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3/14/2007 10:09:26 PM
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evelyn
Posts 990
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I always wondered if it was best to leave my wool in skeins until I was ready to use it. I think the ball winder might stretch the yarns a little bit. Then it might relax after it was knit into something nice and change the gauge. I would be interested in hearing what some of the experts here think of this. I might be way out in left field about this one.
Evelyn
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3/14/2007 10:25:35 PM
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benne
Posts 19258
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Evelyn,
I think you`re right on. I don`t wind my skeins into balls until I`m ready to knit them. I read a book by a spinner and she said it is better for the yarn to leave it in the skeins as it remains relaxed. She also recommended letting the yarn rest for a day or two after winding it into balls so it can relax back to the prewinding state. The worst thing is to wind the balls to tightly or too fast on the winder, really stretches it. I usually wind my balls twice off the winder. The first time there are inevitable little bumps in the winding that can stretch it a little or make the winding uneven. I wind it the second time very slowly and loosely. Of course, winding too many times can cause twisting, so it`s a fine line. :-}
B2
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3/14/2007 10:44:04 PM
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CatBookMom
Posts 6264
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I wind 2-3 balls at a time for a project, the amount I`m likely to use in a few days or a week. I wind nearly every yarn, since I found it helps to find those pesky knots that never are near where you`d like them to land. My swift spins very easily, and I found that if I wind the yarn from my swift directly to my ball winder, the balls are too loose and come apart too easily; so I hold the yarn very, very lightly in my fingers, just before the metal guide-loop that feeds onto the ball winder. My wound `cakes` are nicely squishy but still keep together until most of the yarn is used.
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3/14/2007 10:47:39 PM
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benne
Posts 19258
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I should add, I`m no expert, I just figured this writer was a reliable source.:-}
B2
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3/15/2007 4:12:04 AM
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bets
Posts 18976
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My dad cautioned me not to wind yarn too tight when I was a little kid. That`s probably the only thing he knew about yarn. ;-)
B
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3/15/2007 4:18:32 AM
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Guest
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Sometimes, I have to hand feed the yarn off of my swift onto the winder, to keep it from being wound too tightly. If anything, I wind the yarn a little looser into cakes, and use a Yarn Clam so they don`t come apart in my knitting bag. I feel most yarn shops do wind too tightly, and that is a shame.
Trish - MMM
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3/15/2007 5:36:34 AM
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benne
Posts 19258
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Trish, I think you`re right about the shops. What`s a yarn clam? I`m intrigued.
B2
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3/15/2007 5:50:51 AM
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SeeJayneKnit
Posts 5237
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Yarn clam? Inquiring minds want to know.
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3/15/2007 5:55:39 AM
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suzann
Posts 2711
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I don`t wind yarn until I am ready to use it. Then like CBM I wind everything, even yarn already in balls. I like surprises as much as any girl, but not in my yarn.
I don`t have a swift. I use a lamp to hold the skeins. And I guide the yarn a bit. Some yarns I wind twice.
I agree about yarn shops over winding yarn. When I first started knitting I bought a ball of Cascade 220 at the LYS. The wound it up for me. It was as tight as a bango string. Even my newbie brain could tell something was wrong. As I started to pull out the yarn, it puffed up. Poor yarn.
suzann
ps no expert
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3/15/2007 6:22:46 AM
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CatBookMom
Posts 6264
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I have a horizontal swift, a Mama Bear from Oregon Wood Worker. It spins even more easily than the heavy duty one at my LYS, so that may be why I think the balls wind off a bit too loosely.
http://wood.charlestree.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=34
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3/15/2007 10:11:01 AM
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Guest
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A Yarn Clam is basically an upside down clear plastic take out container, with a hole at the bottom, (which is really the top when you turn it over), which allows the yarn to come out of the center pull ball. I got mine at my LYS, and I use them A LOT. The ball stays put, and is protected. It is made by K`s Creations, and her e-mail is:
kscreations@aol.com
The small size perfectly fits the Baby Cashmere and Silk, and the large size fits balls up to 400 yards.
Trish - MMM
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3/15/2007 10:17:39 AM
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benne
Posts 19258
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Thanks, Trish! I saw those containers in a catalog, can`t remember which one, but I didn`t know that was what they are called. Seems like a great idea. I hate it when my yarn hits the floor with the dogs and cat adding to the fibers ;-} or it falls off the ball and gets messy and tangled. I`ll check out K`s creations.
B2
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3/15/2007 10:31:07 AM
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kknittr
Posts 350
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My yarn clam is a plastic freezer bag, zipped up, with a hole punched in the side for yarn flow. I find that this works really well when using several bags at a time for multiple balls of yarn. Plus yarn band can be glued or taped over the hole at completion of project and bag becomes storage for leftover yarn and will even hold a copy of pattern and/or project notes for easy reference.
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3/15/2007 10:39:01 AM
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benne
Posts 19258
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I use ziplocks but I never thought about putting a hole in the side. I`ve always just zipped the top partially closed. I`ll try your trick, Kay. It sounds like it might work better.
B2
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3/15/2007 10:57:59 AM
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SeeJayneKnit
Posts 5237
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Great trick, Kay, especially for knittin in the car. I don`t like my ball rolling around on the floor of the car.
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3/15/2007 11:06:42 AM
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kknittr
Posts 350
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I used to do it that way but found the yarn occasionally caught in the "zipper" so I decided to use a hole in the side and that seemed to work more smoothly.
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3/15/2007 10:40:23 PM
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evelyn
Posts 990
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Well, Thank you everyone who posted their opinion. Look what we have learned from this. It`s great.
Evelyn
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