# Yarn Twisters vs. Yarn stacker



## KateWood

Any opinions on good yarn twisters? I'm finding it nearly impossible to find the wool in guages I need. So I am considering twisting 3 strands of lace weight merino tog. Any opinion on just winding and knitting three seperate cakes through same T-mast and yarn feeder? Or should they be twisted? Do the yarn twisters available do a good job? Any favorites? I also saw a yarn stacker that advertised it effectively twists up to 3 cones tog while knitting...Need to make a decision and your experience is appreciated


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## janda

I have tried a yarn twister but the only ones I found do not hold very much. Are you wanting to blend colours? A cheap way of mixing is to use a stacker - easy to make with 3 - 4 pieces of wood separated with a centre hole drilled in each piece and each cone of yarn threaded through the one above. I have actually done it with flower pots!!! If you are using straight from the cone with various colour/s you will end up with stripes. Know anyone with a spinning wheel???? That's the way I do it now - most satisfactory way to go.


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## KateWood

Wow, I watched a you tube video of a spinning wheel, how hard is that? I saw a small yarn twister that looks like a top. You suspend it on a string attach the yarn run it along the length of your leg to start it spinning and let it wind the yarn. Looks simple but time consuming...Most of the cones I have don't have the center cone, it was removed so they probably won't work with the stacker. I like your idea about the flower pots...


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## Celt Knitter

I've tried several different ones that claim to twist but they are very loose and I've had problems with the loose twist on the machine. However, I have seen this twister made by Hague and this looks as is if it does what one of the people replying to this post suggests she does with wood. It is less expensive than the cone winders, and it seems to work. I'm going to try one of these myself, especially now I have bought a super jumbo ball winder (it's almost all metal and it's strong enough to twist wire!) Here's the description: D025 - TWISTING YARN STACK

Ideal for industrial yarns, create your own chunky yarns. Gently twists & blends up to 3 cones, - feeds directly to your knitting machine. This is the link: http://www.haguedirect.co.uk/acatalog/general_knitting_accessoris.html


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## susieknitter

I had a stacker yarn twister and never thought that it did a good job, I gave it away and brought a winder that twists.
The winder seems to do a far better job.


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## VicinSea

Put 3 balls on a lazy-susan and give it a spin every row or two? Or gently spin the lazy-susan while winding all three yarns into a new blended ball?


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## susieknitter

This is the one that I gave away, It might have been just me, but I wasn't happy with it at all. I much prefer the winder that I have now, this is a Daruma new home twister. You do have to hold the yarns together and let them slide through your fingers as you wind to get a better result.


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## susieknitter

Silly me, the last reply that I posted I should have done as a quote reply to Celtic Knitter, I think that I'm losing the plot LOL.


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## Celt Knitter

I have the Daruma too, but I don't like it very much. The first picture is one of the winders I have and I can twist on that better The second is the one to have, but they're like hen's teeth....very rare! Here's a link for a better picture: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2117471370040912844pZKucr


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## jeannie2954

I have the Darma twister, I have never tried anything else. There are draw backs with anything. What I don't like about it is that (for me) the twists often come apart as it slides through the mast (and some times hangs up), so I end up a strip of yarn that loose and loop like and makes a mess if I don't catch it. If I can clip it at the end of the row great if not I have to try to twist it again with my fingers (that doesn't always work well). Like someone mentioned earlier yarn twisters do not hold as much yarn as do the Jumbo winders. Looks like this is the best we have to work with so I guess I better make the best of it and be happy. LOL 

Gentle hugs,
Jeannie


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## susieknitter

jeannie2954 said:


> I have the Darma twister, I have never tried anything else. There are draw backs with anything. What I don't like about it is that (for me) the twists often come apart as it slides through the mast (and some times hangs up), so I end up a strip of yarn that loose and loop like and makes a mess if I don't catch it. If I can clip it at the end of the row great if not I have to try to twist it again with my fingers (that doesn't always work well). Like someone mentioned earlier yarn twisters do not hold as much yarn as do the Jumbo winders. Looks like this is the best we have to work with so I guess I better make the best of it and be happy. LOL
> I never seem to have a problem with my Darma twister, maybe I've always been lucky. I make sure that my tension mast is on a really tight setting, perhaps this keep the yarn together better and I always hold the yarn while it's twisting so that the ball is never loose. The jacket (which hopefully there should be a photo of below) was made using 5 strands of different coloured industrial yarn and it knit like a dream.


