There's quite a difference between giving someone a scarf with MAMA across it and giving them one with a little night sky. Both are knitted here in San Francisco, but they say different things. We'd begin there—with the person who will wear it, and which one you can picture them reaching for.
Our knitted gifts also include a small checkerboard blanket, with the option to add a name. A word can make a piece feel especially personal, though sometimes the pattern is all you need.
A scarf with something to say
The MAMA! Scarf carries its lettering along six feet of purple and undyed natural wool. The idea came from that very particular way a child says mama, a familiar word that somehow sounds like theirs. We made it with cool San Francisco evenings in mind.
It's a gift for someone who would enjoy wearing that word. If you know the recipient prefers a pattern without lettering, the Night Sky Scarf is another direction: black and natural-colored wool, scattered stars, cloud-like shapes, and contrasting light and dark sections.
Think about the coat or sweater the person already wears. You don't need to find a perfect match; often a familiar color is enough to make a new pattern feel easy to bring into their wardrobe. With a longer scarf, it also helps to think about how much fabric they like to wrap around themselves.
A little checkerboard, with or without a name
Little Checkered Things is a black-and-white merino wool baby blanket, 2 by 3 feet. It's a small rectangle, so lay out those measurements if you're imagining where it will go. For a larger piece on a sofa, our small-blanket and throw comparison gives you other dimensions to work with.
You can choose the checkerboard blanket with or without personalization. For a name, confirm the spelling with the family first, then select the personalized option. We'll follow up by email for the details. If several people are contributing to the gift, it helps to have one person handle that exchange so the final spelling stays clear.
And if the gift is for a particular date, ask us about timing before making plans around it. A plain checkerboard is a complete design in its own right; you aren't leaving something unfinished by choosing it without a name.
Where the wool and knitting come from
Our scarves use U.S.-grown Climate Beneficial™ wool and are knit in San Francisco. Little Checkered Things uses U.S.-grown Climate Beneficial™ merino wool and is knit here as well.
If you're wondering about feel, our merino softness guide explains fiber fineness and knitting gauge. They're related parts of a finished fabric, but they're different measurements. A close photo can show you the stitches; feeling the actual knit tells you more about whether you like it against your skin.
The useful details to send with the gift
Keep the care instructions with the piece, especially when giving wool to someone whose usual laundry routine is fairly simple. Use the directions for that finished scarf or blanket rather than assuming a machine's wool setting is right for everything. If a care detail is unclear, ask us about the particular item.
Then add whatever made you think of them. A note about the stars, that shade of purple, or the name you've been waiting to write can do plenty. For a new family, our San Francisco baby-gift guide has more ideas, but the scarf or blanket doesn't need a pile of other things around it to feel considered.
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