Knitting - essentials for beginner as Secret Santa gift

[BeaLola]

Help please - I have a £10-£15?budget for work Secret Santa - on their "wish list"amongst other ideas they say they are taking up knitting so anything knitting related - great but where to start (!)

I like the person and would like to get it right but have no clue about knitting stuff

Is there a universal size needles that would be good ? If you knit what 3 things within budget would you say would be good to buy them

TIA

I'd be pleased with a book on knitting

Thicker needles are easier to start with but if she has started- she will likely already have wool and needles.

Some people use a wool bowl- which holds the ball as you knit.

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/large-wooden-yarn-bowl/6629351000.html?glCountry=GB&store=36&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_9u5BhCUARIsABbMSPtSV2QAms7NrCKFAtca6lutxkT4Qr4VW3RJ3SNUCQSNF70xCkawj4EaAr94EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Or a specific kit like this: https://thatcraftystitch.co.uk/products/learn-to-knit-kit

If you have a wool shop nearby they can help. Otherwise, places like Aldi might have materials. Some knitting magazines come with a few small balls of will and short needles, which can be a good start. You can also buy her a project bag to keep her materials in (any bag will do, people used to use carrier bags but it doesn't need to be that size).

She'll need the basics to start: needles (The straight ones with a point at one end and a stopper at the other end to prevent the stitches from slipping off) are a good place to start. You'll also see double pointed straight needles and circular needles- she might want these eventually, avoid for now.

The needles come in different diameter sizes, for different thicknesses of yarn. Very fine yarn and very thick is to be avoided for now as it's awkward. Most balls of yarn will tell you what size needles to use.

You can choose a nice yarn in a colour you think she'll like - but not black as its hard to see your stitches. Also don't pick anything fluffy as it's also hard to see your stitches. Choose something smooth in a light or bright colour.

If you choose a chunky yarn, that can make a nice scarf which is a good beginner project. You can also buy the needles in a matching size (5mm or 6mm or both).
If you choose double knitting (dk) she'll need 4mm needles. Aran weight is between these two (5mm needles would suit).

Good luck!

amzn.eu/d/hkDvBXL

What about something like this to keep all her knitting stuff in? I have that one and it's really nice.

As a regular knitter the things I use a lot - small retractable tape measure, a hard ruler, stitch markers, needles in a variety of sizes and lengths, a notebook and pen, small scissors, yarn sewing needles, stitch counters. I keep stitch markers, scissors, needles and a tape measure in a little tin the size of a tobacco tin, that might make a nice gift?

You can get some really lovely stitch markers in a variety of designs. I would recommend the little plastic safety pin style ones or something like these: www.woolstack.co.uk/hiyahiya-yarn-ball-stitch-markers/?srsltid=AfmBOop3Mb1q8IyjCD4i8I9u9yDwRnbhAjCCc0J9WfyrKFuWknjovTJv as they're good for larger needle sizes.

More stitch markers:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/846561062/pretty-gems-stitch-markers-keyrings-for?gpla=1&gao=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_uk_en_gb_c-craft_supplies_and_tools&utm_custom1=k_Cj0KCQiA_9u5BhCUARIsABbMSPsDQTt4p51ZwUOfPbwHCOLFOTy3rzAv2gKAmrXILFpkUA4jPLSvkTcaAlHyEALw_wcB_k&utm_content=go_21811975401_169452894696_717564634754_pla-295462056867_c__846561062engb_468112131&utm_custom2=21811975401&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_9u5BhCUARIsABbMSPsDQTt4p51ZwUOfPbwHCOLFOTy3rzAv2gKAmrXILFpkUA4jPLSvkTcaAlHyEALw_wcB&variation0=1518140541&variation1=1986160264

Choose one of the ring sizes on the clasps/rings menu that's marked for knitting, I guess.

Look on Etsy for stitch markers.

These Christmassy stitch markers are nice:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1805721626/3-handmade-christmas-stitch-markers?gaorder=mostrelevant&gasearchtype=all&gaviewtype=gallery&gasearchquery=christmas+stitch+markers&ref=srgallery-1-6&localsignalsearch=1&contentsource=64943f1267795986aa8aa57759817c8d586a032f%253A1805721626&organicsearchclick=1

Or a pair of decorative scissors - Amazon has some lovely ones.

Prolific knitter here😁if just taking it up I wouldn't think stitch markers would be first on list as don't need those until knitting something more complex, I'd just go for yarn. Hobbycraft usually have three for price of two balls on offer. At the moment it's womens institute yarn, sometimes their own knitcraft make, both are good, I'd go for the double knitting which is the most commonly used, in a mixture of colours which would look lovely in a gift bag.

