How to Make a Ball of Yarn From a Skein
Wander through a yarn store, and you'll discover that yarn is "put up," or packaged in several different ways. Among these are sausage-shaped twists of yarn, called skeins or hanks. When you untwist these neat packages, the yarn is in a loose ring that you must wind into a ball before using. Don't avoid these twists, because it's easy to wind a center-pull ball from a skein.
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Instructions
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1
Remove any tags or labels from the skein and untwist it. The skeins are twisted for storage and transport to keep the strands of yarn together.
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2
Find where the skein is tied together with loops of yarn. There is at least one tie, but the skein may have several. Make sure that no yarn is crossed over any of the ties. If the skein is very twisted, put both hands inside the loop of yarn and quickly snap the skein by spreading your hands apart.
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3
Mount the skein on the swift. The swift keeps the yarn at tension so you can easily wind a ball. If you don't have a swift, use your knees, a partner's outstretched hands, a lampshade or the backs of two chairs.
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4
Snip the ties off the skein and find the ends.
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5
Make one small vertical cut along one edge of the cardboard toilet paper tube. Hold it in your non-dominant hand, with the cut at the bottom.
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6
Drop one end of the yarn inside the cardboard tube. Secure the end in the cut.
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7
Hold the tube horizontally and wind the yarn around the tube's center about 20 times.
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8
Hold the tube vertically and start to wind the yarn at an angle, over the first wraps. It should look like an X. At first, you may have to use your fingers to hold the yarn in place.
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9
Rotate the tube as you wind. Be consistent -- always rotate in the same direction.
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10
Keep winding and turning, creating a football-shaped ball. When you have a few feet left, hold the tube horizontally and wind the bits around the center of the ball.
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11
Remove the strand of yarn from the slit and slide the center-pull ball off the tube.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
