# How do you knit from a skein?



## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


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## Stitched Up (May 22, 2011)

Open out the skein, and ask someone to insert their hands one at each side into the skein, find the end of wool and wind it around 4 of your fingers, wind about 10 times, then turn the wound bit and wind across it about 10 times, continue until you have a finished ball, then knit as normal, do not wind it to tight! 


ForgetfulFi said:


> I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Stitched Up said:


> Open out the skein, and ask someone to insert their hands one at each side into the skein, find the end of wool and wind it around 4 of your fingers, wind about 10 times, then turn the wound bit and wind across it about 10 times, continue until you have a finished ball, then knit as normal, do not wind it to tight!
> 
> 
> ForgetfulFi said:
> ...


Hi Stitched Up, I have MOH to help with the winding, but as the yarn is 1000metres and finer than embroidery thread, I thought there may be another, more easier, way


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Stitched Up said:
> 
> 
> > Open out the skein, and ask someone to insert their hands one at each side into the skein, find the end of wool and wind it around 4 of your fingers, wind about 10 times, then turn the wound bit and wind across it about 10 times, continue until you have a finished ball, then knit as normal, do not wind it to tight!
> ...


Most knitters who buy skeins (rather than yarn balls) have a yarn winder that they take and use to wind the yarn from the skein into a ball. 
For those who buy yarn balls, you need to find the yarn end inside the ball and your working yarn comes from the inside of the ball.


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## fergablu2 (Apr 30, 2011)

I think you are refering to a "hank" since skeins of yarn can be knit from directly.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Q4EvjgBkSQ0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQ4EvjgBkSQ0


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

fergablu2 said:


> I think you are refering to a "hank" since skeins of yarn can be knit from directly.
> 
> http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Q4EvjgBkSQ0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQ4EvjgBkSQ0


The site states it is a skein. It looks like a "hank" but often the two terms are interchangeable.

__
https://flic.kr/p/6417862469


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## RoxyCatlady (Mar 22, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> fergablu2 said:
> 
> 
> > I think you are refering to a "hank" since skeins of yarn can be knit from directly.
> ...


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## west coast kitty (May 26, 2012)

You could check with your LYS - many will let you use their swift and winder


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


Perfect! I am so happy you were able to get it into a working ball of yarn! :thumbup:


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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

I use my swift and ball winder to wind "hanks" into cakes.

I consider a skein to be the yarn I buy that I pull from the center and knit straight from it.

I have never had a "ball" of yarn.


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

peachy51 said:


> I use my swift and ball winder to wind "hanks" into cakes.
> 
> I consider a skein to be the yarn I buy that I pull from the center and knit straight from it.
> 
> I have never had a "ball" of yarn.


Knitting terms and the languages are all relevant to what country and area you are living in. In this case the website (that I posted that showed the exact same thing as what the gal purchased) calls it a skein of yarn. I guess I can not be wrong if that is what the manufacturer calls it.

You use a yarn winder to make a ball of yarn. You may never have a "ball" of yarn but to many, it is what they have. And yes, I do buy balls of yarn for my knitting and crochet purposes. And yes, they are labeled as balls of yarn by the manufacturing companies.

This is what Lion Brand Yarn states "The only difference between a skein and a ball is the way they are wrapped: the shape the yarn is wound in. It has absolutely no relationship whatsoever with the amount of yarn involved and so has no bearing at all on yarn amount calculations."

Another site states "A ball of yarn can also be called a hank or a skein of yarn. Different people mean different things by these words. Usually a hank of yarn refers to a loosely wound length of yarn that is twisted together and needs to be rewound before using. Sometimes this is called a skein of yarn, but a skein can also refer to an oblong ball of yarn that is pulled from the center. Round balls of yarn pulled from the outside are usually just called balls of yarn."
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2099338#ixzz2D4RkqLQ4

For me, a "cake" is what I bake in my oven. That is not to say that it can not also mean something else. But that is the context in which I know of what a cake is.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

So now can someone tell me, is this a skein or a hank?


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> So now can someone tell me, is this a skein or a hank?


Fibrespates says it is a skein.
The site states it is a skein. It looks like a "hank" but often the two terms are interchangeable.

__
https://flic.kr/p/6417862469

Your color choise is undeniably beautiful! Thank you for showing and sharing this with us! Love the wooden chair too. I love wood furnature, it all looks and feels wonderful. I have lots of wood in my place. My grandfather was a master craftsman who worked with wood. He was a farmer too. I spent many hours in the workshop with him and watching him as he explained what he was doing. Fascinating stuff to a little child and one of appreciation for the work he did. I treasure those memories.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

5mmdpns said:


> peachy51 said:
> 
> 
> > I use my swift and ball winder to wind "hanks" into cakes.
> ...


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

5mmdpns said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > So now can someone tell me, is this a skein or a hank?
> ...


Hi 5mmdpns, the colour is "Jen's green" and is for a wrap for my eldest daughter who is also called Jenny. Quite apt. Thanks for your replies today.


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)




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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

ForgetfulFi said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


That is what I call a hank ... regardless of what you call it, that is what I put on the swift and wind with a ball winder.


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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

5mmdpns said:


> peachy51 said:
> 
> 
> > I use my swift and ball winder to wind "hanks" into cakes.
> ...


Depends wholly on who you ask. This is from about.com:

"Question: What is a Hank? A Ball? A Skein?

Answer: 
Most yarns that you will find at the big craft store chains or at discount stores that sell yarn comes either in a ball or a skein. A ball is literally a round conglomeration of yarn. The yarn can be pulled from the outside of the ball, and sometimes from the inside as well.

A skein is similar to a ball but it is formed into an oblong shape. Its the classic shape most people think of when they think of yarn. Yarn can be pulled either from the outside or the inside of a skein of yarn.

A hank is a different way of selling yarn in which the yarn is loosely wound into a large ring shape and then twisted on itself to make a package thats easy to ship and store. Untwist the hank and youll find yourself faced with a big ring of yarn that needs to be wound into a ball before it is used."

I consider a ball to be what Forgetful is in the process of winding with her yarn in her pic. (And like I said, I have never had one of those because I have never hand wound a ball.)


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## RoxyCatlady (Mar 22, 2011)

peachy51 said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > peachy51 said:
> ...


The person writing the above from About.com should have consulted a dictionary. A skein is NOT a ball of yarn, it is a coil or loops of yarn. Feel free to look it up. I did.


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## smoqui (Mar 2, 2011)

Well, since most of us agree that a hank and a skein can be the same thing, the name is actually not the point. What is the point is that unless you have a swift to hold this on a table near you, you cannot knit directly from it without winding it up in some fashion or other before you begin.

