The end-of-year holidays are coming soon! Saint Nicholas visited the well-behaved children this weekend and also our C'est du Joly collaborators! Now it's a race for gifts between Uncle Paul, Aunt Jeanine, and Léonie your little cousin... you don't know where to turn or what to choose! But don't worry, we've thought of everything; at least to please thread lovers, beginners and experts alike!

The team of crocheters, embroiderers, and knitters at C'est du Joly has selected a great range of gifts to offer to the most demanding thread lovers! 

So let's go for the wise gift choices that bring joy! 

1. Thread, thread, and more thread 

I think everyone knows it... You can never have enough! Crocheters and knitters will recognize themselves 😂! This year, at C'est du Joly we offer you a wider range of threads with the brands:
- Fonty
- DMC
- Katia
- Rico
...

With beautiful colors, top quality, and options for every budget! 

By the way, if you want to learn more about the Fonty spinning mill, I wrote an article here and another about the wool qualities we have selected here. 

For embroidery, we invite you to discover DMC stranded cotton, the reference for cross-stitch but also classic embroidery! It must be said that DMC has been an institution since 1746, they have had time to improve the quality of their product to fully satisfy users! 

DMC stranded cotton skeins are truly a must-have for embroiderers. You can buy them individually or in preselected kits. The advantage of thread kits is that they have been chosen so the colors blend well together, so if you have trouble imagining the final look of your color choices, you know that with the kits, it will be well coordinated. 

They come in bright colors, pastels, ombré, floral, more natural... in short, there is a choice for every taste. You will find a very large selection of mouliné threads in our Woluwe store. We also think of Eco vita merino wool skeins from DMC. Dyed with natural pigments, these skeins are perfect for repairing our sweaters, fixing snags but also embroidering our wool sweaters! 

Finally, let's not forget our sashiko threads! And yes, C'est du Joly offers you a wide range of sashiko thread in all colors, gradients... something to please everyone! 

If you like adding glitter and metallics, light effect threads, diamond, grandé, lamé, lumina and ecovita metallic will also find their place in your sewing box!  

Cotton mouliné skein, eco vita merino, sashiko threads budget: between €1.85 and €7.99

Thread kit budget: from €12.5

Storage box with cardboard budget: €6.99

Yarn ball budget: from €1.65

2. Embroidery needles, for tucking in threads but also knitting needles! 

Where there are thread lovers, there are necessarily needles!
From classic embroidery, sashiko, kogin, to crochet and of course knitting, we all need needles! 

Let's start with the knitters! 

This year, we offer you 3 brands of knitting needles!

For straight needles, we have selected the DMC brand with quality anodized rose aluminum. Their advantage? They glide well and above all they are light and comfortable.
For circular needles, we offered you the great brand: Chiaogoo: the best of the best! Those who start knitting with this brand can’t switch anymore; that says a lot about their comfort! Made of bamboo or steel, Chiaogoo circular needles are really practical to use. Plus, the advantage of circular needles is that they take up almost no space! You can take them everywhere, including on the tram without bothering your neighbors. Circular needles will especially allow you to make seamless sweaters and cardigans or easily knit small diameters.    

This year, the big news is that you will find a new brand in the shop because we have added the Knitpro brand in its Symfonie version. We fell for these beautifully crafted wooden needles in colors; they are all beautiful! 

Finally, for those looking for a "big" gift, we offer luxury knitting needle sets from Chiaogoo and Knitpro, a gift that really brings great joy!

Embroiderers, crocheters, and knitters also need hand needles! Whether it's for classic embroidery, but also to embroider the faces of our dear amigurumis, weave in the threads of our crochet and knit creations, sew the linings of our projects, sew the back of a small child’s blanket,... needles are a must-have and you know that nothing replaces a good needle! They must glide well and feel comfortable in the hand. 

To do this, we decided to work with several quality needle brands, the best! We are talking about:
- French Bohin needles (from Normandy) by the way if you want to read the article about them it's here,
- French DMC (from Mulhouse)
- Japanese Tulip (from Hiroshima)
- Japanese Olympus (from Tokyo for sashiko) 
- Japanese Daruma (from Osaka, for sashiko and kogin)   
These are needles that won’t disappoint you in any way! We wanted to work with several brands so every artist can find the tool that suits them best! 

Budget needles: from €2.5
Budget knitting needles: from €3.5
Budget knitting needle set: from €67

3. A good crochet hook

Whether for crochet or knitting, you need good hooks! You wouldn't think you'd need a crochet hook for knitting, but it will save you from the worst situation: dropped stitches! In that case, it's the crochet hook, not really the needles, that will help you recover the lost stitch(es) and work back up to the current knitting row.

