Yarn Bowl Guide – Why Get One & 37 Of The Most Delightful Yarn Bowls

Whoever came up with the design for taming yarn’s tendency to roll over the place is a genius! End your frustrations with balls of yarn rolling around and onto the floor. Keep it in one spot by using a yarn bowl.

Knitters can relax and knit away when their yarn stays in place. Plus a yarn bowl is super stylish!

Here are some functional, beautiful (sometimes outrageous and funny) Yarn Bowls.

• What Is A Yarn Bowl?
• Why You Should Use One
• Why Are There Holes?
• How To Choose A Yarn Bowl
• Wooden Yarn Bowl: Lightweight and Functional
• Ceramic Yarn Bowl Beautifully Crafted
• Sculpted Pottery Yarn Bowl
• Plastic Yarn Bowl: Great for Traveling
• Super Strong Metal Yarn Bowl
• How About a Cat Yarn Bowl?
• Need A Laugh? Yarn Bowl With Faces

What Is A Yarn Bowl?

The design of most yarn bowls are fairly similar. They’re sometimes referred to as a yarn holder bowl or knitting bowl.

Most yarn bowls have a bowl shape with a swirled section cut in one side. You thread the string of working yarn through there.

When you pull the yarn, it acts as a guide and feeds the length of yarn gently without snagging.

The weight of the bowl allows the ball of yarn to roll around inside without getting tangled. The high sides keep it in place. A perfect yarn holder. No need to keep yarn in your lap.

Often they have circular cutouts for storing straight needles or when using more than one yarn in your colorwork project.

Why You Should Use One

• To keep your sanity! Knitting is meant to be pleasurable. Chasing yarn under tables, chairs and your sofa isn’t fun. Nor is knotted, tangled yarn, which often happens knitting from a skein or ball. Too many times, I’ve tried to undo a massive tangle. Very frustrating! Prevent tangling with one of these.
• Yarn bowls keep your yarn clean, preventing it from collecting fluff or dust. (Knitting is more important than housework, we can have dust and fluff on our floors!)
• They’re not easy for a cat or dog to move around. There are many cute pictures of cats playing with yarn. Sure they’re adorable, as long as it’s NOT your yarn!
• You can move your yarn bowl wherever you feel like knitting. Glorious sunny day outside? Take it outdoors and know the yarn isn’t going to get all dirty.
• Their whole purpose of yarn bowls is to be a yarn holder and also look beautiful on your coffee table. More attractive than a yarn bag.

Why Are There Holes?

There are holes in yarn bowls for the following reasons:

• You can rest your knitting needles when not in use.
• If working with multiple yarns, thread each yarn through a hole. Great for stranded knitting, Intarsia or Fair Isle patterns. (Remember you’ll need to cut the working yarn that’s been threaded through a hole so you can remove it from the top.)
• The holes help prevent you yanking the yarn out of the bowl when it gets smaller.

How To Choose a Yarn Bowl

• The pottery (wood, plastic, or metal) needs to be very smooth where the yarn comes out. Even the smallest rough edge catches and frays the yarn.
• Yarn bowls need a wide, flat base so it won’t tip over when a dense ball of yarn is rolling around.
• A wooden knitting bowl of lightweight wood is great when traveling.
• It needs an opening where the working yarn can slip through from the top. A hole on the side is no good. It’s more challenging to take the yarn out of the bowl.
• High walls are best or the ball will spin right out!
• Another consideration is a knitting bowl with two slots if you are an avid color-work knitter. This allows two different colored yarns to remain untangled when working on your project.
• If you knit with a large unwound skein, an oblong yarn bowl is good.

So after reading all this, the question you are asking is where to buy yarn bowls? You can buy yarn bowls online.
I’ve done the research for you and my list has products based on the material they are made from. Take a look at the tools you will fall in love with below. I wonder which will be your favorites?

Wood

Yamalans Handmade Wooden Yarn Bowl

About: A smooth, polished wooden surface to make sure your yarn isn’t damaged while threaded through as you knit. Heavy enough to stay in place while you knit.

Dimensions: 6.3 inches wide, 2.76 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Yamalans

Made in: (Not Specified)

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Knitjoy Extra Large Wooden Yarn Bowl

About: A beautiful rich color, wooden knitting bowl. Carved by hand using Indian Rosewood. The finishing keeps your yarn free from snagging. A great gift. It’s a hard wood, so it’s unbreakable.

