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fiddlerbird555
Permanent Resident
USA
1429 Posts |
 Posted - 02/07/2008 : 7:54:14 PM
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Does ANYBODY else here wind balls by hand?
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I can go loopy, or I can knit. Your choice. |
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NaProus
Permanent Resident
1828 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2008 : 8:01:42 PM
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When I have to... But I have to admit it's not my favorite activity.
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L ouisa A. B urnham, author of author of So Great a Light, So Great a Smoke: The Beguin Heretics of Languedoc (Cornell University Press, 2008).
Knitting Pics at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16503167@N08/ |
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purlthis
Permanent Resident
USA
2715 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2008 : 8:07:39 PM
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I have a ball winder, but sometimes, if I'm out, and the yarn is getting all gross and gloppy, or I'm finished with the project while out, I'll wind it up. It's not a big deal so long as it's less than a skein of anything dk and above for me!
Rachel
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As I get older, I prefer to knit. Tracey Ullman
http://purledthis.blogspot.com/ UPDATED! WITH PICS! |
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socker
Chatty Knitter
258 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2008 : 8:09:04 PM
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| I don't hand wind every yarn, but, many of them I do. Into a nice neat compact center pull ball, that stays in place as I knit. |
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Audi
Chatty Knitter
106 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2008 : 9:31:50 PM
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I still wind by hand. I've gone looking for a ball winder but can't seem to justify spending the money on one that will more then likely end up being a 'gaget' that I won't use, and my only real reason for even considering it is because of the runaway ball aspect. Besides I figure if I keep winding by hand I'll never have to worry about where I put my 'darn hands this time'.
Honestly I find taking the time to hand wind the ball enjoyable and kinda relaxing. And as odd as it may sound, I get a little thrill as I watch the skein get smaller and disappear as the ball gets bigger LOL.
Audi |
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bfaye
Seriously Hooked
USA
721 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2008 : 9:38:57 PM
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I have two ball-winders, one small one and another for winding balls from very large skeins. I usually use a ball-winder but if the yarn is delicate, laceweight, ribbon, etc, I wind by hand. I also wind very bulky yarns by hand since they are usually short yardage skeins. There is a certain pleasurable rhythm in handwinding a ball of yarn and a nice time to think about what it will be when knitted or crocheted.
benne
http://feathersong.wordpress.com |
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Mickey
Permanent Resident
USA
1670 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2008 : 10:09:14 PM
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| I never even considered wasting money on a silly gadget for something I enjoy doing manually. |
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Ditzy Girl
Permanent Resident
USA
4712 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 12:07:58 AM
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I do I find it relaxing.
Zola, Seattle, Wash.
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Jane
SustaYning Member
USA
4293 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 04:12:20 AM
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I prefer using my ball winder but I wind by hand when it's needed. It's not a gadget to me -- it's a useful tool, just like my needles are tools, and it makes my knitting time more pleasant!
Jane
Blog: Not Plain Jane
Photos: My Flickr Album
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cableready
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 05:07:09 AM
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I used to wind by hand - using the center tube from a roll of toilet paper to make center pull balls. This works fine.
However, since I've had my swift and ball winder I haven't wound by hand. I really love the "team" and don't consider them gadgets.
Maybe they are like a salad spinner - one (wo)man's gadget is anothers necessity?
Pamela
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Kade1301
Permanent Resident
France
1426 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 05:31:30 AM
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So far no ball-winder has shown up at my doorstep wanting a good home... So I use a nostepinne and do it by hand. By the way, does it make a practical difference whether you wind an "egg" (as was suggested in the winter Spin-Off, I believe) or a flat "cake" like a crochet cotton ball?
Klara
http://www.lahottee.info |
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adalton124
Seriously Hooked
659 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 06:12:16 AM
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I got a ball winder and swift for Christmas, and for winding things with a lot of yardage, like a 450 yd. skein of sock yarn, I'll pull it out every time. But if I need 1 last ball to finish knitting something, I'll very likely wind it by hand. I always did it 1 skein at a time, as needed, when I was without the winder. It was a nice change of activity for me and still part of the knitting process. But I still like my "gadgets".
