To roll or not to roll.

[They Call Me Bean]

O.K. I know I'm 'new' but after reading quite a few posts here, I want to know.. Do you roll your yarn into a ball off of the skein, or just work straight from the skein? Apparently, A lot of people think it is silly to ball your yarn since most yarns are 'pull skeins'. Now, when I started practicing and doing swatches, I was working from the skein, and I hated it! So now I ball everything. It fits better in my tote, I can tell if there are knots or breaks halfway through before I get started, When I frog, which is often, I can just roll it back up and it still looks pretty sitting in my tote, and last but but least, we've all had that one stubborn 'pull skein' that about three foot in ended up in a huge rats nest!!! Anyway, I guess I'm just curious to see if I am the oddball, lol.

[losingmymind2]

I have a ball winder and love it! Like you, I need to know if there are 'bad spots' in the yarn, before I get to them. And the 'cakes' of yarn look so pretty, and store much more easily.

[kisha29]

i may be one of the few that doesn't ball. I leave it in the skein and just go from there.

[jessc031778]

Generally, I just work from the skeins and deal with tangles as they happen...that being said, I am currently working on a couple of chart patterns, which is a new expierence for me, and using yarn bobbins (think little balls of yarn LOL) and really enjoying how easy it is to move the pieces around....so I can see it from both sides LOL!!

 

Jessie

[TamKing]

At the moment I use the pull skeins as they come, but only because I don't have a ball winder - yet! It's on my wish list. I can't wind them by hand because my hand that I hold the ball with will cramp up.

If the yarn comes in a hank I will wind it.

[smokeyp81]

I use the yarn straight from the skein unless it's wound in a hank....then I use my winder. If I have only used about half the skein for a project, I will wind it into a cake then, just because I don't like those "floppy" half skeins, they always get tangled!

[Daisy]

Sometimes I ball, but most of the time I just use it from the skein. It's all in personal preference. I'd rather have it in a ball, but I don't have a yarn winder.

[theworm]

I use the yarn from the skein and most of the time its ok, but sometimes it pulls out in a mess, or I end up with a mess at the end. I want to invest in a winder. I think it would be easier to work with and to store. Balling the yarn by hand though is way too much work.

[KateCrochets]

I'm with Heather!

I use the yarn straight from the skein unless it's wound in a hank....then I use my winder. If I have only used about half the skein for a project, I will wind it into a cake then, just because I don't like those "floppy" half skeins, they always get tangled!

 

When I'm working on an afghan that I know is going to take the whole skein, and I know I'm not going to travel too much with it, I just pull from the middle and go!

 

I get frustrated with the "3 foot in tangle bed" myself, as well as those center pull skeins that don't have an easy to find end (Wool-Ease, I'm looking right at you); what I generally do is stick my fingers inside, pinch a snarl (before I even start) and pull out the guts. It generally tangles less when it isn't "squished" inside, and if it does tangle a bit, it's easy to fix.

 

Plus, with center pull skeins I know I am using the yarn in the right direction. (Well, generally. Sometimes they ball them wrong, and I have to reball them, then)

 

On a related note, I just hand wound my own center pull ball/cake last night for the first time (end of a WoolEase ball; I was done with the color). Woohoo!

[dewbaby00]

I generally work from the middle of a skien specially if it's a double stranded project. unless I frog then I end up making a ball.

[Midds]

Me personally, I work right from the skein. I figure if they can take excess work off me, I'm all for it. The pull skeins I think are great and balling to me just seems like extra work.

[luvmnms]

I think it's a personal preference thing.

I am a "pull from the skein" crocheter. I just think it's a waste of crochet time rolling the yarn into a ball, when I could actually be working on the project.

BUT on the other hand I have a friend who is a "ball winder". When she winds the ball she starts from the outside of the skein which seems like a lot of work, but that is her choice. She knits blankets, usually with two different colors, and if she has to "frog" it (is that still the correct term if you are a knitter?) then she winds both colors together into one ball.

[chichiwawa]

It depends. If my hubby is feeling generous (meaning there's no sports on) then he will ball up yarn for me. The rest of the time I pull from the skein. Though I have been known to cry mid-way thru the skein, "Why didn't I just ball this up?"

[ChayaSar]

I work from the skein, was told that balling it can effect the integrity of the yarn... apparently that is a mins-nomer as so many of you ball the yarn.... when I frog I just wrap it around the outside of the skein and when I come to the end of the frogged part I'm right back to working from the center again!

[Mermaiden]

I didn't know what to do with a hank when I got my first on, so I just hung it up on a hook or etc. and it was incredibly easy to work with. I have since used a few hanks this way successfully unballed, and see no reason to get a winder just for the few hanks. Usually it all seems to come in the convenient middle-pull skeins, even if you have to pull out a big chunk to get to the middle to find the end. As for balls that don't center-pull, well, my "Yarn Tainer" (kool-aid gallon pitcher) works quite well.

[MBT]

My daughter loves to fool around with the ball winder, so everything here gets put into balls!

[lisaekh]

I work from the skein unless it is something that I frogged and rolled back into a ball

 

Lisa

[Debbi-a1]

I work from the center, I prefer to use my time to crochet then wind yarn... unless I have to frog it.

[lhasaapsolady]

The only time I ball my yarn is if I am doing a graph pattern, the rest of the times its just pull for me

[Sylviaf]

I work from the skein as long as I can get it to work. (Sometimes it's just impossible to find the center.)

[JCB]

I work from the skein as long as I can get it to work. (Sometimes it's just impossible to find the center.)

 

Yup... that drives me nuts! You fish around trying to fiind the end, and wind up with a big clump of yarn hanging out... and then what???

 

I have given up fighting with my yarn. I simply crochet from the outside of the skein.

 

I just purchased a yarn winder (I already had a yarn swift) and I'm trying to get used to it. I use a lot of 100% wool, and hand-died yarns, with usually come in hanks. Seems like every so often, if I slack off on the speed even a little, the yarn winds up around the bottom of the winder, in the gears. Total pain... maybe I'm doing something wrong?

 

Joan

[Shelleden]

Straight-from-the-skein-girl here! Only time I wind it into a ball is if it comes in a hank.

[donnalynn2]

I work from the skein, was told that balling it can effect the integrity of the yarn... apparently that is a mins-nomer as so many of you ball the yarn.... when I frog I just wrap it around the outside of the skein and when I come to the end of the frogged part I'm right back to working from the center again!

 

I have heard the same thing. My mom used to sit down before crocheting and I would help her roll her yarn into balls. My aunt carolyn told me that it's not good to do that. From what I understand with regular old WW yarn it's not a big deal, but if you're working with other yarns it's like working against the grain in wood. You need to work the yarn the way it was spun and if you do it backwards your finished project may not turn out well. Not to mention that when you hand roll a ball of yarn, you stretch the yarn out which isn't good for your finished project either.

 

 

I usually only wind into a ball if I have had to frog or if I'm working on a graph. I can definately tell I'm working the opposite end of the yarn when I do that though.

[JCB]

Not to mention that when you hand roll a ball of yarn, you stretch the yarn out which isn't good for your finished project either.

 

For that reason, I was taught that when you ball up the yarn, you should hold the ball so the wound part goes over a finger. That takes the tension off it and prevents the yarn stretching.

 

Joan

[theworm]

Thanks to all of you, I ordered a winder last night!!! Joann's has 2. The cheaper one got mixed reviews. The more expensive one is $49.99, BUT they have a coupon good for the next few days for 50% off. For $25 it was worth it for me. Plus I had a gift card from my hubby, so it was FREE (for me - he paid for it. )