How to Wrap Knitted Gifts

Heads up! This post contains affiliate links which means I get may get a commission if you purchase something based on my recommendations here.

You’ve just spent 30 hours knitting a beautiful pair of socks for a friend, mindfully creating over 26,000 stitches, one by one, each filled with love. You’ve woven in the ends and beautifully blocked your work. It’s finally time to deliver your thoughtful gift. Do you just toss them in a gift bag and be done with it? No! Presentation is everything, my friends. You put so much work into the project; it’s worth it to take it over the finish line by thoughtfully wrapping your knitted gift to make receiving your creation a truly special experience.

I’ll admit, I’m 100% guilty of failing to stick the landing when wrapping my knitted gifts. (Once, I literally shoved an entire baby blanket into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and tossed it in a flat rate box with a post-it note containing wash instructions!) But I’ve been putting more care into the art of presentation lately. A thoughtful wrapping job reflects the care and effort you put into knitting the item. It also builds a little anticipation for the recipient and makes receiving a hand-knit item even more exciting.

How to Wrap Knitted Socks

I made these rainbow socks for my friend Virginia who I’ve worked with for five years. I haven’t popped them in the mail yet but she texted me letting me know how excited she is to receive them. She even confessed that it was a longtime goal to get a pair of Pepper socks some day! No way I can ruin that five-year build-up by just tossing them in a ziplock bag!

Here is how I wrap knitted socks:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pepper Hayes (@pepperknitsblog)

I ordered the personalized “handmade with love by” medallions on Etsy and they add such a nice touch, don’t you think? You can use wood tags like this when wrapping knitted baby blankets too. Just sew one on a piece of thick ribbon, roll up the blanket, and tie the ribbon around it.

The same seller makes these custom leather tags that are intended to be stitched on the brim of a hat, but they can also be used for wrapping. My friend Gina sells these adorable handpainted drawstring bags and I think it would be adorable to stitch a leather tag on one with a knitted hat or a scarf inside!

If medallions aren’t your thing, you can also get cute little enclosure cards with your name on them. I bought the ones below several years ago, but the artist doesn’t sell them anymore and I’m almost out so I have been rationing them. I found these cute personalized knitting rubber stamps and I use them to make my own enclosure cards most of the time.

Things to Include When Gifting Knits

Beyond presentation, there are also some practical considerations when wrapping knitted gifts. Two things to consider:

Always include a note stating the fiber content and offering wash instructions. I always tell my sock recipients that they can machine wash them in a delicate bag and lay them flat to dry. If I’m giving the gift to someone who I think is unlikely to have a stash of delicate bags, I’ll include one in the package. They are cheap on Amazon and I’d rather just buy them one instead of having them ruin the socks I poured so much work into! Likewise, if you are going to recommend handwashing an item, you might include a few packets of Soak wool wash to get them started.

Enclose extra yarn for mending. I often take a couple yards of yarn, wind it into a butterfly bobbin, and gift with the socks to use for mending. You can also use this as an opportunity to subtly establish expectations about mending protocol. Personally, I don’t really want people sending me their old holey socks, so I include the extra yarn and say, “Save this in case you ever need to have someone mend them.”

I hope this post gave you some new ideas on how to wrap knitted gifts! If you have a favorite detail that you incorporate into your wrapping, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

And now, in case you want to know more about Virginia’s adorable rainbow socks, here are the project details:

yarn details

Knit Picks Felici in Cloudy with a Chance of Rainbows (discontinued)
Fingering Weight
75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon
machine wash & dry
50 g/218 yd skein
Purchased in November 2020

project details

pattern: “Sock Surgeon Afterthought Heel” (You Tube tutorial)
needles: US size 1.5 (2.5 mm), wood dpns
gauge:16.5 stitches and 22 rows = 2 inches in stockinette (blocked)
yarn used: 331 yards (76 grams) (about 1.5 balls)
finished size: back of heel to tip of toe: 9.5”, top of cuff to bottom of heel: 9”, (diameter – laid flat: 3.75”)
duration: March 1, 2023 – March 24, 2024

And a picture of them unwrapped: