Monday, February 22, 2021

Are you a skein, ball or cake person?


 
 
Working with yarn for more than a decade, I can plainly say that I am a sworn skein person. I love yarn weaved in skeins, regardless of the weight. Why, you may ask? (Bullet) skeins are machine made balls that are not round as balls, but are ready to be used, you just need to find the center. They do not collapse like pull skeins, and due to their shape, they are a breeze to stack on your shelf. 
 
 When you work with bullet skeins, reach for the end in the center of the skein. Sometimes it comes easy....
 
...other times, the skein will give birth to a baby skein, but it is still easy to find the end there with the baby. These skeins do not roll around as balls do.
 
When we talk about balls, well they are mostly hand-wound from hanks. Rarely sold by companies. They are almost impossible to store - you'll have to put them in a box, basket or other container, and you'll certainly need one of those yarn bowls to put them into, so that the ball doesn't go on an adventure in your room, while you are crocheting or knitting.
 

Then there are these balls  that got the name donut balls. Once label is removed, small weight donuts lose their shape and might collapse. With these it is a good idea to pull the end from the middle to work, but as you near the end of the ball, the yarn will turn into a Hankenskein :)
 And, yes, you'll need one of those yarn-holding bowls too.

 
How about cakes? They are made by winding hanked yarn onto a ball-winder, which I am the owner of one, and with cakes I believe the same applies as for the donut balls. 

Cones and hard core balls (they have a strong cardboard core) are not my favourite to buy and I do so only on occasions when I cannot resist a color or texture.
Cones are good because they come in great yardages, so they are perfect if you are working on a big project where you don't like to have lots of knots by joining skeins. 
With these, you either need to make them into balls, or have them in a container, so they don't roll around. 

 
Finally, my arch-nemesis! The HANK!
Well, these little buggers hate my guts. Don't be deluded  by their vibrant colors, softness or luxurious looks! They will.make.your.life.a.misery! I've made that mistake, and have spent many nights at the end of my wits and tears pooling in my eyes out of frustration. All jokes aside, if you don't have a hank winder, hand-winding these into a cake or a ball is a long, tiring and messy process.


Well, this is the end of my ramblings. Let me hear from you. What kind of yarn rolls do you prefer working with?

18 comments:

Sheltie Times said...

I find they all have their challenges. I like working from skeins but at some point they end up in balls as the skein collapses or starts to tangle.

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

Definitely a ball!! If I crochet from the skein, after a certain point the yarn gets hung up and I have to cut it. Tried winding into a cake but after a certain point the cake falls apart and gets tangled. So, yes rolling into a ball before crocheting is the best for me!!

Maya Kuzman said...

That's true. For me, the skein is the lesser trouble-maker :)

Maya Kuzman said...

True about cakes. One way or another, when the skein gets smaller, it has to be rolled around in a ball :)

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

I enjoyed reading this blog post Maya. I like working with a skein of yarn and then towards the end of the skein I make it into a ball of yarn.

Kim said...

As a knitter I rather love a 'ball of wool'. Such a fun post, Maya. I really have never considered the whys and why nots of the form of the wool I purchase. If it's the right colour, I just buy it. I know...a thoroughly shallow gal, that I am.

Maya Kuzman said...

Oh, Kim, please don't think that I am different. This weekend I bought a kilo if hank (the teracotta one in the pictures), because I liked the color and it was just the right weight for a lace cardigan I plan to make.

Lisa said...

I make all my yarn into a ball and us a yarn bowl. It makes a good flow. If I leave it on a skein, I am always pulling a tugging at it.
Lisa

Bella said...

I usually work with balls of yarn. For me they are tidier. I also like skeins, but there comes a point where I have to roll them into a ball because they get all tangled up. xoxo

Maya Kuzman said...

I want to buy myself one of those ute little bowls, but then I think of all the clay I have and always hope one day I'll find time to make myself one. Still hopeful :) Until then, I'll be chasing my balls around :)

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you for sharing Bella!

Marie-Interior Frugalista said...

I'm a skeiner too but when my daughter showed me her yarn bowl, I became a baller. (sounds dirty LOL)

Maya Kuzman said...

Hahaha... Not at all Marie!

Sew Crafty Crochet said...

I like skeins as long as I can find the center pull. Once the skein starts to get messy, I wind it into a ball by hand. I have a yarn winder, but I hate that thing. lol

Maya Kuzman said...

I do the same T'onna. I cannot wind the hank right onto the yarn winder, so I first hand roll it into a ball, then I use the winder to make the ball into a cake. I don't hate it because it is fast and makes really tight cakes, but it is a long and tiring process.

My thrift store addiction said...

So many pretty colors and textures! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

Lydia from Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen said...

I like pulling from a center pull ball or hank. Second favorite is to roll my own ball.

I don't have a winder or a swift so when I buy a hank or a set of hanks it has to be for an extra special project. Fortunately I have an old chair that accommodates an opened hank and makes it easier to roll it into a ball.

You're right about the storage challenges, though!

Thanks for linking up to Creatively Crafty #ccbg :)

Maya Kuzman said...

Oo, if my chair could tell stories, Lydia:)
My gran didn't have a winder either, but she used grandpa as one, lol! That sweet man could sit there for hours,yarn strewn on both his arms, patiently waiting and helping her handwind her balls of yarn.