Dimensions: 7 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Indian Rosewood

Manufacturer: Knit Joy

Made in: (Not Specified)

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Darn Good Yarn Handcrafted Wooden Yarn Bowl

About: Handmade knitting yarn bowl of high quality Indian wood. Portable and efficient. One of the more sustainable knitting accessories. They have excellent customer service with 5 stars reviews.
Be sure to ask them any questions, they will be happy to answer them. Can be crochets bowls too, not just knitting. There’s no difference if you crochet or knit.
You can rest your knitting needles or hook in the holes.

Dimensions: 6.2 inches wide, 6.1 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Darn Good Yarn

Made in: India

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Cedmon Wooden Yarn Bowl Holder Rosewood

About: High-quality, made of Natural Sheesham Wood. You can take it anywhere, and it’s unbreakable.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 3 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Cedmon

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

LIFYFUN Bamboo Yarn Bowl

About: Extra-large, high-quality and practical. Wooden yarn bowl hand crafted, made of bamboo. A great thing is it has a lid that keeps the yarn inside free of dust.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 4.3 inches high

Materials: Bamboo

Manufacturer: LIFYFUN

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Dalea Home Products Premium Wooden Yarn Bowl

About: Woodcarved and unbreakable. It’s large with a lustre finish. Great way to display your beautiful yarn.

Dimensions: 7 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Dalea Home Products

Made in: USA

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Classic Rosewood Hagestad Yarn Bowl

About: The surface is smooth with a high-gloss finish. A curled slot captures the yarn as you knit, allowing it to steadily feed through preventing tangles.
Comes with a velvet bag / free travel pouch. A better alternative than the Nagina International version.

Dimensions: 7 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Rosewood

Manufacturer: Hagestad

Made in: India

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Orchid & Ivy Handcrafted Wooden Yarn Storage Bowl

About: Each bowl is unique! Each one is handcrafted one at a time from repurposed wooden storage bowls.

Yarn pulls smoothly and evenly as you work, thanks to the high-gloss lacquered finish and deep swirl to pull the yarn through.

Dimensions: 7 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Re-used acacia wood with a cherry lacquer finish

Manufacturer: Orchid & Ivy

Made in: California

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Yarn Hut Wooden Bowl

About: Comfortably fits a 5oz/100g ball of yarn. Lifetime guarantee.

Dimensions: 7 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Indian Mango Wood

Manufacturer: Yarn Hut

Made in: India

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Knit Picks Rosewood Yarn Bowl

About: A lovely Rosewood Bowl, with a spiral cutout helping you hold your yarn. A rich wood grain texture. A lovely choice to show off your yarn. A good option if you have limited table space. Good value for money.

Knit Picks offers free shipping for US orders over $65. Customers is Canada can also receive free shipping for orders over $75 and in Australia it is for orders over $100.

Dimensions: 5 inches wide, 3.5 inches in height

Materials: Rosewood Wood

Manufacturer: Knit Picks

Made in: USA

Click To Learn More / Buy from KnitPicks

Two Tone Rosewood Mango Wood Yarn Bowl

About: A lovely two-toned tapered rosewood bowl. The mango wood texture is a pleasing contrast with the other tone. You can store other things in it too.

Dimensions: 5 inches wide, 3.5 inches high

Materials: Rosewood Wood

Manufacturer: Knit Picks

Made in: USA

Click To Learn More / Buy from KnitPicks

Darn Good Yarn Wooden Yarn Bowl

About: Handcrafted by some of the best artisans in India. They pride themselves on their attention to detail and craftsmanship. Made of Sheesham Wood. Ask them about gift wrapping if purchasing for someone else. These make gorgeous gifts for friends and family. Check their glowing customer reviews. They often have products on sale.

Dimensions: 5 inches wide, 2.5 inches high

Materials: Sheesham Wood

Manufacturer: Darn Good Yarn

Made in: India

Flower Crown Wooden Yarn Bowl

About: A beautiful floral carved wooden yarn bowl. Handmade of Teakwood. Store your skeins easily.

