Winding Hanks of Yarn

[IdleHands]

I went to the LYS today and bought a few hanks of yarn, which one of the shopkeepers wound into a ball for me. I normally shop at JoAnn's and Michaels so I don't know what is typical.

 

Is this normal of LYS's to do or is it a bonus for shopping at that store? If this is a perk of the LYS, should I invest in a ball winder for future purchases?

[losingmymind2]

If you plan to mail order skeins, you'll need a swift and ball winder but I have seen most upper level lys's do it around here (NJ). You won't get that at Michaels or A C Moore, but at the pricier ones they do it for you.

[CLLinda]

We had a lys in Woodstock that would wind the yarn into a ball for you as a little extra something special they did. It was very nice. And they did it for free. It blew my mind the first time. It was sad when they closed the shop after only two years or so in business.

 

The lys in Crystal lake won't do it for you. After the way I was treated in there, I won't go back. Sorry, just needed to vent.

 

The ball winding is a very nice service. It just makes you feel good that they took the extra time to do it for you.

 

[Momcrochets]

The lys I work at (which is closing after 17 years, thanks to competition from box stores, sadly) winds hanks into balls. We always offer. Some customers don't want to wait, or prefer to do it themselves...but most seem to really appreciate it.

[IdleHands]

I definitely appreciated the service, the only downside to the LYS I went to is the traffic is a bear after work heading that direction. Either I have to sneak out about a half hour early to beat the 5:00 traffic (my schedule is flexible), wait until traffic dies down a bit, or drive the extra distance from home on a Saturday.

 

I've thought of doing mail order but it depends on the prices and selection. Right now I'm drooling over the Lion Brand organic cotton. That would make a really nice sweater or shawl.

[Chrome Kitty]

There are a few small LYSs I frequent and only one of them even has a winder. Sadly, they never offer to wind for me and if I ask, the owner acts like I'm inconveniencing her. It's not like she has other customers to take care of, I'm usually the only one in there. I don't like shopping there because of this, but they have the biggest selection of Cascade so sometimes I have to. If you don't normally buy hanks, I wouldn't bother with a winder but if you do buy a lot of them it would definitely be worth it. I'm basing the value on one night of winding them by hand, trying to hold the loops apart with my feet as I wound it into a ball.

[RoseRed]

I feel really dumb here. What's an lys?

[Chrome Kitty]

I feel really dumb here. What's an lys?

 

LYS = Local Yarn Store:yarn

[CDBear]

My LYS does it as a free service.....they always ask, and it's a nice time to visit with her as she's winding.......

The owner was telling me about a couple of shops she had been to before she opened her own that would charge for the service. She thought that was just ridiculous, when it takes just a couple of minutes to do.

[IdleHands]

The shopkeeper had a table with her stitchnbitch group chatting when I came in. After ringing me up, she asked one of the ladies to relocate for a few minutes so she would have a spot to wind. I thought that was very considerate and worth a trip back if I'm ever in the area.

[RoseRed]

Thanx

[head2toepets2go]

I'm basing the value on one night of winding them by hand, trying to hold the loops apart with my feet as I wound it into a ball.

 

Of course, you can always put 2 kitchen chairs back-to-back and use that to hold the hank - then stand on one of the chairs to wind, it's easier on the arms that way. Just push the chairs further away from each other if the hank starts to get too loose.

 

Fran

[IdleHands]

Thanks for the ideas of the makeshift swifts. I just bought another hank of yarn from a different LYS who didn't wind it (I didn't ask either). Now I've got a few options as to how to make the job easier.

[hookdonU]

Ok I give up: What is LYS?

[CDBear]

Ok I give up: What is LYS?

 

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