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## susieknitter

Just a little foot note, it looks slightly fluffy in the photo but it does contain a fluffy yarn and I have worn/washed it quite a few times.


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## KateWood

I found a nice Darma yarn twister at a garage sale recently, cleaned and oiled now, its in like new condition I wound 2 strands of 5200 ypp yarn tog and will see how it knits up...


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## Osunny

Celt Knitter said:


> I have the Daruma too, but I don't like it very much. The first picture is one of the winders I have and I can twist on that better The second is the one to have, but they're like hen's teeth....very rare! Here's a link for a better picture: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2117471370040912844pZKucr


I just got this winder myself, with a machine I purchased. I like it a lot but wish I had more cones with it. I bought a more expensive 'yarn twister' but I really don't like it at all. For $75.00 you would think it would be the bomb but it's so slow to wind up a ball that I can't even bribe my kids to help me.

I have a lot of 2/24 acrylic and I'm willing to trade of off, it's such a pain


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## Osunny

susieknitter said:


> jeannie2954 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have the Darma twister, I have never tried anything else. There are draw backs with anything. What I don't like about it is that (for me) the twists often come apart as it slides through the mast (and some times hangs up), so I end up a strip of yarn that loose and loop like and makes a mess if I don't catch it. If I can clip it at the end of the row great if not I have to try to twist it again with my fingers (that doesn't always work well). Like someone mentioned earlier yarn twisters do not hold as much yarn as do the Jumbo winders. Looks like this is the best we have to work with so I guess I better make the best of it and be happy. LOL
> I never seem to have a problem with my Darma twister, maybe I've always been lucky. I make sure that my tension mast is on a really tight setting, perhaps this keep the yarn together better and I always hold the yarn while it's twisting so that the ball is never loose. The jacket (which hopefully there should be a photo of below) was made using 5 strands of different coloured industrial yarn and it knits like a dream.
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful! I have the same problem with my strands separating. If I set my tension too tight tough, the yarn pops out while I'm knitting.
Click to expand...


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## susieknitter

Maybe it's not so much that I have the machine tension on tight but that I run the different yarns though my fingers before reaching the wool winder.


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## sistermaide

Maybe I am really dumb about this, but I have occasionally run two strands in my machine, by just running each cone in it's own tension mast, but at the last point, put them both in the knit at the same time. 

There have been a few times that I run them both in the same tension mast at the same time, and that sometimes allows them to over run each other and loops sometimes form. 

Other times I just wind both strands together before I start knitting. 

Some of these methods are fine for the texture, or thickness, but doing two colors is not so nice to look at, as the colors tend to bunch up, and switch suddenly when changing carriage direction.

With all the conversation, and ideas, experiences you all have listed here, however, has got me thinking..."Is there a way to build something that will solve all these problems?"


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## Cecielia

susieknitter said:


> This is the one that I gave away, It might have been just me, but I wasn't happy with it at all. I much prefer the winder that I have now, this is a Daruma new home twister. You do have to hold the yarns together and let them slide through your fingers as you wind to get a better result.


Where in the UK did you get your Daruma? I have not been able to find one yet.


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## redgem

Just a thought perhaps a solution for the tension problem, for those that have one maybe run the yarns thru an intarsia yarn brake when trying to twist together to solve the problem of uneven tension between the strands.


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## MegsyStylish

That sounds like an epiphany to me! I'll try that soon.


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## susieknitter

Cecielia I got my twister years ago off E-bay. You can put a want on e-bay and they will inform you when one comes up for sale and/or you could see if there are any available from dealers here in the UK. If I hear of one for sale I will let you know.


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## Cecielia

susieknitter said:


> Cecielia I got my twister years ago off E-bay. You can put a want on e-bay and they will inform you when one comes up for sale and/or you could see if there are any available from dealers here in the UK. If I hear of one for sale I will let you know.


Many thanks Sue. I have asked BSK whether the yarn twister they sell will actually twist yarn. They have replied saying it wasn't sold to twist yarn but also suggested a way to overcome this problem that sounds feasible. Some one here has suggested using an intarsia yarn break, so before I spend out on BSK I will try the intarsia method. I have a chunky machine and bought a lot 3 cones of 3 ply Forsell. No ways am I going to use it either on the machine and most definitely not by hand, I need to twist it and produce either 6 or 9 ply yarn, even if it does look like Joseph's coat. 
I have not found a UK dealer for the Daruma. I think a request to my daughter in the States is looming.