Dimensions: 5 inches wide, 2.5 inches high

Materials: Teakwood

Manufacturer: Darn Good Yarn

Made in: New York, USA

Ideas in Wood Wooden Yarn Box

About: If you are in the market with something unique, take a look at this handmade cherry wood yarn box, with a built in needle sizer. Also comes with a 6” ruler. A unique Etsy Yarn Bowl. Price is more than other wooden versions.

Dimensions: 7.75 inches wide, 5 inches high

Materials: Cherry Wood

Manufacturer: Ideas in Wood

Made in: Pennsylvania, USA

Craftamma Indian Wood Yarn Bowl

About: This handcrafted Indian Wood Yarn Bowl has a glossy finish. It’s sturdy and durable. Nothing to do but pop your yarn in this beauty and start knitting.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 3.5 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Craftamma

Made in: India

Knit Picks Maplewood Yarn Bowl

About: A tapered bowl, made of maplewood. A glossy finish brings out the rich detail of the wood. Any yarn ball would look gorgeous placed here. Can hold lace to DK weight yarns. Feels lovely in your hands.

Crocheters would appreciate the holes as a place for their hooks.

Possible to keep other notions at the bottom like stitch markers.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Maplewood

Manufacturer: Knit Picks

Made in: Vancouver, USA

Click To Learn More / Buy from KnitPicks

Furls Yarn Bowl

About: Comfortably fits a 5oz/100g ball of yarn. Lifetime warranty. A Knitter or crocheter would love this.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 6 inches high

Materials: Sheesham Rosewood

Manufacturer: Furls Crochet

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Light and Dark Pinewood Yarn Bowl by Loops and Threads

About: This bowl made from wood is great for your knitting supplies. It comes in light and dark colors. One of the yarn bowls available to purchase at Michaels.

Dimensions: 5.5 inches wide, 3.5 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Loops & Threads

Made in: United States

Blocksie Yarn Bowl

About: Handcrafted from solid hardwood showing off individual grain features. Different colors of woods pieced together for a checkerboard effect.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Hardwood

Manufacturer: Paradise Fibers

Made in: USA

Susan Bates Wood Yarn Bowl

About: A collared wood bowl. It allows quick removal of yarn with ease.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 3.75 inches high

Materials: Wood

Manufacturer: Joann

Made in: USA

Ceramic

Handthrown Stoneware Volcano Blue Grey Yarn Bowl

About: Useful for yarn, crochet and knitting, made with volcanic stone! It has a smooth loop for the yarn. Ceramic is breakable but this shouldn’t be a problem if you take care. The type of glaze creates a lovely effect.

Dimensions: 5.5 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Stoneware, Glaze and Clay

Manufacturer: Avior Pottery

Made in: USA

Pink and Blue Ceramic Yarn Bowl

About: A beautiful, ceramic handmade wildflower yarn bowl. A glaze mixture of soft pink and blues.

Dimensions: 7 inches wide, 3 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Creativity Happens

Made in: South Carolina, USA

Banshee Fiber Arts Ceramic Yarn Bowl

About: A gorgeous handcrafted, and hand-painted yarn bowl. Made of ceramic, the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys knitting or crocheting. Suitable for all sorts of knitting projects, socks, mittens and sweaters.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 6 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Banshee Fiber Art

Made in: Maryland, USA

Need A Laugh? Yarn Bowl With Faces

The Art of Lucky Stradley Sculpted Yarn Bowl Face

About: A wheel thrown, hand altered and sculpted yarn bowl. Perfect for holding a ball of yarn. The large one in the range can handle big bulky balls. Such unique designs. An interesting part of the face for the yarn to come from! 🙂

Of course I had to include these, they are lots of fun. They’d be sure to be bring a smile to your face sitting around in your house. Check out all the options and explore the collection.

Dimensions: 6 inches in diameter, 3.5 inches high

Materials: Stoneware, Porcelain

Manufacturer: The Art of Lucky Stradley

Made in: Nebraska, USA

Tabby Cat Yarn Bowl by Misunrie

About: A gorgeous cat stoneware clay bowl. Lead free, food safe glaze used. Sculpted with an open mouth and a curvy J shaped slot tail to guide your yarn. Such a lovely style.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 3 3/4 inches tall without ear, 4 inches tall with ear

Materials: Stoneware, Porcelain

Manufacturer: MSR Pottery by Misunrie

Made in: Kernersville, NC, USA

Leslie Nieto The Mudplace Personalised Yarn Bowl

About: A custom yarn bowl, perfect for those who enjoy knitting. Available in several different colors and text for personalization. A great gift idea and they function beautifully.

