Just a random thought for a Thursday in February.
When you buy a skein of yarn, do you take it away from the shop/festival as a skein, or do you ask for it to be wound?
Now there should really be a bit of back story to this random question. Gail of the IBKC was just on a weekend trip to Amsterdam, where she just so happened to stumble into Stephen and Penelope, yes that Stephen and Penelope! Being the little child that i am, Gail was asked politely to bring me back a skein of speckled hedgehog fibre yarn and to let her pal Stephen to choose the colour!
ANYWAY, Gail picked one up for me and Mr West even wound it which started a debate with Mr fluph.
"Why do you keep all your yarn in skeins?"
After a brief think I came up with the fact that I love nothing better than starting a new project by winding my yarn into cakes; It is just part of the starting something new ritual, winding that skein and popping it into the project bag along with the newly printed pattern and needles ready to go.
When i look at the caked yarn in my stash it reminds me of projects that haven't worked out, or things i meant to start but haven't. It's such a subconscious thing. Also skeins stay nice even after a good squishing!
Its often a question i get asked in the shop, why hanks? or people exclaim
"my granny use to make us wind these."
Basically it comes down to this, hanks are easier to stack than balls, trust me on this one. Or if the yarn comes from a small producer or an indie dyer, the yarn already comes pre skeined so turning it into balls just adds on more time (and therefore money).
So Mr fluph I am definitely a skein girl, Unless wound by Stephen West!
I also thought i would throw in the fact that I have the facilities in the shop to wind yarn. Any yarn bought in fluph i will wind for you if you so wish. just let me know when you are buying.
If you have anything from your stash that needs wound feel free to bring it in and ill wind it for you for a small fee of 50p per skein.
So what do you prefer? do you like the cake, or the skein?
I do love a good cake. I like seeing all the colours when it's wound.and they're just so neat looking.
ReplyDeleteit can be really cool to see them wound, i agree
DeleteI do love a good cake. I like seeing all the colours when it's wound.and they're just so neat looking.
ReplyDeleteI also keep yarn in my stash as skeins, keeping them wound up into cakes or balls can stretch the yarn unevenly and affect your gauge. Agreed, winding yarn into a cake signals the beginning of a new project for me too :)
ReplyDeleteIm very much stuck in my ways with my casting on rituals :D
DeleteLove it in skeins for storage, contemplating and fondling. Wound into cakes for knitting...it means business then!
ReplyDeleteGetting down to business with the next project :D
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