As to whether to pull from the center or the outside, that is a topic worth considering. If the yarn is spun "S" twist and then plied "Z" twist, as is most often the case in the U.S., knitting from the inside will increase the twist of the yarn, and knitting from the outside will decrease the twist. If you knit combination style, the knits increase the twist, and the purls decrease the twist, so that a piece of balanced ribbing, such as 1 x 1 or 2 x 2 will basically balance out the twist. 

You will probably notice that as you knit, your yarn can become so twisted that you may have to let it hang down and untwist back to the balanced state so you can continue without getting everything knit too tightly. Sounds trivial, but if you just knit away for hours on hours, your knitting can actually begin to take on a bias because of the increased twist, and this will be a permanent state in your finished work. No amount of steaming or blocking will truly set it right again.

I recently knit a pair of socks. One sock was knit Russian style, or Eastern Uncrossed, whichever term you prefer. The other was knit American/British style, and the results were very obvious. Since these were knit up on singles yarn with a Z twist, the Russian style knitting relaxed any excess twist and came out beautifully. The American/British style sock became more and more twisted until I finally had to frog the entire sock, let the twist relax, then knit it again using Russian style to get it to match up with the other one. This was the most extreme example I have seen of this, but it just goes to prove that you need to be aware if your yarn is becoming too tightly twisted, so that you can untwist it an appropriate amount to keep it under control. Or just learn to knit combination style and let it control itself!


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## tryalot (Apr 29, 2012)

Skein, hank, whatever it is, if the manufacturer wants me to buy their product then they must do the ball winding for me.


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## kaixixang (Jul 16, 2012)

ForgetfulFi said:


> So now can someone tell me, is this a skein or a hank?


That is what I know of to be a 'hank'.

Balls are hand wrapped into a outside-pull-only mass of yarn.

Skein to me is the stuff bought at Hobby Lobby or the like where you have the option to pull from the outside and eventually untangle the inside...

or

Choose to follow the label instructions, with a sometimes baffling yarn barf session to find the center end.

If I get a skein...my preference is to grab the outside end piece and put it on the thick tin-foil paper roll and wind that up till I get to the beginning tip of yarn. Saves having to deal with the direction the stuff was spun. Repeat as necessary with as many of the color as you think you will need for one or more projects (baby outfit, or other).


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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

RoxyCatlady said:


> peachy51 said:
> 
> 
> > 5mmdpns said:
> ...


It doesn't say a skein is a ball ... it says it is "similar" ... I'm not going to debate this ... it's a matter of semantics ... like I said, it depends on who you ask ... you do realize that someone wrote what you looked up and who's to say they are the final say authority on the matter.


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## kiwiannie (Jul 30, 2011)

You can't knit from a skein,you have to put the skein at the back of a chair or on a winder,and unravel the skein slowly rolling the yarn into a ball. :lol: :lol:


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## Xiang (Sep 3, 2011)

fergablu2 said:


> I think you are refering to a "hank" since skeins of yarn can be knit from directly.
> 
> http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Q4EvjgBkSQ0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQ4EvjgBkSQ0


Depends which country you are from - for me the skein needs to be wound into a ball - just saying ...... Not all English languages are the same :-D


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## Xiang (Sep 3, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


I have that exact yarn in a creamy, ivory colour - for a wedding shawl for my dd


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

RoxyCatlady said:


> [
> You have hit upon a pet peeve of mine...
> 
> A skein of yarn is definitely a "hank" or a loose coil of yarn - not a ball in any way, shape, or form. Too many people refer to a commercially wound ball of yarn as a "skein". This is incorrect...
> ...


Except that in some countries a skein is a ball and a hank is what needs winding (and the first poster is from the UK so I think her terminology was right). And as you can see from this I knit from a ball. A ball of yarn for us is a general term for the yarn (ready to knit) whatever shape it might be. 
Just to upset more people we tend to say wool- and this does not mean it is 100% wool or even mainly wool, it could be 100% acyrlic. We use it in the same way as most of you use yarn and if our 'wool' is wool and it was relevant we would say. So if an Australian is talking abut their wool it is probably yarn they mean and it could be made up of anything.


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## Marny CA (Jun 26, 2011)

The skeins that I buy are pulled from center.

I don't usually buy hanks of yarn, which require rewinding into balls. But when purchasing in the local yarn shop, they will wind the hanks for free.

The use of a chair, as pictured in someone's post, is good, too.


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## Mary Cardiff (Mar 18, 2012)

The most hated job as a child was holding the wool for Mum while she made it into a ball,If she had to see to something was cooking you would be left waiting,I use to try and get out of washing the dishes,By saying I was knitting and didnt want my fingers to go all funny in the water,Had to dry them instead (dishes not fingers,


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## Hotpot (Oct 2, 2012)

Yep, I use the back of a chair if there is no human to hang it on.


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## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

If the yarn is really a skein, just pull the center strands out and find the end. Then just knit. Keep the skein in some kind of bag or holder so it doesn't flop all over the place.

If a skein, there are enough comments on how to wind it. I used a chair, my knees, but preferably someone else's arms to drap the skein over. Finally broke down and bought a very simple unit to hold the skein and which will spin as I wind. 

You could even knit off this kind of tool but it limits your movements.


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## lizmaxwell (Jul 23, 2011)

In the greater scheme of things does it actually matter. I have always regarded the terms " hank" and " skein " to mean roughly the same thing ie yarn that is sold by a given weight that you have to wind yourself into a ball ( or a " cake " )in order to knit with. 
Whenever i have bought yarn like this it normally seems to be sold as 100gms so has that got somthing to do with it ?
Also when we buy yarn we normally see what we are buying be it in shop or online.

I know terminology is helpful but please dont let us fall into the trap of becoming a craft where using the "wrong " term or method is regarded as the 8th deadly sin.We are talking about knitting here not research for a cure for cancer. It is so easy to make new knitters nervous about showing themselves as not true members of our self imposed " club "


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## whataknitwit (May 1, 2011)

In the UK it's a skein. I'm old enough to remember when all wool came in skeins and had to re-wound into balls, I used to hold the skein on my hands for my granny to wind. Sometimes times I was promoted to do the winding, but woe betides me if I wound it too tightly or dropped the ball.


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## frostyfranny (Jul 29, 2011)

Stitched Up said:


> Open out the skein, and ask someone to insert their hands one at each side into the skein, find the end of wool and wind it around 4 of your fingers, wind about 10 times, then turn the wound bit and wind across it about 10 times, continue until you have a finished ball, then knit as normal, do not wind it to tight!
> 
> 
> ForgetfulFi said:
> ...


Gosh that takes me back a few years.


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## Crumplin (Sep 7, 2012)

ForgetfulFi said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


In England, in the 1930/40/50s, when I learned to knit and crochet, wool (no synthetics) came in hanks, Skeins were small and were usually cut lengths of sock-mending yarn), only crochet cotton came in balls on a small spindle or cardboard tube.