Angela |
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ClimberKnits
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
559 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 06:37:37 AM
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| I still wind by hand, but have been in the market for a winder for a while now. I've been doing research on the best for the money. My son designed and built a swift from K'Nex toys for my last winding session. Made the winding go so much easier. We took pictures so that we can re-create it again later. |
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HomekeepingGran
Seriously Hooked
614 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 07:15:20 AM
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I wind loose balls by hand, sometimes with the center out to be a center-pull ball and sometimes not, depending on whether I think about it or not.
Blessings,
Carla
She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands... Proverbs 31:13 |
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queen of the east
Seriously Hooked
Canada
877 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 08:44:22 AM
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I wind by hand. The yarn usually goes on a swift, sometimes on my knees(don't ask!). Depending on the yarn I wind it into balls or I use a nostepinne and wind it into stackable cakes.
I find the winding process very relaxing and like Audi I get a bit of a thrill watching the skein dwindle away. One of life's small pleasures.
Ann in Montreal |
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Trout Lily
Chatty Knitter
172 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 10:37:34 AM
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I wind by hand. I prop my feet up on the edge of the coffee table, knees bent, drape the skein over my knees, and wind balls. I don't mind it. I like the anticipation of starting something new while winding.
I like inspecting the length of the yarn for knots and any irregularities before starting to knit.
$35 for a plastic ball winder is more than I want to spend for something I can easily do by hand. |
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bfaye
Seriously Hooked
USA
721 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 10:48:54 AM
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One consideration about using a ball winder for me is that it saves wear and tear on my arms, hands and shoulder. I can put a skein on the swift and wind a little at a time if I need to stop and rest the joints. It's a little risky when winding a large skein by hand that it may get tangled if I have to stop. I view my winder as a tool that I use to save time or energy so I can knit more. Sort of like using an electric screwdriver versus a hand screwdriver.
benne
http://feathersong.wordpress.com |
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RuthKnits
Warming Up
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 11:02:50 AM
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Right now I wind skeins by hand and use the ball-winder for cone yarn. Winding cone yarn into balls by hand is a pain. Why, you are thinking, do I wind skeins by hand? Well, I answer, because although I have owned two swifts for years, when I finally spent the big bucks on a wool winder, the swifts are no where to be found. I put them somewhere "safe" until I could use them and now I can't find them. Isn't it always the way?
Ruth
Sheep Dip Cottage |
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abt1950
Permanent Resident
3019 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 2:04:47 PM
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I do both.
I thought my knitting life would change radically when I got a swift and ball winder. It didn't. There are times that it's just too much bother to get them out and set them up. So if I just need a ball or two, I'll do it by hand. But when I've got a lot of skeins to do, then I'll dig them out, clear off the table, and go to town.
Ruth, my swift is MIA at the moment too. Until I excavate the house and find it, it's hand winding all the way.
Anne in NJ
Knit long and prosper |
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llinn
honorary angel
USA
1650 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 5:07:06 PM
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I've got 3 swifts, but hate them and don't even know where they've gotten off too. I have and use ball winders, both frequently find like Anne, it's too much trouble to get them out and clamped on. Mostly I wind by hand. I like winding different shaped balls. I can wind flat bottoms and usually produce a vase shape that sits nice and winds nice from the center.
Llinn |
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Luann
Permanent Resident
USA
2610 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 5:09:12 PM
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Like many of you, I use both methods. I like to use the ball winder and swift if I'm starting a big sweater project - sort of like shopping for groceries when planning a big holiday meal, it puts me into the mood. There are other times I wind by hand even if I have more than one skein to do. And for luxury yarns, winding by hand is just another chance for fiber fondling.
Luann
Knit and let knit!
Now with actual blogging!:
http://www.luannocracy.blogspot.com |
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Topic |
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So IS ball winding a lost art?