She may have all the needles and bits she needs if she is already started with knitting. I'd just get her a good book like this one Learn to Knit: 25 quick and easy knitting projects to get you started https://amzn.eu/d/cf677kZ

For someone wanting to learn I would go for a pair of 4mm needles not cheap bamboo or plastic ones, they stick to the wool. A ball of stylecraft Special DC wool and a knitting magazine like simply knitting or a learn to knit book from The Works.

Stylecraft wool doesn't fray or split, it's nice and smooth and easy to knit with.

Wool:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stylecraft-Knitting-Yarn-Wool-Crochet/dp/B004XULP4S/ref=sr1110?crid=31EJN55XU960S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Z03i3ihgxGQ6AAXkrkZUb9fwZpNIl598almph-VMSyPdo5mvDX2ChYlrl98hVJctGFnwQwWUuPtYmrH9nqHQC19j2GSottasvRL5QtFp2ZhinQNZ8qUhb20onBv5-8YztifBl1rzmmwpzjGRkvOLJpAVgb5eReDrfqEtn3J7Ta5EBy8XEbHAzHOfFFxPKhHV8dCCKKIcVvdDEPjfVX1D-d-e0Vwa5PhCtA--TGrVVw08iDIEr4LGNCqxRcoQ0RVckVpiBNbjK8NTmDm3xKjEyd5lNVaTsnQFlqi3Itk.iG-171X-NHHCQCsveGuCq2XEqpiFPSXz7K5xzNTykEc&dibtag=se&keywords=stylecraft+special+dk&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731714802&sprefix=Stylecraft+s%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-10

Needles:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNITPRO-Zing-Knitting-Single-4-00mm/dp/B010G004NQ/ref=sr1111?crid=3S2XUHUTW0PPM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Jmq-ihn9d71cYio6DtoAOfHtE9371k2SsMY9d9HbuqLZwv9IU9XzEGgc5u3xc-rFu1JE5c75Ilg-ERAo13WaQak7BLxqKJdZsUIct4ehM0O8Yw1NYjXBtpJRw-Z88vTmQUbo1iEhDH-aHkygOAru--mgq8HIZD3KFrA7S5uQaBOZug0HUtMkVFW6lsQGzPHaI7Nrs6ifYdtegXpGOBS4965sblIKpn3HFmFBfrnMERY0Ucpwu-Tl5wv5ZQNXzpQZLXG0d6lp6pBwk3Vp-2-HSyfh0NEFmLT3DEhLR6uUv0.iZdKHgGWKGGdHi4rwY69dMdKxRyeMCHAkvlOaVILZc&dibtag=se&keywords=knitpro%2B4mm&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731714732&sprefix=knitpro4mm%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-11&th=1

KnitPro do wooden “Symphonie” needles that are pretty and very nice to use - less “clacky” than metal needles and warmer to hold.
3.50mm and 4mm are good starting sizes.

A traditional pair of embroidery scissors shaped like a stork is a good addition to a knitting bag, as are some darning needing for weaving any ends in.

I never used stitch counters despite being given loads of them as gifts. It’s a bit of a default present for knitters; unless you’re making clothes they aren’t actually that useful.

If she’s a beginner I wouldn’t contemplate stitch markers. In fact, I’ve never used them! I’d go for some nice needles maybe, or a needle case. You could get a circular needle so she can try her hand at knitting in the round. A wool bowl is another grey idea.

As she's a beginner i would get her a kit which has everything for a project like a hat or scarf. The kits have the wool, knitting needles and instructions.

You will be able to get one from a knitting or craft shop, or online from Etsy.

I'd just get her some really nice yarn. If she's definitely taking up knitting, she'll need to get a variety of needles anyway and needles are cheap. When I was a beginner, a gift of some lovely yarn would have been a great excuse to delve into possible things I could make with it. I love the researching and deciding on a project stage!

thank you all so much - great suggestions and more than I could have thought of - feel really pleased that she will get something really good now that she will like and be able to use rather than a miss gift, thank you all 😀

I was thinking along these lines too. But for secret Santa the kits might be too expensive so you could do up your own, find a knitted Santa pattern or a Santa hat pattern get the wool and a pair of needles and decorated a box.

I recommend a book called 'you will be able to knit by the end of this book' if she's a proper beginner. I learnt to knit from it, it very quickly gets you doing some quite exciting projects and is very easy to follow.

Disagree re stitch markers. I was given sets of cute stitch markers in a Secret Santa 20 years ago when I started knitting again. Never used them for years -until I decided to knit a complicated shawl that definitely needed stitch markers.
They're an infrequently-used but much loved part of my kit.

only trouble with needles is you dont know what yarn they will be using. there are some great gifts including workbags which you could pop in some stitch holders decorative stitch markers handmade labels to sew in etc