Why Ball Your Yarn
Why you would need a yarn swift i.
Why ball your yarn. The good news is winding your yarn into a ball first is actually kind of soothing. When forming yarn into a ball it is recommended that you wind gently so as not to stretch the yarn too much and wash your knitting upon completion to re fluff the yarn. If the yarn is wrapped too tightly it loses all of its give. Some comes twisted in hanks like in the picture here.
The particular brand i purchased is the knit picks yarn ball winder but i imagine many of them are built the same way. This ball winder is a little work horse for me and for the most part does a great job winding yarn into nice little cakes. Don t waste time crocheting knitting straight from a hank. The process of winding a skein into a ball from a hank can be a mindless but enjoyable task allowing you to get a good feel for the yarn between your fingers before embarking on your project.
With cones and skeins you don t necessarily have to make a ball before using your yarn. As your ball of yarn gets smaller and lighter the holes also help prevent you from accidentally yanking the yarn out of the bowl as you work. Then your project can be tight and rough feeling as opposed to soft with some cushion to it. One of the most common newbie knitter mistakes is trying to knit directly from a hank of yarn you know the yarn that s wrapped up like a twisty baguette.
Some yarn comes already wound into center pull balls. Cones like lb 1878 can easily unwrap along the outside and if you prefer to pull it from the center simply pop the cone out of the middle and pull the inside end up out of the top. Wrap the yarn around the yarn swift the yarn swift will spin in a circle while you wind the yarn into a yarn ball or cake with your yarn winder. If you purchase this kind take the paper off and open the yarn up into a big loop.
Just remember that if you thread your yarn through a hole you must either cut or finish the yarn before you can remove your project from the bowl. The tension or stretchiness of the yarn and your projects depends on how loose or tight you wrap your ball of yarn. You ve probably been there. Drape the loop of yarn over two chairs or the edge of a desk or between the hands of a helpful friend.
Once wound into a ball place into a yarn bowl to keep it from rolling all over the place and you re ready to begin stitching.