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Yarn balls, skeins, shanks....


Yarnmistress

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Okay, so although I have been crocheting since I was little , I am still not an expert on all things crochet/yarn, so you lovely ladies need to come in here and teach me a thing or two or three....

 

 

When you buy a skein of yarn, do you take it home and make it into a ball or do you leave it as is and just start crocheting? I have seen people winding the skeins into little balls. Is this common? the right way to do it? How do I learn to do this?

 

Also, what is the difference between a shank and a skein. Weight? Size? Are shanks the ones that are twisted in the long form or are they the braided ones?

 

What is the difference between worsted weight/sport weight/bulky/crisp.... so many yarns so little time....

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A hank is the braided looking one. This, when untwisted is like a big circle. You could use a swift or, as I do, sit with my knes bent, wrap yarn around my knees and wind with my hands. This has to be wound or it gets too tangled. This is what you see in some old movies that has (usually a man) with his hands up and yarn around it as the woman winds it.

 

I always wind my skeins into a ball in case there are knots, kinks, etc. I also wind the balls (Fun Fur, etc, just in case also)

 

I am going to try to get a ball winder after the holidays so I don't have to do it by hand, although some days it's very relaxing for me.

 

Hope this helped

 

Deneen

http://www.deneens.blogspot.com

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Here is a link to a site with a yarn chart. It shows the differences between the yarns.

 

I don't usually wind my skeins into a ball, though the main reason for that is that most of my yarn is acrylic worsted weight, good old Red Heart Super Saver. Normally the center pull works and I don't have much problem with it. The other yarns I use I will wind into a ball if it seems necessary, but not always. Sometimes I'll put the skein (not a center pull) into a large ziploc bag with a hole in the bottom, pull the yarn through and close the bag. The yarn can unwind itself inside without getting tangled. However, some yarns resist such treatment and still have to be wound. And yes, I want a ball winder too. :)h :fc

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i *heart* my ball winder.. because i work off the cone so much ...

 

i dont usually wind anything that is in a center pull skein into a ball but i do my hanks.. and I do off the cone.. sometimes I will in a skein if I want to hold two tegether ... I will wind them together especially if i am taking them as a project when travelling etc.. just makes it easier to manage one ball...

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I know they have some on EBAY <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/ha.gif" /> but i'm sure they carry them in craft stores as well (i have not noticed them at walmart, but then again i haven't been looking either)

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I have used my ball winder to wind off the cone for thin chenelle yarn. When I start using the yarn it is very twisted and difficult to use.

 

What am I doing wrong? Is there a way to wind it on the winder so that it does not become so twisted in the process?

 

Barbara

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