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Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Knitter Yarn as a Gift

Kerry Bogert December 1, 2022
44 Comments
✓Let the Interweave Knits Winter 2024 issue transport you to a winter wonderland of cozy knits! This remarkable edition features 14 extraordinary projects to immerse yourself in the uniqueness of specially crafted yarns.

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a 1000 times… “You’re impossible to shop for!”

To which I reply, “No I’m not! I’m a knitter, I love all things knitting. I’m easy to shop for,” and then, in an extra quiet voice I add, “except, don’t buy me yarn.”

Yes, I really tell my family that they shouldn’t buy me yarn. I realize that may sound ungrateful and bratty of me, and I fully admit to being a yarn snob. But seriously, when you stop to think about it, yarn really isn’t the best gift for a knitter.

Let me tell you why.

Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Knitter Yarn

1) First of all, projects take a specific amount of yarn.

Non-knitter gift givers often try to imagine what you’re going to make with the yarn they give you. They may think a single skein of super bulky yarn is enough for you to make a trendy super-sized knit blanket. Or that, obviously, they should give you three skeins of that lace weight yarn with 900 yards a skein because it’s so fine you probably need a lot to knit a shawl. If they’ve never knit a project they won’t realize you’ll probably only need one skein of lace weight to make a shawl and you’ll need a half dozen of those basketball size skeins!

I need just the right amount of yarn to make certain things. | Image source: Adobe Stock

It would be a lot to expect someone who isn’t familiar with patterns and yarn requirements to download a pattern, read the requirements, and then order the exact yarn and quantity called for so you can knit a specific project.

2) Wool is a lot softer than people think it is.

In my experience, a lot of yarn that’s gifted is either novelty (such as eyelash or ribbon) or it’s acrylic. This can be totally great for the right project, but I think most of the time it’s given because non-knitters don’t understand the properties of fibers. They give novelty yarns because they look cool, or they give acrylic because it’s soft. Their only experience with wool is a scratchy department store sweater they just pull out when temps drop below zero.

As a knitter, I have no doubt you love quality wool just as much as I do. It’s soft, warm, and durable. To help combat the “wool is too itchy” myth, I make people feel the wool I knit with (whether it’s from the sweater I’m wearing or the project I’m knitting) as often as possible so they can feel just how wonderful it is.

3) Color selection is really personal.

This reasoning really doesn’t need an explanation, does it? Everyone has very personal love/hate relationships with colors. I rarely ever wear orange, but guess what color is my sister’s favorite and she’s gifted me several times. Add to this the extra layer that non-knitters seem to find very heavily variegated yarns appealing. Maybe they think a knitter would find a shaded solid boring. Who knows? What they don’t know is that it takes the right skein-to-project match to make those wildly colorful skeins really work.

Color choice is very personal. | Image source: Adobe Stock

With something as individual as a color that will be wearable, it really should be left up to the knitter.

4) Lastly, most yarn stashes are already overflowing with yarn.

I know that this post may sound like I’m looking a gift-yarn-horse in the mouth, but I do really appreciate every single skein of yarn I’ve ever been given. While I might not love the fiber or the color, what I truly love is the intention behind that skein. Someone I love thought of me and wanted me to enjoy my craft. Even though I’ll probably never knit with them, I’ve kept every skein, which means I’ve got a lot of yarn in my stash (especially when you count the skeins I add myself!) And truth be told, even experienced knitters make bad stash choices. I don’t think gift givers want to have their skeins lost in a bottomless stash!

Related: Organizing Your Yarn Stash: How to Stay Ahead of the Chaos

If you want a knitter to sincerely love a skein, give him or her a gift card. While it may seem thoughtless, it’s not! It lets the knitter pick out just the yarn they need in a fiber and color they love for a project they want to knit right this minute. They’ll stitch away with thanks, thinking the whole time of the giver who made their new project possible.

Originally posted 12/6/2018. Updated 12/1/2022.