We used to turn a dining chair upside down, three legs was the usual size for a hank; starting with an 8-twist (thumb and little finger), then folding the little bundle to make a small ball, winding over the small ball and two fingers, so the wool was not over-stretched, turning the ball to keep the wind even.

As my mother was not very tall, she could not manage the chair and I would never attempt to think of the number of hours I spent holding hanks, dipping one hand at time to make the wool run more easily!

Edna C


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## Shamrock (Jan 17, 2011)

Skein: A wound ball of yarn with a center pull strand.

Hank: A coiled bundle of yarn which must be wound into a ball to prevent tangling.


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## Catma4 (May 5, 2012)

Good grief. At this point this discussion makes me want to poke out my eye with a knitting needle lol! Thank you for the great picture. As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words" and if someone wants to call what you are working with a poopoowittywaddie, we all have a picture and know exactly what you are talking about. 'Nuff said!


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## jonibee (Nov 3, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


I usually knit from the center if I can find the end (I wish mfg would come up with an easy way to find it) or sometimes I will work from the out side just turning it as I go..other times I will wind up into a ball ..takes longer in preparation but worth it in the end..Santa be good to me!


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## Crumplin (Sep 7, 2012)

jonibee said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?
> ...


See 5mmdpns, an early contributor to this thread, with a picture of a simple wool-winder. You can re-wind your yarn on this type of winder and use the centre thread for knitting. = But, tuck your outer end into the ball so it doesn't unwind on you and create tangles!

Edna C


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## Carol J. (Jan 27, 2011)

Holding the yarn is the job of a husband, always has been in this household when yarn needed to be wound onto a ball.

When I bought yarn from Brunswick, Bernat or anyone else when I had my shop, the descriptions from the company stated how many skeins were in a box. Yarn is sold in skeins or balls or loose the way lace weight yarn is sold that needs to be wound in some form. A swift and yarn winder are the best way and takes the place of the DH if he isn't around.

Carol J.


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## GrandmaJeanB (Feb 7, 2012)

I knit from the center. I just pull out some from the center look for the begining and go.


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## MissMelba (Jun 9, 2012)

Hello, sort-of related question. As I am a novice knitter my yarn has always come from the chain stores (don't have a LYS) and thus is always in the oblong skein with the center pull option. Having never used a ball, or wound my yarn into a ball, what is the benefit of using a ball? I had to use the end on the outside of the skein once as I could not find the inside one and it was a pain in the tuckus having to keep turning over the skein. I mean, if the yarn comes from the outside, won't the ball be rolling around? Sorry if this sounds too basic a question that every knitter should already know. Thanks.


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## joanh8060 (Apr 22, 2011)

You did the right thing. That yarn looks very silky and would have little stretch but still keep the ball you are forming as soft as possible. Luscious color! What are your plans for it? 
I own 2 ball yarn winders. 1 winder and 1 twister/winder..They make a ball that can be pulled from the center...the ball is flat top and bottom...and is thus sometimes called "a cake" . I'd love a "swift" a gadget that holds the skein and pivots in the center and allows you to wind the ball/cake directly from the hank. But swifts are a minimum of $50 and I'd use it maybe once or twice a year. 
Asking a yarn store LYS< to use their winder when you did not purchase the hank there is....Ummmm, you better be a darn good customer or I'd feel it was quite an imposition.
One of my LYS has both a beautiful hard carved winder and a lovely swift.....but their yarn is just a bit too luxorious for my frugal buying tastes so I seldom buy yarn there and thus never ask them for the use of their equipment. 
Back of a chair works OK. However I also appreciate having the right equipment for the job at hand. Joan 8060


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## headlemk (Feb 16, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


If it's a hank, twisted, you'll need to roll it into a ball. If it's a center pull skein, you can find the center end and just knit from there.


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## Jmklous (Jul 16, 2012)

Actually a hank a loose coil and a skein is what yarn in most craft stores call it. And so do most people in the world including all the professionals. There is a video from verypink knits that explains all the differences.


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## scumbugusa (Oct 10, 2011)

I am British and call it a hank, but since I live in US I also know it as a skein. My daughter, raised here just knows it as a skein. She also says balls/skein of yarn, and I say balls /hanks of wool, and we both mean the same thing.


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## joanh8060 (Apr 22, 2011)

Instructions for finding the center end of a banded yarn....hold the band so the writing is upright....then dig in from the bottom. Or if the band is written horizontally...the end should be accessible from the LEFT! We have all made yarn vomit trying to find some center ends! Knit up up and the rest should pull out easily. Joan 8060


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## valj46 (Jul 25, 2011)

Stitched Up said:


> Open out the skein, and ask someone to insert their hands one at each side into the skein, find the end of wool and wind it around 4 of your fingers, wind about 10 times, then turn the wound bit and wind across it about 10 times, continue until you have a finished ball, then knit as normal, do not wind it to tight!
> 
> 
> ForgetfulFi said:
> ...


That brings back memories ,if we kids were not around she would put the skein around the top of a dining chair


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

joanh8060 said:


> Instructions for finding the center end of a banded yarn....hold the band so the writing is upright....then dig in from the bottom. Or if the band is written horizontally...the end should be accessible from the LEFT! We have all made yarn vomit trying to find some center ends! Knit up up and the rest should pull out easily. Joan 8060


I have always found mine when the wording on the band label is positioned to read from left to right you just keep following your eyes to the right, right off the label to the end of the yarn ball/skein and it is at this end you will reach inside with your fingers and find the end that is coming from the center. This is where your working yarn will come from. As my working yarn ball/skein is always in a plastic bowl my yarn does not roll away from me.

If your wording on the band label is positioned to read from top to bottom, when you hold the yarn ball in your hand, you will find the working end as you reach up into the center of the ball from the bottom.


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## julietremain (Jul 8, 2011)

I just want to add that some companies and yarn shops will wind your yarn into center pull balls..free..if you ask....very helpful for lace weight yarn especially..I recently ordered some yarn from Purl Soho (NYC) and they insisted upon winding it...it arrived ready to use two days later...
julie


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## past (Apr 3, 2011)

RoxyCatlady said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > fergablu2 said:
> ...


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## Carol J. (Jan 27, 2011)

Joan8060, you can get a yarn holder for winding yarn cheaper than $50 if you go online to Mary Maxim or Herschners. The expensive ones are sold to spinners and are very elegant. If I had one of those wooden ones they use, I would keep it out for a decoration in the house.
When I was a girl, all yarn came in hanks and skein yarn wasn't sold until the 1950's.

Carol J.


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## DeeDeeF (Mar 29, 2011)

Whatever you want to call it , it's a beautiful color.


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## pmuch (Jan 15, 2012)

I also use a chair, but I cut a toliet paper roll in half and tape the loose end inside and then wind.