A must-have, even if you try to avoid using it! 

For crochet, of course, you'll need good quality hooks, with the size depending on your yarn thickness. For that, kits and printed sets are perfect to have a top-notch crochet collection! We have chosen to work with the French brand DMC and the Japanese brand Tulip.

Tulip crochet hooks are truly the go-to for crocheters; try them and you'll adopt them! 

Budget crochet hooks: from €4.7

Budget crochet set: from €16

4. Scissors and thread cutters

Whether I am embroidering or sewing, I always use a good pair of small embroidery scissors when working on my projects. Embroidery scissors are small, fine scissors with sharp blades. They allow you to cut all the tiny threads so the work looks just as "nice" on the front as on the back. They also allow you to cut the necessary length of thread for embroidery. They are also very useful for knitters and crocheters to cut their yarn. Plus, there are plenty with beautiful designs! 

I like to use the classic thread cutter but also the pendant. The latter can be worn as jewelry and I take it with me every time I go on vacation. It passes airport security and allows me to sew and embroider on the plane.   

Embroidery scissors budget from €3.99
Classic thread cutter budget: from €3
Thread cutter pendant budget: around €20

5. A good book 

Whether inspirational, technical, or pattern-based, a creative book is always a pleasure!   

In the store, we have selected books:
- knitting: children, baby, adult, socks, sweaters, accessories, techniques (circular, stitches, jacquard, brioche...)
- embroidery: classic, cross stitch, sashiko, kogin, needle painting,...
- crochet: accessories, amigurumi, granny squares, clothing, home decor, Tunisian
- sewing: techniques, patterns, bags, men's, women's, children's, baby clothing...
- upcycling
- patchwork  
- ... 

We have carefully selected them so you have the best of creative literature.

Books are sold only in our two stores (not through our webshop).

It will be a great opportunity to visit us and discover our Ali Baba's cave 😊. 

Book budget: from €6

6. Stitch markers, row counters...

Among the essentials in the knitting and crochet kit, stitch markers hold an important place. They allow you to place markers and highlight the different parts of a work in progress. When knitting a seamless sweater, you eventually knit the front, back, left sleeve, and right sleeve all in one piece. Needless to say, knowing who is who – thanks to the marker rings – is essential! 

They also help highlight lace or jacquard chart repeats.

My advice: have some open ones, so you can reposition them, and some closed ones for ease of use.

Also, today, there are plenty of very pretty decorative stitch markers that bring joy! 

Budget: stitch marker: from €2.99

7. Blockers, blocking combs...

For a perfect result in crochet and knitting, you need to block your work!

We offer you to block your granny squares on this wooden square blocker from the brand Katia.  The perforated wooden board comes with a set of 20 stainless steel rods 10 cm high and 5 sewing needles 7 cm long. This board also features a hollow section to place the rods. Moreover, on one side of the blocker, there is a ruler with measurements in centimeters and inches. Get granny squares in the size you want for each of your next projects! It’s just perfect for making cardigans, blankets, bags,... in granny

We also offer you blocking mats and blockers for knitting and crochet. 

Finally, don’t forget the special wool and delicate items detergent with Eucalan detergent. You will find 500ml, 100ml, and single dose packaging. 

Granny blocker budget: €24.99

Blocking combs budget: from €24.5

Eucalan budget: from €1.5 in single dose

8. A creative kit

With crochet and embroidery, it is possible to offer a complete creative kit or one to complete depending on the brands 😊

We offer you lovely kits to create:

- some amigurumis
- crochet bags
- sashiko embroideries including beautiful Christmas panels
- classic embroideries
- sashiko kits hana-fukin
- sashiko placemats and cushions 
- ...

They make very nice gifts for beginners but also for the more experienced who will be delighted to follow and discover new models. 

Plus, we have received wonderful new kits from DMC and the Tamar Ny brand... real creative moments ahead! 

Budget kit: from €9.9

9. The gift card

For those out of inspiration, the gift voucher remains a great option. People can use them for supplies, courses... to use all at once or several times, in store or on the webshop... You decide!    

The card can be used to purchase:
- fabric and haberdashery,...
- yarn, embroidery,...
- printed patterns or PDFs,
- a course in our premises.  

The gift card is valid for 12 months and can be used in our two stores or online. 

It can be issued in store or online for the (very) latecomers or those who live far away. 

You receive it automatically by email, no need to wait for delivery to make someone happy!

We still have plenty of great gift ideas to offer you in store 

Feel free to come ask for advice in our two shops located at:

- 328 Avenue Georges Henri in Woluwe 

- 357 Avenue de la Couronne in Ixelles

We will be happy to advise you 😊 
So all that's left to do... get your needles ready!