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Categories: Featured Knitting Articles, Knitting, Knitting Gifts/Holiday

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  1. Gina Perry April 1, 2023

    As a spinner, I whole heartedly agree with a couple of exceptions, I recently purchased some yarn for a neice who wanted to learn to knit. I purchased a basic set of yarn, needles and accessories so I could teach how to knit. Also, the spinning group I belong to does a Christmas grab bag each year, and we buy gifts that any spinner can use. I have gotten some surprisingly great gifts this way. Of course there were a few that just weren’t for me (like wool blended with sparkles in it), but overall I love getting something special. Like you, I hate man made yarns and haven’t purchased them in many years. Gift cards are the perfect thing for me.

  2. AndreaE January 26, 2023

    I disagree with some of this. Not everybody is a yarn snob. I think gift cards and such are always a safe bet with crafters but when someone takes the time to pick out a yarn its because there was something about it that they liked so maybe make them something with it. Now, I’m a bead snob and I’ve had people gift me beads from Walmart or hobby lobby that they thought I might use. Sometimes, especially when your making something for a young one, that might not take care of my beloved Swarovski as well as an adult, those Walmart beads can come in handy.

  3. Conjetta Condra December 29, 2022

    I would agree with the points made in the article, especially the gift card suggestion. I would add “don’t buy needles or hooks” for a knitter/crocheter. These are also very personal in what the individual prefers. Gift cards are good solutions here too.

  4. Alicia Lopez December 5, 2022

    Huh, I guess I am a yarn snob, too. I agree with all the points made. I have several single skeins of yarn in my stash that I have been gifted by well-meaning friends and family. I like the idea of keeping a yarn wish-list handy so if someone asks, hubby can give them specifics. I did that this year with a book I want. Let’s hope I find it under the tree this year.

  5. Stephanie King December 5, 2022

    I just tell people that buying yarn for someone, is like buying intimate apparel for someone.
    All but my mother-in-law choose things like project bags or other yarn storage gifts, gift cards, clever knitter themed t-shirts. My MIL still buys weird craft yarns and makes snide comments when she doesn’t see that I have created things with it. Sigh…

  6. Laurie Baughman December 5, 2022

    Absolutely agree 100% — this remains so true. I’ve been giving my favorite knitting friend gift cards to her favorite online shops (the local shop when it was in business). Not every year, but every now and then. She LOVES it! She also loves shopping so half the fun is that process of picking the yarns and colors and designing as she shops. **Idea** You can also gift your friend a package…throw in a coffee shop gift card, with a really nice card – and your friend will be even more happy.

  7. Mary Ann Meyer December 5, 2022

    Amen, Kerry, to every single thing you’ve said in the article!! Please, dear two family members in particular, NO MORE YARN, just give me a gift card to my lys, or one of several yarn websites I like.

  8. RuthB@2 December 5, 2022

    NEVER buy me yarn! I’m a handspinner, and only use commercial yarn MOST selectively, almost exclusively for kids’ sweaters that I can’t expect someone to take care of the way one would handspun yarn. All the other reasons not to gift yarn are super valid, too.

  9. Karen Aguilar December 5, 2022

    Your points are all well taken. I have a self indulgent huge stash. A yarn hoard over which I gloat like a dragon, fondling, petting and counting and too rarely using. What pattern is worthy of diminishing the hoard? I just can’t decide. But I nevertheless find myself yearning after some luscious new yarn, something soft and luminous calling to me from the shop. But I spent my money buying yarn treasure and yet crave that seductive skein lolling on the shelf. To the rescue come my friends and family, “please give us some gift ideas,” “Well, anything will do but there is one absolutely lovely skein of Shibui Silk Cloud in Boreal that I’ve been lusting after for months but it is a bit pricey.” “Oh! Text us the details!” And so it goes. I have an entire list of these I keep loaded for just this occasion and sometimes give it to a social ring leader to disseminate and coordinate at Christmas while affecting to know nothing and registering delighted shock upon opening each gift. “Gasp, how did you know? I’ve been eyeing that very yarn for months!” And everybody goes home happy. On the other hand friends who travel sometimes bring me treasures like handspun Egyptian cotton still on twigs. Or raw Central Asian silk in huge skeins. Or other treats I would have been loathe to miss. So while in general yarn is a risky and unwelcome gift, there are some very notable exceptions.