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## WelshWooly (Jul 4, 2012)

In the UK we call the 'hanks' skeins, any thing else is a ball. So yes she does mean hank but is using English terminology


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## moke (Oct 8, 2011)

sh sometimes i am lazy ..I have a floor lamp with an arm on it..to swing the light for more direct light..and i will hang the hank on the arm and knit off of it..


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## Taffie (Nov 3, 2012)

Off topic but I love your kitty, he/she's beautiful !


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## Kuddles60 (Aug 28, 2012)

thank you! however, I still prefer to wind it all into a ball, first. I have had too many experiences with tangles in the yarn, driving me absolutely nuts!



joanh8060 said:


> Instructions for finding the center end of a banded yarn....hold the band so the writing is upright....then dig in from the bottom. Or if the band is written horizontally...the end should be accessible from the LEFT! We have all made yarn vomit trying to find some center ends! Knit up up and the rest should pull out easily. Joan 8060


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## LilgirlCA (Jan 22, 2011)

Stitched Up said:


> Open out the skein, and ask someone to insert their hands one at each side into the skein, find the end of wool and wind it around 4 of your fingers, wind about 10 times, then turn the wound bit and wind across it about 10 times, continue until you have a finished ball, then knit as normal, do not wind it to tight!
> 
> 
> ForgetfulFi said:
> ...


When you find that end inside the skein, just knit with it


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## LilgirlCA (Jan 22, 2011)

RoxyCatlady said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > fergablu2 said:
> ...


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## chuilady (Feb 21, 2011)

My mom used to describe a skinny person as 'a rag and a bone and a hank of hair'. But if you try to start knitting with an end piece from a skein, I'd suggest  that you then toss the hank to your cats.


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## EqLady (Sep 1, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


It is a quantity of yarn - call it what you like


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

That is lovely yarn! I am glad you were able to wind it into a ball.


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## martina (Jun 24, 2012)

As a child in the North of England a skein was sold on a card for darning, a hank was wound into a ball and placed in a bee-hive shaped holder to prevent it rolling around and referred to as wool and still is, whatever the fibre. Different terms, same hobby.


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## Knitry (Dec 18, 2011)

Carol J. said:


> Joan8060, you can get a yarn holder for winding yarn cheaper than $50 if you go online to Mary Maxim or Herschners. The expensive ones are sold to spinners and are very elegant. If I had one of those wooden ones they use, I would keep it out for a decoration in the house.
> When I was a girl, all yarn came in hanks and skein yarn wasn't sold until the 1950's.
> 
> Carol J.


Someone posted this link the other day and I kept it for future reference:
ball winder $19.99 http://www.knitpicks.com/cfaccessories/accessory_display.cfm?ID=80583


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## Mare (Jan 19, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> 
> > Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


You are much more industrious than I am! When I am knitting from those types of yarn (no matter what you want to call them), I just unwind them as you did to fit over the chair, then sit in my lounger, with the foot rest out, put my feet flat, so my knees are up, and use my knees to hold the yarn. Then I can just unwrap the yarn as I knit. *BG*


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## Kuddles60 (Aug 28, 2012)

I know you are supposed to be able to knit from the inside of the skein... but too many times, it has come out as a tangled mess on me.


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## gina (Jan 18, 2011)

With one that wide that it falls to the bottom, try using two chairs with the backs facing...Then you can have the yarn near the top and not wear yourself out as much. It goes much faster too.


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## litprincesstwo (Nov 11, 2012)

Who cares! It's beauitful yarn! Thanks for the photo.


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## WelshWooly (Jul 4, 2012)

As fellow Brit, it's a skein, our american friends call it a hank though.


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## sewknitbeadgrandma (Nov 1, 2012)

So what are you going to produce with your BALL of yarn???


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## tired n' cranky (Aug 2, 2011)

Don't know about the rest of you, but my favorite yarn store will wind a hank you at no cost. It's their evil plan to keep us coming back for more. As long as they offer the service I won't be spending yarn money on a swift and ball winder. I bought two hanks of Cascades 100% alpaca there yesterday, had them wound and one is on my needles. Think I'll go join them!


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## StitchingFool (Jan 31, 2011)

That picture is definitely a hank and you may need some help or a swift and yarn winder. If not those another person to hold the hank while you wind it.

It can be done alone, but can be a pain. Some people stretch it across the back of a chair and wind from there.

Good luck.
Sandi


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## KnitQuiltBeader (Nov 30, 2011)

MissMelba said:


> Hello, sort-of related question. As I am a novice knitter my yarn has always come from the chain stores (don't have a LYS) and thus is always in the oblong skein with the center pull option. Having never used a ball, or wound my yarn into a ball, what is the benefit of using a ball? I had to use the end on the outside of the skein once as I could not find the inside one and it was a pain in the tuckus having to keep turning over the skein. I mean, if the yarn comes from the outside, won't the ball be rolling around? Sorry if this sounds too basic a question that every knitter should already know. Thanks.


We've had others on KP talk about a "yarn bowl". They've shown absolutely beautiful wooden bowls with a zig-zag cut down the side in which to slide the yarn. That way the yarn comes off the ball untangled and the ball rolls around inside the bowl, feeding the yarn to the knitter. Those yarn bowls, many of us said, are WAY too expensive for us.

So someone talked about using an old lid-less teapot with a wide opening at the top instead of a yarn bowl. The teapot would sit on the floor beside the knitter's chair. The wide open top allowed insertion of a fairly large ball of yarn. The spout on the teapot allows the yarn to be threaded out it to the project you are knitting. Many of those responding had cats and felt this was a good way to keep the cat from pouncing on a ball of yarn running away on the floor!

Maybe I need to look at some yard sales or a flea market to try to find a teapot that would fit this description, eh? The only downside I can see is that, with the teapot spout I am stuck with finishing the project since the yarn can't be undone from the spout without cutting it. But, if I just keep the ball in a plain old ceramic bowl with some weight to it, that should take care of the whole problem since I don't have a cat. Hm-m-m.

Denise


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## marimom (Aug 27, 2011)

Hank, Skein, Ball, ENJOY!!


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## sterry (May 29, 2012)

It's great to own a yarn winder and swift, but if you don't AND you purchase yarn in a yarn shop, they generally have the equipment and will wind the yarn into one or more balls for you (free of charge).


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## sewknitbeadgrandma (Nov 1, 2012)

My "yarn bowl" was FREE. I use a lidded plastic container (largr margarine). Poked a large hole in the lid, fed the yarn through that hole. Voila ...no more cat chasing my yarn ball.


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## jemima (Mar 26, 2011)

I am not surprised your arms ache winding that lot into a ball.We used to buy yarn like this years ago in the Uk.It was a right palarver winding it into balls ready to knit with.


