How to Wind a Ball of Yarn by Hand
In the second of our mini series on yarn winding, we look at how to take your yarn from a skein into a ball ready to knit or crochet without any equipment at all. Perfect if you need to wind a ball of yarn on the go!
I love winding all my yarn by hand right at the start of a project as it gives me a chance to slow right down before I get into the technicalities of whatever I’m making, and to really look at and get to know the yarn that I’m about to work with.
As we discussed in our previous post, if you try to knit straight from a skein of yarn, you’ll probably end up in a horrible tangle, (or at the least have a very slow and frustrating knitting experience!). By winding a lovely centre-pull ball instead, you can enjoy your project without worrying about yarn management. Being able to knit from the centre of the ball also means that your yarn won’t roll around while you’re working and it gives you the option of holding yarn from the centre and the outside double, or even work on a different thing with each end (e.g. knitting two at a time socks or sleeves).
Open out your skein
Your skein of yarn has been formed by twisting and then folding a big loop back on itself, then pushing one end through the other to secure it. You need to push this end back through and open the skein out. You should then have a big loop of yarn that is secured in 2-4 places with ties (usually made from the same yarn)
Getting ready to wind
You will need to wind your ball of yarn from this loop. It will be much easier if you have something to place it over so that it doesn’t lose its shape or get twisted. This could be the back of a chair, a willing friend’s hands or your own legs (sitting on the floor works well here).
Once your yarn is in position, you can remove the ties that are securing it. You can do this by untying the knot by hand, or you can cut the ties with scissors. Try to cut as close to the knot as possible, and be careful not to cut any of the other strands of yarn.
Make sure that you have set aside the time to wind your yarn without interruption, as once you start it will be difficult to put it down midway.
Winding the ball
Step 1: Find one end of the yarn. If there’s one that’s more obviously on the outside of the loop then use that, but either will work. You’re going to wind from the inside out, keeping this end clear of the ball.
Step 2: Gripping onto the the end that you just found, start to wind the yarn around two of your fingers, or your thumb. Do this really loosely - it needs to be able to slip off easily and you don’t want to cut off the circulation in your fingers! Wind the yarn around 20-30 times.
Step 3: Slip the yarn off your fingers and turn it ninety degrees. Wind another 20-30 loops round, keep your fingers inside the loop to ensure that it’s not too tight.
Step 4: Repeat step 3, and then keep wrapping and turning as the ball grows. Make sure the end stays outside of the ball, and keep your thumb in the middle while you rotate around it.
Step 5: Once you reach the end of your yarn, loop the tail through the wraps that you’ve just formed to secure it, and you’re ready to knit from the end of yarn in the centre of the ball.
I highly recommend slowing down and winding your yarn by hand next time you start a new project. It’s a great way to connect with your materials, and if your ball winder ever breaks down you’ll know what to do!
Next time we’ll look at how to use a ball winder and yarn swift to quickly wind up cakes of yarn.