  10. Cheryl Peterson December 5, 2022

    I agree with an exception. On websites with a wishlist option I have entered the exact yarn and quantity I want and included a link to the wishlist on my Christmas list. It’s still a surprise if someone purchases it for me because A) I didn’t know yarn is what they chose from my list and B) I never have only one selection on my wishlists. Happy giver, happy recipient!

  12. Susan Stone December 5, 2022

    I couldn’t agree more with everything in this article. I knit mostly socks and shawls, so most of my yarn purchases these days are fingering weight yarn. I used to like heavily variegated yarns, but stitch patterns don’t show up with them. I personally hate synthetic and novelty yarns. I love wool, silk, & alpaca yarns in tonal semi-solids. The only truly solid color I’ve bought recently I bought because it’s from the Falkland Islands, one of my favorite places in the world, which makes the solid color okay. I have plenty of yarn I’ve purchased that will be difficult to find projects for with my current preferences. So I feel very fortunate that nobody will be buying me any yarn… And fortunate that my sister, who lives where there are good yarn stores, will buy me my favorite knitting needles as a gift.

  13. Victoria Riseborough December 5, 2022

    How about an article titled “Find out what the knitter in your life prefers” instead because many of us, including me, disagree completely. I would totally love being gifted a skein of literally anything, but especially handspun in bold colors. I would hate for an article telling people not to buy yarn for a knitter discourage my friends or family from picking something out I would never have thought of.
    Also ““wool is too itchy” myth,” is, again, not true. I’m not allergic, but I have straight up gotten irritation rashes from wool before. People also have a preference for fibers. Some people don’t like polyester- some people don’t like wool.

  14. Carol Yachanin December 5, 2022

    I agree with the article 100%. If the gifted wants to give a gift to a knitter or someone that crochets and does not want to give a gift card then maybe give them a project bag or notions. Us crafters can never have too many project bags.

  15. Virgknits94 December 5, 2022

    I have a large stash of yarn, but I don’t mind if someone gives me yarn. I had one friend give me chunky acrylic and chunky acrylic blends and I set the skeins to the side. I made her a hat from one of the skeins, made part of a poncho for myself from the blend skein and the rest will get used somehow. I also had another friend give me Malabrigo. I would prefer yarn 100% of the time rather than other gifts like bath products or cosmetics, I am allergic to too many common ingredients.

  16. Charla Henney December 5, 2022

    For the most part, my family and friends have quit giving each other gifts, but when someone really wants to, they just do it. I don’t care what kind of yarn they get me, or what color. I’ll figure out something to make from it, whether it’s for myself, a charity, or another friend. Most of my stash is skeins or leftovers that I’ve been given, and some of that gets passed on to other people, but I’ll happily rearrange my queue to use a yarn that was a personal gift.

  17. Edie Di Pede December 5, 2022

    I agree that a gift card to a favourite yarn store is a safer bet. One year my three girls ( one daughter and two daughters-in-law) gave me a shopping spree at a local yarn shop and lunch afterward so we went together. Best birthday gift ever!

  18. DanaDone December 5, 2022

    At the risk of sounding ungrateful, I have to totally agree! I’m both a fiber snob and a color addict! (I’m a painter, and color is critical!!!) I have so many specific projects in my mind already (and at least some of the yarn required for same…) that “extra” yarn makes my heart sink under the burden of added “responsibilities” that bear the potential of keeping me from accomplishing the desired list of waiting projects. Gift cards and gifted trips to the yarn store are perfect. Yay for the thoughtful gifters who come up with those ideas!

  19. Marla Nugent December 5, 2022

    I agree and disagree. This year I received an Advent calendar from my daughter. It contains 25 43 yard skeins of merino wool tweed. They are opened by date and contain a color that moves in a gradient. I love it…so much fun and a surprise everyday. I’m knitting a hat and scarf. I do three rows on the hat and then use the remainder for the scarf. No waste here.

