Crafting Gift Ideas – What To Make Next

Making a gift is always better than buying one. When you craft something, you put time, effort, and love into that precious item, and no matter how well it comes out, your friends and family will feel the love you’ve put into it.

Although crafting an item might seem simple at first, figuring out exactly what you want to make can be hard. This is where we come in! We will offer inspiration, as well as guides, to help you find the perfect gift.

Before we get started, we want to give a warm welcome to the readers of LoopinglyMade.com. We have recently acquired the website, and cannot wait to add more lovingly crafted ideas into our content.

What Do They Enjoy?

Before you start grabbing your knitting needles, you first need to consider what your friend enjoys. 

If you’re creating something for a child, do they like animals? If you’re creating something for an adult, consider what their favorite colors are.

In both instances, figure out what your gift receiver enjoys, and what colors they prefer. From there you can start gathering ideas.

For example, if you know your friend loves a specific TV show, you could make a scarf with a reference to that TV show. Simply putting the logo on the scarf ends could be enough. 

That turns the fabric from a nice gesture to something they instantly love and connect to.

Write down a couple of ideas, and then scroll through our inspirational concepts to help narrow down your choices.

All of our suggestions will either require knitting or crocheting experiences, but most of them are true beginner friendly. 

Consider Patterns

Throughout our suggestions we will remind you of the patterns and designs you can choose from. You can give your friend a scarf every year for their birthday, but changing the patterns will prevent it from becoming boring while understanding their new interests will help make each scarf unique.

You can create new aesthetics by changing your patterns, colors, and overall design. 

This way you can create scarves for every gift and yet each present will feel different. Here are some different stitching options to help create a unique pattern.

Here is a list of knitting patterns to help you stay unique:

Here is a list of crochet patterns to help you stay unique:

Accessory Ideas

When you start crafting, one of the first pieces of clothing you create is a scarf. These beautiful accessories are relatively easy, and allow you to create something even when you’re really new to the process.

Scarfs

Although scarves are easy, there are so many ways you can make them. Scarves, cowls, shawls, and more! There are so many options, that you won’t ever have to branch out from scarf-making if you didn’t want to.

For a list of knitting scarf designs check out these:

For a list of crochet scarf designs check out these:

Leg Warmers And Gloves

If you’re in the winter, you may want to jump into other cold climate designs. Leg warmers and gloves might seem like very different concepts, but in reality, they both need a cylindrical shape with the option of covered toes or fingers.

There are so many options you can go down with this basic shape. For example, if you scroll through our Unique Finger Glove Crochet Patterns page, you’ll find a pattern for Dragon Scale gloves.

You can easily make these for a fantasy fan, or a mermaid fan, or even change the color pattern from bright and colorful to metallic – thereby impressing a medieval fighting fan.

That page has 45 unique ideas for you to consider, so click on the link to find out more.

Of course, if you prefer mittens, we have 22 adorable patterns for you to look through too.

Our leg warmer suggestions are just as unique ranging from Ballerina aesthetic to 80s realness. Make sure to scroll through the list to see which one best suits you. You could even make Socks!

Hats

Hats are a little more complicated than scarves and gloves, but no matter your skill level, we have a pattern for you. Our best suggestion for hat creation is to figure out your giftee’s hobbies or interests and either create the hat in that interest’s color or add some type of motif that represents that interest.

We suggested logos before, but anything will do. Like walking? Consider a hiking shoe. Enjoy surfing? Consider waves. It doesn’t have to take up the whole hat, just the lip will be fine.

Here are some suggestions to spark your inspiration:

Clothes

If you are skilled enough or want to widen your knowledge, you can try making clothing. To make clothing, you need to know your gift receiver’s size, so this won’t end up being a surprise gift. Keep that in mind before you start crafting.

Here are some ideas for you to consider.

Coats And Sweaters

For a sweater or a coat, you can either create a tailored outfit that fits your gift receiver perfectly, or you can create an oversized option for a simpler creation.

For example, you could create a poncho, which is a sleeveless pullover – perfect for a cozy coat without creating something extremely complex.

Or you could make a cardigan. These are more complex than a poncho, but they are designed to be slightly larger, so you don’t need to know the precise size of your friend. 

If you’re of intermediate experience, you could try creating a sweater. You will need at least some knowledge of crochet before attempting this type of pattern, but you will end up with an amazing piece of clothing.

Dresses, Tops, And Bikinis

If you’re making a dress from scratch, you should really lean into your gift receiver’s favorite styles and designs. Maxi, 80s, open back, you name it, you can do it. Click here for 31 dress pattern ideas.

Bikinis and bralettes have the same level of detail, and despite their daunting concept, they are very easy to make. Click here for 17 beginner-friendly designs.

Lastly, we suggest making crop tops! These are easier than classic tops, as you only need to create two triangles and a rectangle pattern. The rest is all creative design. Here are 20 fabulous designs for you to consider.

Of course, if making a dress or top doesn’t make you excited, you can help alter an outfit instead. Buy an outfit you already like, and shape it to better suit your friend.

Here are some altering pages to help you:

Decorations

Decorations are where your creativity can go wild! Remember, that your gift receiver only has so much room on their property, so you can’t make them a rug every month. Use this concept sparingly, so they can keep everything you give without creating a cluttered house.

Blankets, Rugs, And Doilies

Blankets, rugs, and doilies are essentially the same thing, but in different sizes. You can make them as unique or pattern-matching as you prefer, and more importantly, they are amazingly easy for beginners.

Here are some patterns we think you should consider:

Teddies And Unique Ornaments 

If you want to try your hand at something more unique or challenging, consider making stuffed animals! Once you make one, you’ll have the knowledge to create your own characters for the people you love.

Let’s start easy, and talk about bookmarks. Bookmarks are a simple concept to help crafters get into ornaments and away from blankets and scarves.

Once you’ve mastered those, you can move on to flowers. Take these rose crochet designs and see how you can make bouquets without touching any gardening tools.

Now you can move onto small decorations such as stuffed star shape patterns, or more detailed but not too technical Christmas decorations.

Once you’ve done that you can move on to Teddies. Check these out:

Final Thoughts

Making a gift for your friends and family is a great way to connect to their interests and give them something meaningful.

The ideas we have shared with you today are a launchpad designed to inspire you toward the best gift option. Bookmark this page, so when a new birthday or celebration comes your way, you can find this hub of inspiration again.