Before picking up a new knitting or crocheting project, the choice of wool can bring additional complexity. As you probably already know, how the yarn is wound up can vary and we will give you a quick overview on the differences before we explain how to wind a hank of yarn into a cake of yarn.
A Twisted Hank of Yarn
Many of the beautiful hand-dyed luxurious and artisanal yarns come as a twisted hank of yarn. The yarn is wound up in big circles, that is then folded into itself. This way, the yarn can be dyed easily. Additionally, it is the best way to store the yarn, as there will be no tension on it. A hank of yarn is an easy way to clearly display the colour and texture of the yarn.
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to knit directly from a hank of yarn without it becoming tangled. Therefore, you will first have to wind it into a ball before casting on your new knitting or crocheting project.
A Ball of Yarn
The yarn is wound up to a round shaped sphere and can be either pulled from outside or inside of the ball, depending on one’s preference.
Whilst the ball of yarn is the best shape to knit or crochet from, it is important to mention that a ball is not the best way to store your yarn. As the yarn is usually under some tension, it is recommended to only wind your hank or skein into a ball when you have project in mind and are ready to cast on.
A Skein of Yarn
Many of the industrial yarns are wound up in skeins. The yarn is wound up in a ready-to-use oblong shaped ball and can be pulled either from outside or inside the skein.
The skeins are easy to store and are a good way for yarn companies to display their yarn.
Even though you can easily start using a skein, you eventually might end up with some tangles. Many knitters and crocheters wind up the remaining yarn to inhibit this.
A Yarn Cake
A yarn cake is very similar to a ball of yarn. Most ball winders will produce a cake of yarn, which can be either center-pulled or used up from the outside.
How to wind your yarn
Once you have decided on your choice of yarn, it is finally time to set up your materials. If you have chosen a twisted hank of yarn, you will now need to wind up a cake or ball to start your project.
There are many different ways on how to wind up a ball or cake of yarn. The most common way to do it is to either ask a very patient friend or family member to hold the hank around their arms whilst you wind it up or to wrap the hank around two chairs. Whilst this is the most cost-efficient way to do this, it is easy to put too much tension on the yarn and therefore damage the fibers.
An easier way to wind up your yarn is to use a swift.
Initially you will have to untwist the hank of yarn and place it on the swift. Then you can carefully remove the threads that keeps the hank together.
Once you have set up the swift, you then can choose whether to hand wind a ball of yarn, to use a Nostepinne, or to use a ball winder.
A Nostepinne is a carved piece of wood which is used to wind a ball. It is a very traditional method that requires quite some practice and patience to create an evenly wound ball.
A ball winder is a more modern method to wind a cake of yarn. The yarn will be evenly caked up. There are different ball winders on the market and we have a total of three different ball winders in our collection.
The first Ball Winder is very compact and lightweight, perfect for a knit night when you are out and about. The built-in table clamp enables you to install the ball winder on any table that is thinner than 5cm.
Our Natural Mega Ball Winder is handcrafted to perfection. It is made out of natural birch wood and can wind up to 450g of 4Ply (fingering) weight yarn at a time. An anti-skid rubber pad prevents the winder from sliding and scratching the table.
Our colourful Signature Mega Ball Winder is made out of a combination of colourful laminated birch wood and natural birch wood and will make your craft room look both stylish and highly professional.
We would love to know what your preferred method is to wind up a hank of yarn? Please leave us a comment. If you have any questions regarding our swift or ball winder, please contact us either via direct message on Instagram or Facebook, or via email: knitproeu@gmail.com.
