Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my Diet Dr. Pepper habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really.
Knitting Baskets 101
Good quality knitting baskets make perfect and appropriate gifts for knitters. Or if you face the problem of misplaced knitting accessories or needles, then you can gift yourself a beautiful, simple knitting basket. These baskets can be used to store all your yarn, accessories and needles, without messing up your house too much. I organize my projects and keep my accessories together with several large, lidded basket. It keeps things contained in a (relatively) small area, as well.
Cane and Straw Knitting Baskets
Earlier knitting baskets made of cane and straw were used to store knitting material and accessories. But nowadays as the rage of knitting is catching up so is the rage for beautiful knitting bags and baskets. Today these baskets are available in a wide range of colors and shapes. Varieties range from the traditional cane baskets decorated with ribbons to the modern one made of silk, and fabric. But even today most of the basket manufacturers use cane frames or wooden frames for their baskets. Personally, I like wooden baskets the best. Longaberger manufactured my favorite large, wooden baskets. These baskets are pricey! But, they are beautiful and lend to the decor in your home as well as storing your knitting projects, yarn and accessories in an attractive manner. Unfortunately, they’ve gone out of business …(pricey)! You can find them on EBay or Amazon if you are willing to search.
Knitting bags not only make knitting easy, as you can pack your knitting material and head to your garden or a nearby park. But many people use knitting baskets to store their knitting yarns at homes. Unlike knitting bags, you will never face the problem of needles poking through the fabric if you use a hard-sided basket. You can buy a larger basket so that you can create separate sections for storing yarns, needles, and other accessories. I have a variety of bags that I use, as well, for portable projects such as hats, scarves, socks, and dishcloths. These attractive, portable bags are useful for small projects, but they cannot contain a large project like a man’s sweater or a blanket.
Great Gifts
If you are looking for a gift that will be appreciated by everybody, then try gifting a knitting basket filled with beautiful yarns and other accessories. But this gift will only be appreciated by the person who is interested in knitting or is learning this art. To make your gift even more appealing try adding colorful yarns and accessories like row counters, stitch markers, small, pretty scissors, measuring tape, or other items that all knitters like and use.
Make your basket special by wrapping it with pretty wrapping paper and colorful ribbons.. If the person you are gifting is a knitter, he or she will definitely appreciate your efforts and keep the basket as her prized possession.
Make Your Own
If you are enthusiastic enough then you can try making your own knitting baskets. All you will need is some time and a lot of creativity. Just keep one thing in mind: always use heavy fabric or wooden/wicker materials and a good quality wood for the frame. These homemade knitting baskets are useful to keep all your knitting materials,. They serve a double purpose, too. If you are not currently undertaking a project, you can use them to store your newspapers, TV remotes, etc.
Personalize It
Personalize your homemade basket with ribbons, beads, sequins, or whatever may suit your fancy. You can use it to carry your knitting materials when you venture outside to knit or to visit someone’s home. When you are not working on a knitting project, making knitting baskets can be a good way to be creative.
Using knitting baskets made from salt water reeds is the latest trend amongst knitters. Originally, this basket was used to carry rice from the field to the market. The baskets were woven by the village artisans, who used them to harvest saltwater reeds. They would then flatten these reeds using hand press before dying them. Today, you can get these baskets in the natural hay color.
New Material
Another material being used to make baskets is long, pretreated pine needles. You can find thousands of ideas, as well as instructional videos, on YouTube or Pinterest to give you step-by-step instructions and photographs. Some friends of mine formed a basket group where they bought the pine needles in bulk to save money. They worked together, exchanging ideas and solving problems as they created some remarkable baskets out of pine needles, colored threads and various decorative materials like beads, shells, and even deer antlers!
In summary, simple, stylish, modern or traditional knitting baskets will help you keep your projects contained and your accessories and yarns neatly organized. I encourage you, as you set out on your knitting adventures, to find baskets or bags that are useful, pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the creative heart.
Happy Knitting
Anita
Affiliate Disclaimer: We can make Knitting with Anita available free of charge because we receive affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Links may go to these third parties.