  20. Denise Kalinowski December 5, 2022

    I also disagree with most of the info above. Lots of people, especially non-knitters, are not familiar with the LYS. If they pick an acrylic skein, those colors must have spoken to them, so why not surprise them with a hat or fingerless gloves made from their choice? I try to be grateful for ANY yarn I get, and there is always a use for it. There is charity knitting too, and they prefer washable acrylics. I would rather receive even one skein of ho-hum yarn than some silly trinket I will never use.

  21. melaniemchen December 5, 2022

    So happy that my favorite local yarn store (Starlight Knitting Society) has free shipping and tons of “kits” on their website which equate to curated yarn bundles in a variety of sizes and colors! I tell everyone and anyone who wants to gift me something to pick out an item from their website for me to knit for them! This is a win-win all around!

  22. Antje Bormann December 5, 2022

    I absolutely agree, down to having contributed more to my own stash than I now know what to do with. I don’t even think that those were bad choices. It was just that I had certain projects in mind for when I would finish my current wip, and then I cast on yet another one, and in the end I now find bags of yarn that I haven’t got a clue anymore what I had originally planned to do with them…

    Gift vouchers are indeed a much better option, unless one has gift givers like Donna.

  23. Donna A December 13, 2019

    I guess I am lucky. My husband has learned enough about yarn going shopping with me through the years that he can recognize brands and knows what I like. As he does art f or a hobby, his color choices are always perfect. One of the best gifts i ever got was from my sister in law who is a weaver. She hand dyed a sweater quantity of boucle yarn for me in soft blue denim shades. If people want to buy me yarn i say “bring it on!”

  24. Lara F December 7, 2018

    I disagree. I love the challenge of finding something fun to do with what people give to me. And I get the best yarn presents from my friends who are knitters. We joke that one skein is a “paint chip”…and there are a lot of patterns out there for smaller projects which can be gifted. Send me your unwanted yarn! I’ll give it a good home.

  25. Lara F December 7, 2018

    I disagree. I love the challenge of finding something fun to do with what people give to me. And I get the best yarn presents from my friends who are knitters. We joke that one skein is a “paint chip”…and there are a lot of patterns out there for smaller projects which can be gifted. Send me your unwanted yarn! I’ll give it a good home.

  26. Myriam Garcon August 17, 2018

    Knitting kits, where you have the yarn, the pattern, and sometimes goodies like buttons or wool-wash, could be a good idea. I’ve been known to leave ads for knitting kits on my spouse’s desk, with the mention : “Perfect Xmas gift idea for Myriam”.
    It worked.

  27. Myriam Garcon August 17, 2018

    Knitting kits, where you have the yarn, the pattern, and sometimes goodies like buttons or wool-wash, could be a good idea. I’ve been known to leave ads for knitting kits on my spouse’s desk, with the mention : “Perfect Xmas gift idea for Myriam”.
    It worked.

  28. July 30, 2018

    Wow, I totally disagree. I love when people give me yarn. Figuring out what to make with it or how to combine it with yarn I already own is a fun challenge. When someone gives me yarn I might not ever choose myself, it pushes me to try new things. Even the weirdest yarn is better than a generic gift.

  29. July 30, 2018

    Wow, I totally disagree. I love when people give me yarn. Figuring out what to make with it or how to combine it with yarn I already own is a fun challenge. When someone gives me yarn I might not ever choose myself, it pushes me to try new things. Even the weirdest yarn is better than a generic gift.

