Yarn hanks.
They look so pretty.
But I never buy them.
Because of this.
What a mess!
I bought the yarn at a craft bazaar in November last year.
Wish I would have looked up how to properly unwind a hank but it's a little too late for that now. At least I was able to yank enough out to get one pair of baby booties made, my first ever.
The pattern is from Wooly Wonders on YouTube.
Sweet Sunday Wishes,
37 comments:
So cute! I love the soft colors. Maybe I can help with the tangle-prevention, in case you have/acquire more hanks: when you open up the loop and remove the ties, put your hands at opposite ends inside the loop (hands open in the "this big" gesture) and snap the hank open HARD a couple of times. The yarn may not look any different, but this seems to realign the strands somehow. Then, if you're not using a swift, drape it over a plastic laundry basket or the back of a chair or even hang it from a doorknob or something, trying to keep the general alignment created by the snap. I don't know when or how I figured this out, but most of my yarn is in hanks and this little trick has really helped with the winding.
Oh my gosh......they look like teeny tiny UGGS! How cute are they!!!
I have a swift, but when not at home, I wrap it around my knees. Occasionally I still get a mess...but not often...
They are the cutest xx Funnily enough I have bought some wool like this and have no idea how to do them. Will not be diving in, pretty petrified now eeek. Lol :) Will be reading any comments with tips with great interest.
Well.. you need to teach your husband how to hold the skeins while you wind the balls. It's quite a skill. Dayle does all my skein holding. Your booties are very cute! I've got to make a 2nd pink bootie today and then a little hat. My niece is having her first baby.. a girl.. she waited a long time to find the perfect guy.. she was a teacher for years but always dreamed of having her own family. So, this is a long awaited joyful happening. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
I unwrap them and drape them over the back of a chair or my legs then start rolling the yarn into a ball. It prefer the leg one when sitting on the sofa with my knees up, it works wonderfully. Your yarn is very pretty and those booties are perfect.
Hugs,
Meredith
Hmmm...I have seen similar tangles at my house. The commenters above all have good ideas of how to avoid the jumble. One at home method I have used successfully is to sit with my feet up and after carefully opening up the skein to stretch it between my feet as I wind...it is good exercise, too :) The booties you made are perfect! xx
Years ago my Mum and I used to slip the hank of yarn over the back of an upright chair, its easy to roll into a ball that way. Most yarn used to come in hanks when I started knitting in the late 50's early 60's.
I have seen little booties like those on pinterest and always fancied making some, they are lovely.
Briony
x
I use my chair to wind them up, when none of the kids wants to lend a hand and yes, they can be messy and when I am stuck with one I always regret buying them. But they do come in lovely colors so I forget my regrets easily and buy some new ones :)
I think your booties are fantastic!
Hi Tammy,
I know exactly what you are saying about the large skeins of wool - I get my husband to hold his hands out and I wind the balls and you really do need two people to do this. Makes me wonder why they don't do that before it goes on sale. Love the sweet booties.
Have a great week
hugs
Carolyn
That's exactly what happened to me the first time I bought yarn in a hank! What an adorable pair of booties. Those colors are perfect for that pattern.
Beautiful yarn and the booties are precious. To undo the hanks and roll into balls...untwist the hank then open into one large circle. Loop this over a chair back, or around a large pasta pot. Gently roll into a ball, be sure not to stretch the yarn out by winding it to tight.
These are simply precious, Tammy! Again, I wish I could crochet or knit, I would make my soon-to-arrive granddaughter a zillion pair! I may just follow up on looking for a classes in spite of my shyness. Gulp!
Jane x
Ha ! I learnt a new word today. Didn't knew this was called a hank. When I was a kid, my mom gave me the task of making a yarn ball out of hanks.
Lovely booties.
Oh Tammy those are the cutest little booties. I remember the first time I bought a skein of yarn like that. My goodness I had a real mess. Then I got a ball winder a couple of years ago. That helped a lot, but the skeins still sometimes got tangled up. This spring my sweet Hubby bought me a swift. Using that and my ball winder makes things SO much easier. I second the putting it into your hands and giving it a big tug or two. It really helps.
Blessings,
Betsy
Those little shoes are an adorable creation :)
Cutest tiny booties!!! :) Very nice.
