Ball Winder!
No, "ball winder!" is not an expletive, although upon reflection, it could work as one. I'll try it later.
A couple of questions arose at last Thursday's gathering of the Library Knitters. Briefly we discussed whether to start a new ball or skein of wool from the outside edge of the ball or by digging the starter end from the center of the skein. You will seldom run into trouble by starting with the outside end; although you may want to put the ball into a basket or yarn bowl to prevent it from dancing across the floor as you knit. A ball of yarn that has been started from the center tends to stay put a little better.
I habitually dig deep into the center of my skeins of yarn and dig for the center starter end of the yarn. Mostly I'm pretty successful but occaisonally and as recently as last Saturday this happened:
If you keep messing with it thinking you can recover (and I did) this can happen:
BALLWINDER! (see it kind of works doesn't it?)
A Very Brief and Rudimentary Lesson About Balls, Skeins and Hanks.
Yarn is most commonly sold in balls, skeins and hanks. The reason for the different format I suspect is due to the machinery used by the various manufacturers. I've also read that how it's wound may affect shipping costs (more balls fit into a box than hanks or vice versa) but I'm not convinced on that score. The physical difference is most easily explained with a bit of photography. The left half of the split image below shows a ball and a skein of yarn. The ball of yarn is shaped like a ball - easy peasey no trouble there. A skein is shaped like an oblong ball, so far so good.
The right half of the split image above shows a hank of yarn. A hank is shaped like a twisted knot and it is in fact, a twisted loop of yarn. Where confusion sometimes enters the game is that hanks of yarn are often referred to as skeins as of yarn. I've even read that "a skein of yarn is wound into a hank". (sigh).
Remain undaunted by the word discrepancy. We are a knitters and knitters are accomplished multi-taskers and as such are perfectly capable of using skein and hank inter-changeably as long as the yarn is in front of us. Where it becomes tricky is when we are ordering by phone or online without a photograph. It is extremely frustrating to receive a hank of yarn in the mail when one is expecting a skein. Why? Because a skein, like a ball, can be knit as soon as the wrapper comes off. A hank on the other hand requires...an other hand, hands, or a ball winder!
So why purchase a hank of yarn if you can't just jump right in and start knitting? Theories abound about why some yarns come in hanks and not balls or skeins. The theories I've bumped into most often in my reading and internet travels revolve around production by smaller and specialty producers who tend to create hanks of yarn. Also there is a theory that yarn wrapped in a hank is stretched less and crimped less than yarn that is wound into a ball. There may well be some truth there. Speaking anecdotally and strictlly as a layperson, I've found that the more expensive the yarn the more likely it is to be wound into hanks (of course there are exceptions all over the place). Some of my favourite yarns come in hanks.
Regardless of the format most of us have wrapped or re-wrapped a ball of wool by hand. The more clever of us have convinced someone else to do it for us. No those are not my hairy knuckles in the photograph.
Trouble begins when we purchase a hank of yarn. When you untwist that hank it looks like this. Suddenly your own hands aren't enough, you need 4 hands (if you are really good 2 of them don't have to be your own, they can belong to your friend, Lou).
If you haven't got a second pair of hands (or a friend named Lou you can coerce into a photo) you can become rather desperate and find yourself resorting to all sorts of questionable alternatives for holding your yarn (yes that is my barbeque - I did say the alternatives were both questionable and desperate).
Limited success with the above can lead you to one of those "Ah-Ha!" moments and you realize you need a living being to hold the skein while you wind the ball.
Okay, not any living being.
All this leads us back to extra hands or a couple of devices that will literally have you and your family members weeping for joy. The answer to the solo ball wind is the the ball winder and the swift.
Go ahead, say it, you know you want to.
BALL WINDER!
Hope to see you at the Prince Rupert Library on February 16th for the next meeting of the Library Knitters.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Let the games begin!
The Prince Rupert Library Knitters will be meeting twice (or so), monthly starting Thursday Feb. 9, 2012. I started this blog to give new knitters a tip or two to make the journey into sticks and string slightly less tangled. I also hope to amuse or inspire experienced knitters who decide to join us.
Every thing we do whether it's working, playing, breathing or crafting creates a few "ah-ha!!" moments. Some folks have a few more "ah-ha!s" than others, which may or may not be related to the number of candles burning in their personal attics. On the other hand some folks probably need more ah-ha's or maybe they are easier to ah-ha than others, but as usual, I digress.
About Me (whether you want it or not)
I learned to knit when I was about six years old. My grandmother taught me the garter stitch during the half time break of Edmonton Eskimo football games. Well, sometimes we'd knit and sometimes we'd gamble, but that's a story for another time. Mostly she'd cast on a few stitches and I'd knit them until the yarn was so tight it wouldn't slide from one needle to another. I did the obligatory garter stitch square for my knitting badge in Brownies too. Actually that part was hell. I was knitting because I had to, not because I particularly wanted to. There's probably a story there as well. Back to the point which is I started at six years old and I've been knitting on and off (mostly on) for 45 years, so that would make me...an experienced knitter (or 7.5 in dog years).
Enough about me, in fact way too much about me. Let's talk knitting.
What you need to get started is a pair of knitting needles almost any size - well not any size, they need to be the same size. They should be 4mm (size 6 US) or larger, but probably best not to go larger than 8mm (11 US). If you're a "Just tell me what the heck to get!" kind of person then try to find a pair of 5mm needles (8 US). If you'd looking for the finer points (no pun intended) of knitting needles, rest assured I will be expounding upon the the topic until your eyes bleed in futue blogs. In the meantime, just get a pair of knitting needles.
So where in Prince Rupert does one look for knitting needles? Down the sides of your couch is a good place to start, but other than that and mugging a crafty friend or relative we are somewhat knitting supply challenged. Take a look at Zellers, The Dollar Store or the Salvation Army Thrift Store. If you can't find what you want, don't fret, just show up Thursday and I'll have knitting needles to get you started.
Wool gathering. Unless you have sheep in your back yard (or a fluffy dog or cat), you may want to hold off on purchasing yarn until we talk on Thursday. If you must shop, look for yarn that feels nice in your hands, doesn't split easily and works with your needle size...but before you go fondling balls (of yarn) in the aisles of Zellers, know that I have enough worsted weight yarn to get a small army knitting and I'm happy to share.
For those of you who want to start actual knitting right now, there are a bajillion (okay half that many) websites and youtube videos on how to knit - just type "how to knit" in your search engine and take your pick. There are also some great books and magazines at the Prince Rupert Library, so dust off your library card and I'll help you get started.
If you already knit and have stumbled or tangled yourself in a stalled project. Bring it along and I'll do my best to get you back on track (or I'll help you put the project out of your misery, whichever works best for you).
My main objective for the Library Knitters is to create a fun and relaxing evening of knitting. If it's not fun and relaxing it must be Christmas and we have 329 days before we need to go in that direction.
If you've got a question or 2 feel free to post it here or call me at the Prince Rupert Library and I'll be happy to help you out. All knitters of all skill levels are more than welcome!
See you Thursday at 7:00 pm in the Library's multi-purpose room.
Leah