How to Wind a Ball of Yarn

The cheapo Jess way. See, most yarns come in hanks, which is basically yarn looped and then tied in a figure 8 formation. Hanks are great because they minimize space (which means you can hoard...um..store more yarn), let you see the colour and texture of yarn better and they are the easiest way to go from just spun/dyed wool to a managable object. You can't knit/crochet from yarn however so many people invest in yarn winnder. I, on the other hand, put my money in toilet paper!

You'll need:

Empty toilet paper cardboard roll
Two medium height, heavy objects
Hank of yarn

Take the cardboard tube and rip a notch diagonally at the top (illustrated in the red circle).

Take your hank and unwind it from it's figure 8 shape. Place the hank around the two heavy objects:. I usually put it over the back of a chair or over two mugs. This is to ensure that the hank doesn't become a tangled mess as you wind the yarn. Find the loose end of the yarn and pull it away from the rest of the hank.

Tuck the loose end into the notch in the cardboard tube. Make sure it's secure and make a loose wrap around the cardboard tube.

Wrap around the tube 50 times. Make sure you don't wrap too tight! Not only does it make getting the yarn off the tube more difficult but it'll also stretch out your yarn which messes with the stretchy feel of a knit object.

Begin to wrap the yarn slightly diagonally on the tube.

Alternate wrapping straight around and diagonally. Also at this point I like to "compress" the yarn. To do this, push the top edge of the yarn down with your index fingers while simultaneously pushing the bottom edge of the yarn up with your thumbs. This is what really holds my skeins together. Continue wrapping the yarn until the hank runs out. Tuck in the end wherever you see fit (tuck it though, or else you might confuse it with the center pull end!). Release your center pull from the notch and pull your new ball off the tube. Voila! A ball of yarn!

If you find your yarn is too flimsy, keep practicing. My cardboard tube method has never failed me and after practice I've been told that my skeins "look just as beautiful as the ones in stores."

Stash Tip: Once I start working with a yarn, I place it in a sandwich or ziplock bag. What I do is cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag, feed the center pull through, tie bag and throw into my stash box. This way my WIP yarns don't get tangled with each other. You can work with the yarn still in the bag: just pull on the yarn and it'll come out through the hole. This is great when you're doing a multi-skein project.

Sorry the images aren't great. MS Paint is only my friend on Thursdays; any other time of the week she's a hating whore.