In 2007, I received this special silk yarn from Argentina, from my friend Vik. Its so lovely! I'm still saving it until I'm sure I've got the right project...
Winding yarn manually is easy once you get to practice it. A gadget isn't necessary, but if you have a swift and a yarn winder it would save you some time.
Note: Skeins of yarn are tied together at intervals to prevent tangling. Do not untie the skeins until you are ready to wind the yarn into balls.
Here are the simple steps to manually wind yarn.
First hang the skein on the back of a chair so the skein forms a circle, cut or untie the knots.
Pick up one end of the yarn and begin winding. You can follow the steps here, or do as I did:
I used the cardboard tube found at the center of the Cannon threads from my previous projects. If you can't find one, a toilet paper tube cut into half can also be used ;) 
Wind the yarn evenly on the center of the cardboard, then continue winding diagonally, while slowly rotating the cardboard in the opposite direction.
Continue in the same manner, and you can see the yarn will form neatly into a ball.
In a few minutes, you're done!
Dear Mimi,
ReplyDeleteI remember I wanted to send you something and I went yarn shopping and found that silk yarn. Can you believe it, that silk yarn is sold out and you can no longer get it. I remember the lady in the shop told me that, when knitting or crocheting with silk yarn, it´s better if you use at the same time another thin cotton or yarn to give it stability. The pure silk is too soft.
About winding: The back of the chair works ok. But I think the best way is still to get a "volunteer", who sits in the chair and holds the hank with both arms. The volunteer helps by making some movements with the arms, while you wind the yarn. When I was a child, I was a proud volunteer when Grandma wanted to wind.
(too long comment!!)
Thanks Vik!! Your tips are so helpful...I admit using the chair isn't so efficient, because I need to stand while winding. I also tried winding yarn placed around my bended knees, while I was comfortably sitting on the sofa, and it was easier ;)
ReplyDeleteBtw, I'm a bit scared to work with the special silk yarn! So I pray I still have lots more time in my life to think about what to make of it. Thank you so much again Vik :))
I really love that yarn.I use this same method too Mimi but I would love to have a yarn winder :)
ReplyDeleteHi Pearlin! It would be nice to just sit back and watch a yarn winder do its job ;)
ReplyDeleteYou make that look so easy Mimi! I couldn't tell you the amount of times I tried to do it by hand and got hopelessly tangled in yarn. Luckily my mother has the patience to untangle the messes I create. hehe
ReplyDeleteHi Zu, blame it on the yarn, hehe...This one was easy to wind ;)
ReplyDelete