Let Me Get This Straight....Thread Winders

[laurastar0962]

I could take a skien of yarn, wind it and it will be smaller and fit in a smaller space? and be easier to use? What is the saving ie: one skien takes up the same spaces as say 2 or is it thee cakes? This will make it a must have if I can really reduce my space, and have more room for extra yarn!!! Does the Texture matter for the yarn?

 

Laura

[theworm]

I can't give you specifics about size and space, but I ordered one yesterday from Joanns. They have a 50% off coupon. My understanding is that it will wind the skein into a smaller ball to take up less room. Also the balls or "cakes" are supposedly stackable, which would make things for me much neater! Mostly, I think it will eliminate a lot of the tangles and mess I can have when working with a skein.

[tiggerhale]

I would say that that's true. I have a ball winder and I love it! I usually try to use the skein as is and then wind when it gets smaller as my winder is not quite big enough to wind a whole skein. It's also easier to judge how much yarn I have left when it's wound that way. I had not thought of stacking them but that makes sense - they are less messy than 1/2 used skeins. I also find them easier to use than skeins.

[losingmymind2]

YES! You have more room for more yarn this way. Don't wind the skeins too tightly, or the yarn will stretch out; but you can easily rewind partially used skeins to take up even less room! I use wide rubber bands to hold the original wrapper on the cake, or sometimes roll them up and stuff inside until I'm ready to use it.

[ErinLindsey]

I just got a yarn winder. I was able to use it to make all my scrap balls of yarn that would roll all over the place and tangle, into nice neat little stackable "cakes" of yarn.

 

I wish I had taken a before picture, but this is the after picture. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/ErinLindsey/more%20crochet%20pictures/P7292701.jpg

 

Before that, the cabinet was so full that if I opened the door, everything would leap out at me. The Rubbermaid tote could barely close, and the two plastic zipper bags were bulging out. I also had so much yarn that it wouldnt fit into all of those containers. It was everywhere. (most of it scrap)

 

I ended up putting all the brand new skeins in the Rubbermaid tote, and filled the cabinet with cakes of yarn, and when I ran out of room there, I filled up the large zipper tote. I actually had space left over with the smaller zipper tote (it was empty still), so I put my works-in-progress in that one.

 

I still have to organize a few more things, but it really helped me to get all that yarn corraled into nice easy to handle yarncakes. I love my yarn winder! ($50 at the local yarn store, but I've seen them cheaper online)

 

This is the winder I have http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/ErinLindsey/more%20crochet%20pictures/P7252693.jpg (ignore the ugly Amineko that's hugging it...he was my first sorta successful amigurumi)