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## jobailey (Dec 22, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> fergablu2 said:
> 
> 
> > I think you are refering to a "hank" since skeins of yarn can be knit from directly.
> ...


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## Shelagh.Hollingworth (Sep 27, 2012)

My comment is a bit late in the day. If you carefully wind the ball so that you can knit from the centre, it'll save you the hassle of having the ball rolling about. I always take the end from the centre of ready-bound balls for this reason and because I believe it's somehow less tight.


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## sewknitbeadgrandma (Nov 1, 2012)

Reply to Shelagh H...interesting tip as to why we should pull yarn from the center. However I read a tip awhile back that when pulling from the center the ball collapses after knitting from it. This results in a tangled mess. I had that happen to me with a fine yarn. Now I knit from the outside of the ball that is in a plastic container.


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## Wren (Sep 24, 2012)

This brings back memories I had one for years a wonderful gadget it was only on seeing this that I suddenly tried to remember where on earth has it got to awe well happy days !!!


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## yorkie1 (Sep 5, 2011)

I have never heard of a skein of yarn being called a ball of yarn. It's just where you live that makes the difference. A skein to me is the one you can either pull from the inside or knit from the outside. A hank is a big wound loose , "hank" tied in several places so it won't get tangled. You either get someone to hold the "hank" around their hands to form a large loop,or hang it over the back of a chair and then you wind it into a ball by hand or w/ a ball winder. 
I have been knitting since 1950 and as I said the yarn that you knit from the center pull-out or the yarn coming from the outside in this part of the country is known as a skein, not a ball.


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

You sure had your work cut out for you. Do show us the project when you have it completed. That is when you can use your arms again.


ForgetfulFi said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


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## Hazel Blumberg - McKee (Sep 9, 2011)

You really can't knit from a skein unless you wind it into a ball. If you try to knit from a skein, you'll probably end up with a tangled mess, and then all that yarn'll get wasted.

You might like to buy an umbrella swift and a ball winder for this and for other skeins. They'll help you immensely.

Hazel


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## musing crow (Nov 16, 2012)

Oh My! I never knew that terminology was so important!
I call round yarns, those that I can pull from the center, a ball. I use hank and skein interchangeably meaning yarns for which I need to use a swift and ball winder. I think I buy 95 per cent hank/skein.


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## Kissnntell (Jan 14, 2012)

who cares?? it all works up the same, doesnt it?
dont mind me, i'm just ornery this a.m. lolol


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## May59 (Jul 28, 2011)

Always roll your yarn into a ball unless it has been wound by a winder. It can get so tangled if you are not careful.


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## musing crow (Nov 16, 2012)

i think you're right!


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## Loramarin (Nov 21, 2011)

Lucky you with your fabulous Scrumptious by Fyberspates. It is a delicious soft yarn and you will love knitting it. Not so much fun to wind. If you buy yarn from your LYS they will usually wind it. If you by online often, I suggest you invest in a yarn winder and swift. Enjoy your new project.


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## Byrdgal (Jun 27, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Thank you everyone for your comments, it is in fact a skein of lace weight yarn that looked like a snake coiled up when I bought it. I have now managed to wind it all into one ball of yarn, it took me about 3 hours. I put the opened out skein over the back of a carver dining room chair. Because the wooden arms are highly polished the yarn didn't get caught up. My arms ache like crazy now.I took a photo which I'll try to upload.


I have done the same as you---put it around the back of a chair to wind it. It all takes time!


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## Knitry (Dec 18, 2011)

tired n' cranky said:


> Don't know about the rest of you, but my favorite yarn store will wind a hank you at no cost. It's their evil plan to keep us coming back for more. As long as they offer the service I won't be spending yarn money on a swift and ball winder. I bought two hanks of Cascades 100% alpaca there yesterday, had them wound and one is on my needles. Think I'll go join them!


Usually -- and quite reasonably -- any LYS will do that as a complimentary service only for yarn they've sold to you. I wouldn't dream of asking any store to do it for free with yarn I've bought elsewhere (like online), but if I did, I know my LYS would set me straight promptly and with no uncertainty. And well they should.

So, for those of us who buy yarn elsewhere (I don't spend much at my LYS -- my budget is way too tight), a $20 yarn winder could be quite a bargain.


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## scumbugusa (Oct 10, 2011)

I really lucked out as I got mine for $5 in a yard sale, brand new. i don't think she knew what she had.


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## Ask4j (May 21, 2011)

Here in the US we refer to "hank" and "skein" as 2 different things. "Skein" in the US is a factory wound ball of yarn that is worked from the center (if you are lucky enough to find the center). A "hank" on the other hand is what you call a skein. Loosely wound yarn that is then twisted until it is later wound into a ball for knitting. 
Please don't get too picky with us. It's just a difference in culture and language.[/quote]

oops not entirely true, depends on what generation you come from but the "new" image of a skein is machine spun yarn wound into "pull skeins", like Red Heart yarn and other yarns sold at craft stores--this started I am guessing back in the late 50's into the 60's. A hank is usually referred to the relaxed state of yarn after it has been spun and dyed and then it is twisted into a skein that is to be wound into a ball or cake if you use a winder. or a skein untwisted becomes a hank. how about that for a definition. doesn't matter what you call it just so everyone knows what we mean.

"5" is our KP sock expert and gave you good advice on handling lace weight yarn. Your dining chair idea, however, was a great idea and you did it! Another thought is that most yarn shops (LYS) will wind your skeins for you and usually will offer to do so. But winding months before you are ready to knit it up is not a good idea because quality yarns get smooshed down and the final results and gauge won't be the same. Love you harlequin kitty!!


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## cookie68 (May 5, 2012)

I use chair like you did. Also sit and put hank around my knees, this way I can take my time and make a ball. I never owned a winder.


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## Grandma G. (Oct 29, 2012)

I had to smile at all the arguments because it reminded me of my childhood in Scotland where I always had to hold the wool [we didn't have "yarn" in those days] while Mum rolled it into a ball [& she always wound it over 3 fingers to aviod stretching it as she wound]


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## 9ewes (Sep 10, 2012)

It's a hank, what I call a skein is what I would buy at Hobby Lobby or Michels. I suppose it could be interchangeable. A skein is also what we spinners have after we've plyed our singles yarn into a two or three ply yarn. You wind your yarn off your bobbin and onto a knitty noddy.And you take your yarn off the kniddy notty and you have a skein. Now have I thourly confused every one???


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

9ewes said:


> It's a hank, what I call a skein is what I would buy at Hobby Lobby or Michels. I suppose it could be interchangeable. A skein is also what we spinners have after we've plyed our singles yarn into a two or three ply yarn. You wind your yarn off your bobbin and onto a knitty noddy.And you take your yarn off the kniddy notty and you have a skein. Now have I thourly confused every one???


