Saturday, February 25, 2006

How To Wind A Ball Of Yarn By Yourself

Today I wanted to wind a ball of yarn but I was home alone so I didn't have any one to hold the hank of yarn so I can wind the ball of yarn.

I'm waiting on a ball winder and swift to arrive from Joann.com. So I improvised and used a chair to help me out.

First, I removed the label from the hank and untied the ends. Then I put the hank over the back of a chair.



Next, I got a used medicine bottle and placed one of the ends of yarn inside the bottle and closed it with the cap.



Then I wrapped the yarn around the medicine bottle. This can be kind of tricky. First, you have to be careful to not pull the yarn up off the back of the chair. This causes a big mess with yarn getting all tangled up. Believe me, you don't want this to happen!

Second, it can be difficult to get a round ball by wrapping over the end of the bottle. I usually have to try it a couple of times before it doesn't move itself off the bottom. I found that the more yarn you have on the bottle the easier it is to get the ball round.

Third, you have to be careful not to wrap around or over the cap or you won't be able to open it to get the bottle out.



When you are done wrapping, remove the cap, pull the bottle out of the center of the ball, and wala! you have a center pull ball of yarn.



Okay, I didn't come up with the idea of wrapping the medicine bottle for a center pull ball. I got this great tip from Vickie Howell on Knitty Gritty.

However, I did figure out putting the hank around the chair. Yeah! Now I can continue knitting my "The Same, But Different" sleeveless top.

P.S. Don't you love the green of the yarn! It is a dark forest green that is just royal.

2 comments:

Jeanie said...

Very cool! Thanks for sharing Rhonda! BTW, the Sexy Knitters Club is taking nominations for its second knit along. Voting is scheduled to take place in early March.

Jal J said...

When I bought my first hank of yarn not already wound in a skein or ball, I didn't own a swift or ball winder (and still don't). I researched and found info on the internet for using a nostepinne, a wooden tool for hand winding yarn. I quickly discovered this is not something typically carried at the LYS. My hubby found a piece of PVC pipe (1" diameter?) in the garage and helped me read the instructions on winding the yarn into a center-pull ball. It worked! I purchased a nostepinne last year at the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival, but when I have a lot of yarn to wind, I wish I owned a swift and winder. I also find most shops offer to wind the ball for me when they're not too busy.