Those booties are so cute. You know, I don't think I've ever had a yarn hank. Not really, anyway, but I have had a few hanks of embroidery wool and I remember them being difficult to unwind for use. I could never get them back to a nice hank shape so I just made little balls wound by hand. It was too bad because it looked much nicer as a hank!
I never learned to knit or crochet, but always wanted to learn. Your booties (and the color/yarn) are gorgeous! Lovely!!!
ooh, gorgeous yarn, I can't resist pretty skeins. I use a chair to hang the skein on and then wind it into a ball. Gillian at hookin' A yarn blog did a post last summer on how to wind a skein using her arms and hands. Hx
Those are darling!!!! Sorry about the mess. I usually put them over my knees sitting on my bed and then hand wind. They are usually tied off in several places so you don't get that mess and you can see the circle of yarn.
Dearest Tammy,
Wow, I learned a new word... Had no idea they were called yarn hanks.
But it's probably half a century ago since I dealt with them.
Always having to hold them up, with my hands inserted and holding them far apart so Mom could wind up the yarn into a ball.
I do hate them for the very same reason as you do! Not having any use for them.
But your finished 'FIRST' booty is precious.
Sending you hugs and blessings,
Mariette
LOL!! I love those booties. :)Kit
Those baby booties are so adorable! Who's the lucky recipient?
Beautiful little booties! I have had the same experience of the tangled yarn hank in the past.....so frustrating when you just want to begin using it! Now I get my husband to hold the hank while I wind it into a ball! I know you can buy wooden yarn holders but haven't got one myself, though I have got a little winder which makes cute little yarn cakes.
Have a great week, Tammy.
Helen xox
Just laughing out loud at your post, I am afraid I am always all thumbs with yarn! xox
Oh, I hate tangles! Pretty booties! x Karen
Adorable booties and I learned something by reading the comments about the yarn detangling.
I was always the arms stretched wide to hold the Hank of yarn for my Grandma. Sometimes a good yarn shop will wind it for you. Your little booties are uber cute. I would love a pair in my size and I do know how to crochet. Hmmm...
These are so pretty! Nice booties ♥
summerdaisy.net
Darling little booties and such a beautiful color. The way I do it is take the "hank" and separate it by the way it's wound. You should then have a circle of many strands of yarn. Be sure you don't get one that doesn't belong there. The two ends might be tied together so it's easier for you to see where you are. Now take the "wreath" of yarn and put it over a chair back, one bunch on one side and one on the other. Untie the ends and begin rolling it gently into a ball. Don't pull tight,
just easily. There is a more professional way to roll the yarn into a ball but I think this is enough to confuse you for today. Good luck. Diane
That's a "Yarn" of a tale! I love the booties.
I have done the same thing with floss before. It is a headache! The baby booties are precious! you did a wonderful job on them!
The booties are super cute. When I buy a hank, I always make Hubby hold his hands out while I create a ball. You can also use the back of a dinning chair if it has knobs, or even your own two feet if you are willing to sit on the floor with your feet up.....gotta get crafty with those hanks! :)
Oh I hear your angst. I usually work with smaller skeins, preferring cotton, but am doing a blanket right now and unwinding the skein into a ball because I know if I don't I'll reach a major snag somewhere along the way. It's a pain. But your hanks look so lovely in the before photo! Colors are great and the booties are wonderful!
I always buy hanks because that's how we get most of them here at the bazaar. I love winding them into balls, I somehow find it meditative. You just have to untwist the yarn, drape the circle over a chair back, cut off the thread that ties them, get hold of one end of the yarn and just go on and on.
Like other respondents, I also use the 'chair back' method to hold the yarn while I wind it but sometimes the hank will slip down the chair or off the corner. I have a wheelchair which has two handles on the back and I find the yarn stays put better when slung across the handles. I wonder whether a row of coat/hat/towel pegs (not hooks which would catch) would work equally well. I love the pasta pot solution - the handles would stop the yarn from falling down and the pot is round enough to stop the yarn from pulling across itself and tangling. Clever idea! Thanks for that one! The booties are pretty. Good luck with your untangling - there are people out there who actually don't mind untangling yarn and will hire out their services..somewhere on Ravelry I think. .
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