No you have not. But as the *manufacturer* calls it a *skein*, then that is what the official name of it is even though a hank and a skein are often meant in the same context.


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## frostyfranny (Jul 29, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> 9ewes said:
> 
> 
> > It's a hank, what I call a skein is what I would buy at Hobby Lobby or Michels. I suppose it could be interchangeable. A skein is also what we spinners have after we've plyed our singles yarn into a two or three ply yarn. You wind your yarn off your bobbin and onto a knitty noddy.And you take your yarn off the kniddy notty and you have a skein. Now have I thourly confused every one???
> ...


We always called them skeins


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

I don't have a LYS as i buy online, which is how I found KP. I always buy enough to qualify for free postage. In England the patterns always tell you how many "balls" of wool you need per size. So to me, a "ball" of wool is what i knit from the centre of. I used to hold the skein for my mum when i was little, i'm 56 now, so some time ago. I thought a Hank was Cliff Richard's guitarist lol.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Grandma G. said:


> I had to smile at all the arguments because it reminded me of my childhood in Scotland where I always had to hold the wool [we didn't have "yarn" in those days] while Mum rolled it into a ball [& she always wound it over 3 fingers to aviod stretching it as she wound]


I thought it went a bit off the subject. So how do you knit with yarn from a skein?


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## msdotsy1 (Oct 17, 2012)

ForgetfulFi said:


> I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


Go to your local LYS and purchase a package of daisy wheels. You take one insert the end of your yarn in the hole and proceed to wind the yarn as directed till complete. You now have a ball of yarn.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

peachy51 said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > peachy51 said:
> ...


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## Dimples16 (Jan 28, 2011)

I roll of my skeins into balls.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Thank you for that information about the yarn twisting. I now have a solid ball of yarn that I keep inside a plastic bag inside my knitting bag so it rolls around freely and the cat doen't get her paws on it. This yarn is so fine that I have had to buy new wood needles to stop it slipping round on the 4.5mm needles for this project. Bit of a nightmare for me really but I will persevere with it.
Fiona


smoqui said:


> Well, since most of us agree that a hank and a skein can be the same thing, the name is actually not the point. What is the point is that unless you have a swift to hold this on a table near you, you cannot knit directly from it without winding it up in some fashion or other before you begin.
> 
> As to whether to pull from the center or the outside, that is a topic worth considering. If the yarn is spun "S" twist and then plied "Z" twist, as is most often the case in the U.S., knitting from the inside will increase the twist of the yarn, and knitting from the outside will decrease the twist. If you knit combination style, the knits increase the twist, and the purls decrease the twist, so that a piece of balanced ribbing, such as 1 x 1 or 2 x 2 will basically balance out the twist.
> 
> ...


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## yorkie1 (Sep 5, 2011)

askj...Exactly!!


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## Gwen in L.A. (May 28, 2011)

Very pretty yarn...what will you be making?


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Knitry said:


> Carol J. said:
> 
> 
> > Joan8060, you can get a yarn holder for winding yarn cheaper than $50 if you go online to Mary Maxim or Herschners. The expensive ones are sold to spinners and are very elegant. If I had one of those wooden ones they use, I would keep it out for a decoration in the house.
> ...


Thank you for that link. they don't ship to anywhere but the USA
really I am so sad that so few people have actually answered my question but have got in a tizz about my terminology. I don't fell I would like to ask anything else now.


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Gwen in L.A. said:


> Very pretty yarn...what will you be making?


Please see earlier pages on this subject.


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## ltyler65 (Aug 14, 2012)

I love your cat. Beautiful. Happy knitting


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Shamrock said:


> Skein: A wound ball of yarn with a center pull strand.
> 
> Hank: A coiled bundle of yarn which must be wound into a ball to prevent tangling.


Thank you.
Fiona


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## Ask4j (May 21, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Knitry said:
> 
> 
> > Carol J. said:
> ...


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Hazel Blumberg said:


> You really can't knit from a skein unless you wind it into a ball. If you try to knit from a skein, you'll probably end up with a tangled mess, and then all that yarn'll get wasted.
> 
> You might like to buy an umbrella swift and a ball winder for this and for other skeins. They'll help you immensely.
> 
> Hazel


Thank you Hazel.
Fiona


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

Ask4j said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > Knitry said:
> ...


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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Knitry said:
> 
> 
> > Carol J. said:
> ...


Forgetful ... why would you be sad? Even tho the thread was somewhat hijacked as to the terminology, there was no "tizz" ... just a lively discussion where we all learned something ... and in the course of that I believe there were many answers that to knit from what you have you either need to hand wind it into a ball or use a ball winder to wind it.

This is a wonderful forum where the members are most helpful anytime you have a problem or question. We may get off topic and have lively discussion sometimes, but for the most part the questions usually get an answer and the problems are usually solved and the members here are mostly respectful even if we disagree.

Keep reading ... you will always learn something ... and keep posting ... you never know what everyone will learn with your post! :mrgreen:


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## need2know (Jan 22, 2011)

If no hands are available, I put the skein over a recliner back and work my way around it. It's a bit slow, but it gets the job done :thumbup:


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## juerobinson433 (Mar 21, 2011)

I have a wool winder that my husband made for me has 4 arms that pull out.


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## gclemens (Feb 18, 2012)

RoxyCatlady said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > fergablu2 said:
> ...


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## lizmaxwell (Jul 23, 2011)

Musingcrow and kissnntell i am on your side it doesn't matter does it


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## MarilynKnits (Aug 30, 2011)

A couple of weeks our knitting group had a "wind in". One of the ladies got her first hanks of yarn and didn't have a clue what to do with them. She had always bought pre wound balls. We started the ball around an index finger with about 3" of yarn hanging out, and made a ball with a finger sized diameter hole in the middle. Once it was about an inch in diameter, it came off the finger and got wound, being careful not to lose the 3" end. Got a ball that pulls from the middle. Friend had her lovely yarn ready to be knit into the beautiful shrug she just finished.


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## lizmaxwell (Jul 23, 2011)

No you cannot knit from wool that has not been wound into some sort of a ball you would get in a hopeless tangle. Therefor you have either to drape it over chairlegs, a long suffering other humans cooperative arms or buy a yarn swift. You then either wind it into a ball either by hand or with a ball winder.a ball winder will give u a centre pull ball, you can also do it by hand. I prefer a center pull ball as it stays where you put it and doesn't go for a stroll under the settee.

However i think we have all had a jolly good time letting off a bit of steam


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## MaryE-B (May 11, 2012)

Hi, since you are in the YK, beware of the differences in terminology between the UK and the US. There are also regional differences within geographic areas and the meaning of skein and/or hank can differ in popular usage. 
However, most commercial sites are pretty consistent in how they use terminology. For most sites, skein = ball, and the yarn is ready to be used as is. Hanks however, must be unwound and rewound into balls. 
The easiest way to do it is with a yarn swift and a ball winder. The swift is the more necessary of the 2. You don't need anyone to hold your yarn if you have a swift. I bought a relatively inexpensive one on eBay. It's less than half the price of many others, but works smoothly. I really like mine. Since I was bargain shopping, I bought a ball winder on eBay as well, and it was less expensive than most others as well.