  30. Cynthia N July 30, 2018

    Sooooooo correct-couldn’t have said it better myself. One of the best gifts I got from my middle sister for Xmas once was a $50 limit to a now defunct yarn shop. Perfect……I haven’t had a Michael’s gift card for 14 years….hint, hint I don’t think any of my relations know about Interweave

  31. Cynthia N July 30, 2018

    Sooooooo correct-couldn’t have said it better myself. One of the best gifts I got from my middle sister for Xmas once was a $50 limit to a now defunct yarn shop. Perfect……I haven’t had a Michael’s gift card for 14 years….hint, hint I don’t think any of my relations know about Interweave

  32. Chris July 30, 2018

    Two stories of me, knitter, as receiver of yarn-related gifts.
    SUPER retirement gift from co-workers: $400.00 gift certificate (yes, Four Hundred) to my favorite yarn shop. I bought a wonderful heavy-duty canvas tote that was the shop’s signature bag with about half the funds. I use it every day and think of my generous colleagues with gratitude & pleasure. I purchased the yarn for a project and had the rest to draw on for the future.
    A few years ago a friend bought me one skein of a beautiful fingering (merino, silk, & yak) made by a local indie dyer in colors I adore as a Christmas gift. I thanked her & set it aside to be used “soon”. With one thing and another the next Christmas came & the same friend saw another skein of the same yarn. She forgot the first purchase, just knew it was “right” for me, & bought it. Now I had Two big skeins. I took myself to the LYS and bought a third and knit myself a gorgeous Isabell Kraemer tee. Sometimes things work out…..

  33. Chris July 30, 2018

    Two stories of me, knitter, as receiver of yarn-related gifts.
    SUPER retirement gift from co-workers: $400.00 gift certificate (yes, Four Hundred) to my favorite yarn shop. I bought a wonderful heavy-duty canvas tote that was the shop’s signature bag with about half the funds. I use it every day and think of my generous colleagues with gratitude & pleasure. I purchased the yarn for a project and had the rest to draw on for the future.
    A few years ago a friend bought me one skein of a beautiful fingering (merino, silk, & yak) made by a local indie dyer in colors I adore as a Christmas gift. I thanked her & set it aside to be used “soon”. With one thing and another the next Christmas came & the same friend saw another skein of the same yarn. She forgot the first purchase, just knew it was “right” for me, & bought it. Now I had Two big skeins. I took myself to the LYS and bought a third and knit myself a gorgeous Isabell Kraemer tee. Sometimes things work out…..

  34. July 30, 2018

    Well said! Loved your article. I’ve experienced all you wrote. Gift card is the best gift that keeps you happy with what one wants to purchase and not trying to put away or hide that yarn in a corner somewhere. Much thanks.

  35. July 30, 2018

    Well said! Loved your article. I’ve experienced all you wrote. Gift card is the best gift that keeps you happy with what one wants to purchase and not trying to put away or hide that yarn in a corner somewhere. Much thanks.

  36. July 30, 2018

    The BEST birthday gift I ever got was when my daughter and two daughters-in-law ( I call them “my girls”) gifted me with lunch and a trip to a very nice yarn store. They even went with me and told me to buy whatever I wanted. I controlled myself because I didn’t want to be greedy but I got yarn for a couple of projects I had been wanting to do and got to spend time with my special girls. Doesn’t get better than that!

    1. July 31, 2018

      My son and daughter-in-law did the same for my birthday at a yarn shop too far away for me to drive and afterwards we had lunch…all their treat! It touch my heart…and so does the shawl every time I wear it…thinking of that day.

  37. July 30, 2018

    The BEST birthday gift I ever got was when my daughter and two daughters-in-law ( I call them “my girls”) gifted me with lunch and a trip to a very nice yarn store. They even went with me and told me to buy whatever I wanted. I controlled myself because I didn’t want to be greedy but I got yarn for a couple of projects I had been wanting to do and got to spend time with my special girls. Doesn’t get better than that!

    1. July 31, 2018

      My son and daughter-in-law did the same for my birthday at a yarn shop too far away for me to drive and afterwards we had lunch…all their treat! It touch my heart…and so does the shawl every time I wear it…thinking of that day.

  38. July 30, 2018

    Or keep a wish list with your favorite vendors urge them to use that. Even if they don’t buy from the list, it will give them a better idea of your fiber and color preferences.

  39. July 30, 2018

    Or keep a wish list with your favorite vendors urge them to use that. Even if they don’t buy from the list, it will give them a better idea of your fiber and color preferences.

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