Dimensions: 6.25 inches wide, 3.5 inches high

Materials: Stoneware

Manufacturer: The Mudplace

Made in: Florida, USA

Darn Good Yarn Ceramic Cat Bowl

About: A luxury bowl in the shape of a cat. Comes in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit small and large yarn balls.

Dimensions: The one above is 5.4 inches wide, 3.1 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Darn Good Yarn

Made in: New York, USA

Knit Picks Black Mango Yarn Bowl

About: This unique yarn bowl has a spiral cutout with three holes. Can store your knitting needles or crochet hooks. Made of mango wood, it has a striking appearance. Perfect for your chosen craft hobby and the kinds of projects you do.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Mango Wood

Manufacturer: Knit Picks

Made in: Vancouver, USA

Click To Learn More / Buy from KnitPicks

Blue Pottery Yarn Ball Bowl

About: Glazed ceramic able to hold a regular skein of yarn. Comes in a variety of different pretty patterns on the glaze. Ttems are made to order.

Dimensions: 5.5 inches wide, 3 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Annette Lowder Pottery

Made in: USA

Emerald Green Ceramic Yarn Bowl

About: Featuring a beautiful leaves design. Odorless and clean. Product availability varies as this is usually made to order. An alternative to your knitting bag to store yarn.

Dimensions: 5.5 inches wide, 3.75 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Blue Room Pottery

Made in: USA

Pawley Studios Ceramic Yarn Bowl

About: Hand thrown in Russellville Kentucky, this bowl has very unique and pretty glazes. No heavy metals or toxic glazes. Each piece is hand made. Good size options available.

Dimensions: Measures 6 inches wide, 4 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Pawley Studios

Made in: USA

Pawley Studios Dotted Ceramic Yarn Bowl

About: If you love polka dots this is the yarn bowl for you! The mustard yellow glaze sets off the contrast with the white outer glaze featuring the black dots.

Dimensions: 12 inches wide, 10 inches high

Materials: Glazed Ceramic

Manufacturer: Pawley Studios

Made in: USA

Birdie Pottery Yarn Bowl

About: A useful yarn bowl, perfect for knitting. Plus, it’s handcrafted. You could also store your stitch markers too. Brightened up by a beautiful little birdie keeping you company while you craft.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 3.5 inches high

Materials: Stoneware

Manufacturer: Uncommon Goods

Made in: USA

Petite White Mint Ceramic Yarn Bowl

About: A beautiful glossy white semi crackle, with mint green highlights ceramic knitting bowl. Holes to place your knitting needles when not in use.

Dimensions: Measures 4.5 inches wide, 3 inches high

Materials: Ceramic

Manufacturer: Blue Room Pottery

Made in: USA

Plastic

Yarn Valet

About: The Yarn Valet is unbreakable lightweight plastic. A rubber, non-slip base to keep the bowl from slipping as your yarn flows through the scalloped yarn guide.

Dimensions: 6 inches wide, 3 inches high

Materials: Rubber

Manufacturer: Prym USA

Made in: USA

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Sheep Bowl

About: Made with lightweight plasticin the form of a sheep! This bowl is dishwasher safe, use for biscuits and dip when not using for yarn, or even to store gift cards. Very clever and cute.

Dimensions: 6.1 inches wide, 4.7 inches high

Materials: High quality food grade plastic

Manufacturer: Maker’s Mercantile

Made in: USA

Metal

Blue Metal Yarn Bowl

About: A practical yarn bowl holder made of metal. It comes in 4 different colors. You could keep other knitting accessories in these bowls. A bit heavier than other versions.

Dimensions: 4.9 inches wide, 2.6 inches high

Materials: Metal

Manufacturer: Gravity Solutions Crafting

Click to Learn More / Buy from Amazon

Such wonderful inventions, making knitting so much easier, with less mess and more enjoyable! Worth the investment.

Do you use a yarn bowl? Have any recommendations?

I’d love you to share your yarn bowl story with me. Contact me here or shoot me a message on twitter or leave a comment below and I will be sure to reply.