Yarn ball

I am anxious to get knitting again. It has been far too long since I knit for any length of time.

Yesterday, I wanted to use my yarn ball winder, so I could make a yarn “cake” instead of winding a ball of the yarn by hand. I found the winder, and could not for the life of me, remember how to use it correctly. The way I had it set up, it kept trying to wind the lead yarn onto itself. Confusing, I know. YouTube, help me!

This is what a cake of yarn looks like when you use a yarn winder.
On the left is a yarn “swift”, and the right, is the same yarn ball winder that I use. My swift is a cheap Chinese plastic, but it works.

Once I found the video, it all came rushing back to me; just what I needed to do to get the inedible cake I wanted. It takes about five minutes to cake a couple of skeins of yarn; not much time at all. That, versus twenty minutes, balling it by hand! Yuck.

For those of you that do not knit, skeins are the way most yarn, found in hobby stores, in the hobby section of a store, and, even, online, sell their yarn. The yarn is wound by the manufacturer shaped like a peanut within its shell. Most people that knit, and/or crochet, like to pull the yarn strand, to use in their project, from the middle, or inside of the yarn skein. To say that it is, most often, difficult to find that illusive little devil, is an understatement, as I believe most will agree.

A skein of natural wool and alpaca yarn.

To take that skein, and wind it into a cake, makes it sooo much easier to use. It still takes however long to find that beginning strand from inside the skein, but what you end up with, is a nice, tidy, much smaller yarn ball, with which to work.

The yarn swift, is to use, usually, in conjunction with the ball winder. The yarn starts out in, what is called, a “hank”. A hank of yarn, is, very often, not always however, yarn that is made from natural fibers; wool, cashmere, silk, cotton, hemp, and the like.

These are hanks of yarn, and can be used as is, which is ridiculous imho, but, to each their own.

The hank, released from its ties, opens into a loop of all of the strands of yarn, and is placed onto the swift, passed through the winder, and a cake is made. It sounds more difficult than it is. Plus, whatever “inconvenience” might be associated with this adventure, it is very much worth every minute.

I am getting more involved, again, with my knitting, and, these are the two things on which I am currently working. The first is a baby blanket for Lizbeth’s baby, due in March, and the second, is my lifelong project, my shawl.

I plan to intersperse a couple of pairs of socks, a scarf, and some fingerless gloves whilst I am at it, just to keep myself from an episode of ennui. I loathe ennui. (But I adore the word).

I am going to go take a nap as I have been two days with a head full of mocos (mucus, ok, snot). I slept fairly well last night, after a Benadryl, and some Tylenol. No fever, just body aches, and stuffed up sinuses. Should be gone in another day, or so. Natural immunity. Gotta love it.

All of you, however, need to stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones. See you tomorrow, or the next day.