ForgetfulFi said:


> I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


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## RavenRose (Nov 18, 2011)

Whatever it is called...skein or hank, I knit directly from it
and have only had one problem with Caron AutumnRed yarn....otherwise, I find the dangling piece, usually tucked
into center or visible from skein and knit away...can also use the two hind legs of cat to wind from.... :lol: ps: cat must be placed on back and extend legs to accomplish this...tic.... :shock:


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## Kissnntell (Jan 14, 2012)

hahahahahahaha
i must train 1 of mine
altho all of them do sleep on their backs
i could just go 4 it while they're asleep & they would b none the wiser!



RavenRose said:


> Whatever it is called...skein or hank, I knit directly from it
> and have only had one problem with Caron AutumnRed yarn....otherwise, I find the dangling piece, usually tucked
> into center or visible from skein and knit away...can also use the two hind legs of cat to wind from.... :lol: ps: cat must be placed on back and extend legs to accomplish this...tic.... :shock:


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## MaryE-B (May 11, 2012)

A pox on commercial sites for not agreeing among themselves to help us all speak a common knitting language. With their help, it would help us all understand each other. We don't need US standards, UK standards, EU standards nor all the variations between and among them, we need truly international ones!
This site gives definitions for balls, skeins and hanks, and it is the same as I was taught in my LYS; skeins and balls can be knit from directly, so are essentially equal. Hanks have to be rewound. Indeed it is a pet peeve, just like referring to DK yarn as sport weight. However, I would happily learn another set of definitions if there were some kind of universal standard. Making yarn sizes/weights standard would also be wonderful. I'd happily change from the US numerical standard to the Australian one as long as I could drop the term ply because ply has another meaning, but the numbers could be the same. I've already switched to grams when it comes to how much yarn weighs, and in there in meters. I'm learning to use mm in needles along with the US sizing, so it wouldn't be hard to switch completely to mm. 
Old patterns are and will continue to be the biggest problem because so many changes in terminology have already taken place. Even the common idioms have changed.

http://knitting.about.com/od/troubleshooting/f/hank_ball_skein.htm
This doesn't make me right or wrong because there are no real standards in knitting terminology, particularly when they are among people separated by large bodies of water. It seems that we must all be aware that the terms we use can differ and an explanation of what we mean can be a big help. standards. 


RoxyCatlady said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > fergablu2 said:
> ...


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## yorkie1 (Sep 5, 2011)

The states around where I live have never called a skein of yarn a hank. None of the stores either. Joann's has skeins of yarn and list them as such in their fliers. They are the ones that are ready to knit or crochet from with either the center pull or the outside yarn.
So it's just a matter of where you live and what is common for that area so no one is right and no one is wrong. It can be either.


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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

yorkie1 said:


> The states around where I live have never called a skein of yarn a hank. None of the stores either. Joann's has skeins of yarn and list them as such in their fliers. They are the ones that are ready to knit or crochet from with either the center pull or the outside yarn.
> So it's just a matter of where you live and what is common for that area so no one is right and no one is wrong. It can be either.


I have never seen what I call a hank at a big box store either ... just at my LYS. In my experience, the hanks I have seen are usually higher end yarns. And I have gotten hanks from some online purchases. That's why I purchased a swift and winder.

I have some Berroco and several other brands that I got at my LYS that were in hanks.

But there is a definite difference between what I call a hank and a pull skein. It is next to impossible to knit directly from a hank without some type of rewinding.


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## knitterbee (Jul 21, 2011)

I find it amazing that there are a couple people here that have actually knit from a hank (large circle of yarn)! I have a hard enough time keeping it from tangling just winding it into a ball. My LYS will wind it for me, but I don't always think to ask them, since I have only bought hanks a couple times. The one time hubby bought a hank, they offered to wind it for him.

When I wind a ball, whether it is from a hank, frogging, or to untangle a mess or firm up the end of a large skein that is now very floppy & trying to tangle, I hold on to the starting end as I wind. I wind very loosely over my fingers and when I am done, I have a center pull ball.

ForgetfulFi, thanks for asking your question and starting this interesting thread! Also, your cat is beautiful.


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## frostyfranny (Jul 29, 2011)

English dictionary says a skein is a 'loosely coiled length of yarn or thread' and a hank is a 'looped bundle of hair, rope, etc.'


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## Crumplin (Sep 7, 2012)

MissMelba said:


> Hello, sort-of related question. As I am a novice knitter my yarn has always come from the chain stores (don't have a LYS) and thus is always in the oblong skein with the center pull option. Having never used a ball, or wound my yarn into a ball, what is the benefit of using a ball? I had to use the end on the outside of the skein once as I could not find the inside one and it was a pain in the tuckus having to keep turning over the skein. I mean, if the yarn comes from the outside, won't the ball be rolling around? Sorry if this sounds too basic a question that every knitter should already know. Thanks.


Hi there; try putting your ball of yarn in a teapot (coffeepot?) and feed the end through the spout - stops it rolling around the floor and doesn't tempt the kitties!

Edna C


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## jdb (Mar 6, 2011)

Actually Fibrespace does have the winder set up and will let you use it when you buy their yarn. You just have to be patient if others are using it. Love the color of your yarn by the way. "Happy Knitting"


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## Knitry (Dec 18, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> Knitry said:
> 
> 
> > Someone posted this link the other day and I kept it for future reference:
> ...


Ah, Fiona, I know what you mean. I don't think any of my posts have ever started a terminology war, but I've certainly entered conversations where people were happy to gang up on you and verbally arm wrestle you to the ground if they found the smallest reason to or maybe they were just in the mood that day. Not only that, but I myself seem to have a penchant for asking questions that don't elicit actual answers, for various reasons. Some people have even rephrased my question or problem and considered it an answer! It would actually be quite hilarious were it not so frustrating.

BUT, don't let it wear you down. Just get back up on that horse and try again. :mrgreen: KP is, all in all, far too valuable a place not to take advantage of all it has to offer. And remember: most KPers mean well, despite all outward appearances to the contrary. :mrgreen:


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## MarilynKnits (Aug 30, 2011)

I read on one thread that when you get yarn in a ball or skein and you want to pull from the middle, if it has the band in the middle and you hold it the long way to read the band (think Red Heart) you should reach in from the right with the words right side up to look for the end. If it is a squat ball (think Sugar and Cream) you should pull from the bottom. This is supposed to make it easier to work without tangling. Yarn is twisted in such a way that for a right handed knitter, knitting from the middle keeps the ply twisted in a less likely way to split. 

