by [1] Dee

Last weekend I witnessed a particularly brutal attack of the skein. The yarn had been wound using a swift and ball winder into a tight pull skein. As the yarn end was pulled from the center the brutality began, a tangled mess of fiber emerged from the center causing mayhem and with efforts like that of Zigfield and Roy, a rather lengthy taming of the skein ensued thus delaying prime knitting time. We simply cannot let these skeins get the better of us.

I witnessed my first attack at a knitting retreat in 2002. A woman had bought a hank of yarn and attempted to wind it with the aid of a friend acting as the swift only to have the hank of yarn fall through the fingers of the friend as the woman was winding the ball. Several hours later and with a few strategic snips of the scissors, the mess of the entanglement was tamed but the spirit of the knitter was broken.

Personally I have only suffered one such attack and it was so swift and brutal that it left me scarred. I had to purchase a swift and ball winder before I could go near another hank without beads of sweat appearing on my forehead.

Placing the skein around the arms of a swift takes a little practice but it is not a difficult task. Please do yourself a favor and do not remove any strings or ties until the skein is securely positioned in the arms of the swift. Next make sure the yarn is not twisted and pull an outer end and use it to thread the ball winder and secure the end in the groove in the center piece. In this instance turning the crank quickly is not the best course of action. Be sure to use a consistent and even manner at a slow to medium speed as you crank the end. This will allow the yarn to wind smoothly and create a spongy and soft skein. Winding too quickly will create a tight skein and the yarn will be stretched and stressed making it difficult to pull from the center. Before removing the skein from the winder I suggest that the outer end be wound around the skein and tucked in. Also place your thumb under the end that was secured in the groove and lift it up as you gently remove the skein from the winder.

*Note when winding most yarns the winder should spin around like a merry-go-round but if you are winding silky yarns like rayon ribbon types the swift must be positioned like a Ferris wheel to avoid any tangling and misbehaving on the part of the yarn.

Lastly I have a suggestion about yarn usage and taming the skein. A foundation support is a necessity for ample breasted women and the same applies to skeins of yarn, you must place a bra on your yarn and it will offer it support as the yarn is knit thus taming the skein. You can easily make your own yarn bra but purchasing a small sized scrubby puff from the drugstore or bath shop. Cut the center rope and the puff will unravel then you simply cut the netting into 10”-12” lengths and begun supporting those unruly skeins. I have also used the netting from produce such as fruits and vegetables that I have bought at Trader Joes.

For balls of yarn like all those slippery railroad ribbon yarns I often pop the ball into a Ziploc bag and let the yarn unwind contained at my side.

One final word, sometimes despite all our best efforts when we pull from the center of the skein it may purge itself and spit out a bit of “yarn vomit”. This small amount of regurgitation is harmless in the scheme of things. This amount of disgorged matter can be knit up quickly in the first few rows leaving you with a tame and secure skein to knit with.

Happy and safe knitting to you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deanna prefers that you call her Dee. She knits too much, cleans too little, [2] blogs a bit and lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two teenage sons and two adorable westies. She is organizing the second and now annual Heartland Knitting Retreat this December 2006 details at [3] www.kneatles.com