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## susieknitter

Cecielia, the intarsia break will not twist yarn. They have suggested using it just to hold the strands together before they reach a twister. This can also be done by letting the yarns run through the tension mast on your machine.
Hague at Nottingham do an electric twister but it is expensive. Maybe someone will treat you to one of these on your Birthday or at Christmas.
http://www.haguedirect.co.uk/acatalog/pdb_electric_yarn_winders.html


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## Cecielia

susieknitter said:


> Cecielia, the intarsia break will not twist yarn. They have suggested using it just to hold the strands together before they reach a twister. This can also be done by letting the yarns run through the tension mast on your machine.
> Hague at Nottingham do an electric twister but it is expensive. Maybe someone will treat you to one of these on your Birthday or at Christmas.
> http://www.haguedirect.co.uk/acatalog/pdb_electric_yarn_winders.html


Maybe, meantime back to the drawing board. Will try Roberta's trick with the three tier stacking. In fact, I have an old pot stand that I can stand the cones on, feed number one through to number two, number two through to number three and add number one into number three and add number three from the outside using my yarn winder. Have I got the sequence right?


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## Peppie

I have just bought a Daruma yarn twister from a knitting shop. Last one that they had. I was so lucky. It was also a very good price.


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## Peppie

Just seen this on an american site. Looks the same.

http://www.kriskrafter.com/yarntwister.html


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## Cecielia

Peppie said:


> Just seen this on an american site. Looks the same.
> 
> http://www.kriskrafter.com/yarntwister.html


It is the same. There is a uTube video showing how it works. I have worked out that it would cost about £54 without P&P and customs and Royal Mail charges.


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## susieknitter

Cecielia said:


> It is the same. There is a uTube video showing how it works. I have worked out that it would cost about £54 without P&P and customs and Royal Mail charges.


The P&P, custom, and royal mail charges for collecting Vat on it will make it far too expensive. Perhaps if your daughter could get it, and then send it as a gift, you might save a little but it still will be a lot to pay. I know they are hard to find. The one that my local knitting club had was damaged and I wasn't able to get one for them to replace that. But you never know one may pop up it's head somewhere. I bet there are some that are never used stored in attics ETC. Perhaps you and I need a trip to see our daughters in New York. We could then pop it in one of our suitcases. :lol: :thumbup:


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## Cecielia

susieknitter said:


> The P&P, custom, and royal mail charges for collecting Vat on it will make it far too expensive. Perhaps if your daughter could get it, and then send it as a gift, you might save a little but it still will be a lot to pay. I know they are hard to find. The one that my local knitting club had was damaged and I wasn't able to get one for them to replace that. But you never know one may pop up it's head somewhere. I bet there are some that are never used stored in attics ETC. Perhaps you and I need a trip to see our daughters in New York. We could then pop it in one of our suitcases. :lol: :thumbup:


Thanks Sue. I just need to find that attic lol. Have seen the price of the electric Hague? I think I might just ask her to bring one with her in August and post it to me from the UK. I have been to he States to see Pamela. Well.... I'm not going back in a rush. To be fair it is a country that has not appealed to me, far too much waste in all quarters, but let me stop there. They still have goodies I want and in abundance!


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## Cecielia

Cecielia said:


> Thanks Sue. I just need to find that attic lol. Have seen the price of the electric Hague? I think I might just ask her to bring one with her in August and post it to me from the UK. I have been to he States to see Pamela. Well.... I'm not going back in a rush. To be fair it is a country that has not appealed to me, far too much waste in all quarters, but let me stop there. They still have goodies I want and in abundance!


I have just found a Daruma on a UK website 60 GBP and I am waiting for an email to tell me how much P&P will be.


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## Cecielia

Cecielia said:


> I have just found a Daruma on a UK website 60 GBP and I am waiting for an email to tell me how much P&P will be.


Have just bought and paid for the Daruma. Now the fun starts. I shall surely look like I'm wearing Joseph's coat of many colours! I did knit a jumper that had 16 colours in it. Spectacular would be a mild description. The owner wore it out but I declined to knit another one.


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