pattern here

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Susan's Random Remnants Blanket, pattern here

CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

Hats, cowls, scarves, mittens, socks, shawls, even jewelry--there are patterns for everything. One thing I love to do is put my recipient's name into the Ravelry search engine, and find an accessory with the name. Joel's Scarf, Paul's Hat, Jane Necklace, and so on. And you can just as easily find patterns for clothing like this: Oriental Lily Dress, Scott Sweater, Katie Blouse, and so many more. There are also patterns geared toward times of the year that can be fitting, like the May Baby Sweater for a baby born in May.

Picture by Ravelry user Speattle, pattern May Baby Sweater, found here

Of course, you can pick any pattern you want, but I find it especially fun if there's a subtle or not-so-subtle nod to the recipient.

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

Especially nice for a housewarming or hostess gift, these range from potholders to dishcloths to pillows to coasters to drapes to rugs to bookmarks to tea cozies to felted bowl to placemats and more. Most of them are small and work up quickly. The small ones are especially nice complements to other gifts.

Picture by Ravelry user Siffknit, pattern Bottle Cozy, found here

SEASONAL DECORATIONS

There are patterns for every holiday and season. You can make a dreidel bowl to hold latkes or other food:

Picture by Lindsey Stephens, pattern Dreidel Bowl, found here

Or Christmas ornaments:

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Candy Cane Christmas Ornament, found here

Or seasonal dishcloths:

Picure by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Dishcloth Calendar, found here

Or any number of decorative objects or items with seasonal themes.

TOYS

A bit of stuffing and you can make so many different toys. Crochet lends itself to shaping toys better than knitting, but are plenty of options available for both.

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Tiny Stuffed Bear, found here

AND MORE

There are patterns for things you'd never think of. Just try typing your recipient's interests or hobbies into Ravelry's search engine. Designers are astonishingly creative. The one that surprised me the most was a guitar slide cozy, which I made for a guitarist in the colors of his favorite sports team (complete with a clear guitar slide):

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Guitar Slide Cushion, pattern here

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Academy Award/Oscar Statuette, pattern here

Edit added October 2020: People have reported accessibility problems with the new Ravelry design, including migraines and seizures. Many of these patterns can be found on other sources like Etsy or personal designer websites.

Do you have other ideas you'd like me to cover? Let me know in the comments.