I´m here while winding a yarn skein into a ball (hope I wrote all right). It´s a lovely and VERY expensive linen yarn I´m using for a bag. I use a capsized stool for this use and I´m proud of this low tech solution :-) DH looked at me, very happy that he doesn´t have to sit keeping the skein (I wouldn´t ask anyway, since I don´t like myself doing that). He asked me: why do the sell skeins instead of ready balls? I don´t have a answer, maybe you do...
Hugs,
Anna Maria
I did some searching on the question of why yarns are sold in different forms and found
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gives one person's theory on the reason. She says the yarn would getmore creases if it has been wound into a skein rather than left in a hank.I'm rather skeptical of this as a reason. Note that what she calls a hank,others call a skein. As I looked at more search results, I can see thatthere is not universal agreement on the meaning of the hank, skein and ball.There is a better explanation at
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why yarns are put up in various forms.Another interesting site I found at
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which explains how to usean electric mixer as a ball winder. Anyone want to try it?Just recently, I learned about a great alternative to a swift which usingsomething I already had - a lamp shade. Assuming you have one with theproper circumference, lay the skein or hank of yarn around it and unscrewthe finial just enough so the shade will rotate freely. And away you go!