What do you call a hank, ball or skein?

[laughlovehook]

Right now my thing is listening to Kelley Petkun on the Knit Picks podcasts. The last 2 days I have listened to 17 of them. Mostly I have listened while knitting my socks. But tonight I was listening while doing the dishes. Anyways, one of the episodes made me think... scary I know.

 

Kelley talks about the differences between hanks, balls and skeins. And the way she describes skeins is completely different from what I think of as a skein.

 

I don't have my mp3 player by me, so I'll try to describe her terms by memory. Again I'm talking about Knit Picks Podcast episode 17

 

A skein is the equivalent of taking yarn and wrapping it around your hand and down to your elbow until almost used up. Then fastening it off in 2 places to keep it together.

 

A hank is similar to the skein but not tied and as the twist to it.

 

A ball is what you can work from right off the shelf. Can be center pull or outside pull. She also talks about doughnut balls, which are like circles of yarn, mainly for very delicate threads.

 

Here are some pictures along with Kelley's term for them.

 

1. This is a BALL

 

 

2. This is a dough-nut ball

 

3. This is a skein

 

4. This is a hank

 

 

So I'd really like to know what you call each of these. Is it a knitting thing or am I just missing something?

[laughlovehook]

I think of #1 as a skein. And a ball is something that is wound by hand when there is just a bit left of a skein.

 

A hank to me is the twisted 'thing'.

 

And a cake, as something you get with a winder.

[MaryPat]

I think the manufacturer's have pre-empted the terms, so if there are any purists among us using the right terms, no one will know what is meant. Popularly, a skein is anything pre-wound that you can use right off. A hank is for expensive or hand made yarns and before you use them you're going to have to wind them into a ball.

[JessR]

I've always just called them skeins, unless I rolled them into a ball myself, in which case it's just a ball to me. I'd never even heard the term "hank" until I came here

[snugsmontreal]

ok for me #1 is a skein, #2 is a ball and #3 and 4 are hanks, one twisted and folded over the other just folded in half. there is also a cake as mentioned before which is what you get from a ball winder

[disneypal]

I also think of #1 as a skein, #2 is harder to tell but looks more like a skein to me also. #3 and #4, I would call hanks (I've really don't see many like #3 though).

 

A ball is something you either wind by hand and make into a round ball but I also consider those wound at by a ball winder a ball, I've never heard of them referred to as a cake

[Cherokee2]

Wow, you learn something new every day!

[Dare2BDifferent]

I agree with Snugs. Although, I do think anything 50 grams or smaller is a ball. I'm sorry, but if it's that little bit of yarn, it's not going to make much of anything by itself. Of course, I still use RHSS Jumbo skeins and those are big HONKIN' skeins!!! lol

[Real Deal]

#4 is a hank, #3 just looks folded, and the other 2, I would call skeins.

 

A ball is what you wind up by hand from your leftovers.

 

Also a ball is the fat, squat cylinders a lot of threads are wound on. For example #10 is always done this way, and everyone calls them balls of thread.

[Becky619]

I have always just called them "things" of yarn

[HappyOldCro]

A Skein is a store bought bundle with a tag or wrapper.

A Ball is something you wound up by hand

A Cake is something you wind with a tool

A Hank is a twisted length of yarn, usually off of someone's hands or a chair back or wooden rack.

I consider a hank the same as a skein, and a ball the same as a cake.

[Mermaiden]

To me, a skein is typically anything I can center-pull.

 

A hank is just as you show there, it's something that's usually a pain to work with until you wind it into a ball. Unless you hang it off of your desk lamp at work. And then it's still kinda a hassle.

 

And a ball, well, usually whatever's visually round. Whether it's hand-balled (aka cake) or if it comes in a ball like your dough-nut there.

 

The #1 there I can't really settle on if it's a skein or a ball.

[PBLKNP]

Doesn't matter what they call them...they're addictive substances. They should have little warning labels -- "Use Responsibly" or something like that. <LOL>

[Miss Crochet]

I agree with the OP's descriptions. #1 is what I would call a ball of wool.

[Knit Happens]

the first is a skein, the second is a ball, the third is a hank and the last is fresh mozzarella

[Cliffnote]

When I hear ball I think of something wound by hand into a literal ball, The hank I agree with,never heard of the donut ball but sounds good to me and what I call a skein would be like #1. something like red heart and what not. Interesting though what she calles them..

 

Kim