3 Cheap and Easy to Knit and Crochet Christmas Presents

As Christmas and Hanukkah rapidly approach, consumers may be interested in saving a few dollars and making some Christmas presents this year. Even individuals who aren't especially crafty may be excited by the concept of making gifts instead of shelling out exorbitant amounts of money on store bought items that might end up in the back of someone's closet. These three Christmas gift ideas are easily knitted or crocheted, are fashionable, and will help you save money this Christmas!

Wrist Warmers
Wrist warmers are perhaps the easiest thing to knit or crochet. Using a skein of chunky yarn or wool and 6-8mm knitting needles or a crochet hook, knit or crochet a rectangle. Cast on or start with a chain of about 15 stitches, and then knit a rectangle about 6 inches long, or long enough to wrap around your wrist when pulled tightly. Cast off and finish your piece, and then use a needle to sew up the seams. These fashionable accessories can be knitted or crocheted in an hour or so, and are an easy project for beginners, too!

Long, Skinny Scarf
A long and skinny scarf, knitted in the garter stitch (knit every row) or crocheted with single crochet can go very quickly and will only require 1-2 skeins of yarn. Again, using chunky yarn and larger needles (8mm or greater) will make the project go faster. The easy and repetitive stitches can be done while watching a television show or a movie, or when you are the passenger in a car. Keeping the scarf skinny is a great idea for novice knitters/crocheters, because your progress is quick and visible.

Beer Cozies or Soda Cozies
Knitting or crocheting a beer cozy is another really easy option. In fact, if you leave off the bottom and make your rectangle a bit bigger, all you really have to do is knit a wrist warmer that will fit around your beer can! Adding a bottom can be done easily by those who knit in the round and use decreasing stitches. However, it isn't necessary, especially if you are a beginner and are looking for quick Christmas presents instead of major projects.

These three Christmas projects are easy to knit or crochet, and can be handled by even the novice or beginning knitter or crocheter. Visit Nexstitch for instructional videos to help you learn to crochet, and Knitting Help for videos to help you learn to knit! With a skein of yarn and some needles or crochet hooks, your Christmas crafts are halfway done!