It seems like more and more yarn is only available in skeins, rather than in balls. All well and good when you have access to a swift and ballwinder - either at a friendly neighbourhood shop - or at home.
If you don't, then the resource have been known to press a chair - or a friend, husband or small child -- into service to hold the yarn while you wind a ball. It's not impossible, but just tedious.
I was teaching a class recently, and I think I frightened a student of mine. She was prepping a skein to be wound. She untwisted it, took the label off, and proceeded to start to undo the little ties of yarn that keep it in a neat skein.
All before she'd put it on the swift.
I might have barked at her. (If I did, J., you know who you are - I apologize!)
I do know I dashed across the room to forcibly stop what she was doing.
Once, a long time, ago, I used to do that. Undo all the ties before I put it on the swift. But then, once, I dropped it as I was manoeuvering to get it on the swift. The thing hit the floor in one giant tangled mess.
Needless to say, I don't do that anymore.
So, J. - I hope you weren't offended. Please know that it's all about saving your sanity - and time. Whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, undo the ties and remove the label until the thing is safely on the swift.
Trust me, I know.
I have an umbrella swift just like the one in your photo. I do wonder, however, each time that I wind a skein, whether the yarn gets stretched at all in the winding process...and if so,whether I should grease my swift so that there is less resistance when turning. It is not "difficult" to turn by any means, but there is just more resistance using a swift than hand winding gently, the old-fashioned method. Wisehilda, do you have any comments about my concern?
ReplyDeleteI put slippery tape on my swift, Lee Valley sells it to be used on wood drawer bottoms.
ReplyDeleteI have knit directly from the skein for lace projects where I didn't want any joins. these projects are strictly done at home with the skein retwisted when I'm finished my knitting session.