Now comes my question. When I get hanks and start to wind them , I make my ball so that when I knit I can pull from the middle. (I think I mentioned this in an earlier post on this thread). How can you tell which end of the yarn to start winding to get the correct twist for knitting more smoothly? Not a rhetorical question. I would really like to know whether someone more clever than I has figured it out.


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## cspaen34 (Jan 28, 2011)

ForgetfulFi said:


> I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?


Hi ForgetfulFI! ----I realize this has been covered; however, my input is to roll it into a ball first--much too easy to become tangled if you knit directly from the skein. Many recommend ball winders and swifts. That is all well and good. In my case I have received a foot locker full of hanks. Since any hanks I have had previous to this were bought from my LYS, and since they will wind it into a ball for me, I had no desire to purchase something I will rarely have the need for and will just take up space after I am finished winding these hanks. So, instead I am making it a point to try and wind about a hank a day by hand. I spread the hank out in a circle on an ottoman in front of of me and then carefully unwind 2 or 3 circles at a time and then wind it up in a ball, repeating the process until complete. I'm sure many will shake their heads at this attempt at austerity, but it works for me.


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## peachy51 (Feb 9, 2012)

cspaen34 said:


> ForgetfulFi said:
> 
> 
> > I have just got my 1st yarn on a skein, scrumptious lace by Fibrespates and was wondering how to knit from it. Should I wind it into a ball ( about a mile of yarn) or is there a special way to knit direct from the skein?
> ...


Not shaking my head at your method ... if it works for you, that's great. However, because the winding stretches the yarn somewhat, you really shouldn't wind the hank into a "ball" (I call it a cake because that's what it looks like when it comes off my winder) too long before you are going to use it. For example, I bought 5 hanks for a project and I am just winding them as I finish one and need to add more yarn.


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## jmewin (Oct 18, 2012)

Wind it into a ball, otherwise you'll have a mess.


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## marykelly (Oct 9, 2012)

I usually buy what are known as "pull skeins" as this is the most common form of yarn here. However, I have bought the loose hank and used a chair to hold it while I wound it, as I don't have a swift or a yarn winder. Incidently, usually those pull skeins eventually have to be made into balls anyway so they don't tangle too much. A friend of mine often rewinds them when she buys them for the same reason.
Incidently, how do you feel about untangling a knot of yarn? For some reason, I find it soothing. Am I crazy?


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## cspaen34 (Jan 28, 2011)

Thanks for suggestion peachy51. I have been handwinding the balls with a *very loose* tension as I go, so don't believe I have stretched the yarn at all. Actually a much looser tension than what a ball winder would do as it forms the "cakes". Right now I want a wide selection of colors ready to go for some current projects and after the Holidays I am going to try some "Bohus knitting" which uses several colors in the beautiful borders. Probably will leave duplicate colors and some others in skeins for later use as you have mentioned.


peachy51 said:


> Not shaking my head at your method ... if it works for you, that's great. However, because the winding stretches the yarn somewhat, you really shouldn't wind the hank into a "ball" (I call it a cake because that's what it looks like when it comes off my winder) too long before you are going to use it. For example, I bought 5 hanks for a project and I am just winding them as I finish one and need to add more yarn.


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## cspaen34 (Jan 28, 2011)

No MaryKelly, you are not crazy!! It can be very soothing--and also like fitting together a puzzle.


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## marykelly (Oct 9, 2012)

To keep my ball from rolling, I put it in a "yarn barn". It's a large plastic bottle with a lid that has a hole in the top. The mouth of the bottle is big enough to insert a whole pull-skein or several balls. Just poke the end through the hole and you're on your way! By the way, though most of my barns were bought at Walmart, my DH also made me one from a large plastic jar that had held some kind of snack. Anothing knitter's tradition--recycling!


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

Who cares? Just use the yarn and enjoy it. Skein, hank, ball whatever, it has the same useful purpose. In the end it is still called YARN.


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## anokasams (May 22, 2011)

Not too long ago, I bought my first "hank" of yarn. I started a pattern and was having trouble with the very beginning (Dahlia cardigan) so went back to my LYS for some help in getting started. She took one look and said, "you're not knitting from this --- you will end up with a really big mess" and then she whisked it out of my hands and went back to her ball winder and arrived shortly thereafter with a really nice ball of yarn. That's one solution. After this, I got my hubby to help me as he seems to not mind doing this.


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## carillonpatrice (Nov 26, 2012)

commercially produce skeins in paper wrappers always have a center-pull end, you just have to slightly disembowel the skein to find it (back in the day they used to tie the inside end to the outside end so it was easy). Hanks or twists need to be wound into balls, but skeins have center-pull ends.


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## Texmama (Oct 22, 2012)

I would call that a skein or a hank.... You definitely want to make it into a ball. Poor girl, three hours!!! I thought a yarn swift and yarn winder was a splurge, but wow, it is so fun to use and makes real quick work out of a skein of yarn! You can wind that mile of yarn in minutes! Worth every penny, mine are from Knitpicks. And now that I have them, I am much happier to buy a skein. 

BTW, your kitty is beautiful!


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## Texmama (Oct 22, 2012)

Oh yeah, I've been in the Beehive store in Victoria. I noticed that they have a swift and yarn winder in store for anyone who buys their yarn there, I thought that was really smart. Surely there are other wool shops who do the same, if not, they ought to think to do that!


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## janeafennell (Dec 11, 2011)

Hey, I love your dining room chairs... just like my Mother's..... Happy knitting.... whatever you call your yarn-a ball, skein, or a hank.... you get the same results from the needles!!!!


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

lizmaxwell said:


> No you cannot knit from wool that has not been wound into some sort of a ball you would get in a hopeless tangle. Therefor you have either to drape it over chairlegs, a long suffering other humans cooperative arms or buy a yarn swift. You then either wind it into a ball either by hand or with a ball winder.a ball winder will give u a centre pull ball, you can also do it by hand. I prefer a center pull ball as it stays where you put it and doesn't go for a stroll under the settee.
> 
> However i think we have all had a jolly good time letting off a bit of steam


Hello Lizmaxwell, i like this reply the most and a big thank you to everyone that took part. xxx Fiona


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## Etoile700 (Oct 31, 2012)

you can get a yarn winder in a wool shop.


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## Linsmom (Sep 21, 2012)

To the best of my knowledge, trying to knit from a skein is only asking for trouble (tangles etc.). I would suggest you wind it into a ball before you start the knitting. Quite often in movies depicting pioneers or other self sufficient types, you will see someone doing this - actually it is a two person operation. The helper sits with hands extended horizontally, holding taught the skein stretched around them while the other person winds the yarn into a ball. Hope this helps.


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