Purl & Plausch #2 From Skein to Ball

🧶 From skein to ball – Why you should wind your yarn before knitting

When you buy hand-dyed yarn, it usually comes in skeins – beautifully spun, harmoniously colored, and ready to be knitted. But before the needles can start clicking, there's a small but important intermediate step: winding .

Why wrap?

A skein of yarn isn't ready to knit with immediately. If you were to unwind it directly from its twisted form, knots would quickly form or the yarn would tangle. Winding it creates a ball or "cake" that can be unwound evenly and without tension – perfect for knitting or crocheting smoothly.

What you need

• A yarn winder and a reel – the classic combination
• Or: a helping hand 😉 if you don't already own a reel.
• Alternatively, you can place the rope over a chair back or a door handle – generally speaking:
  Anything that divides the strand and helps to unwind it cleanly can and should be used .

Here's how it works

1. Open the strand – Carefully release the twist and spread the strand out in a large circle.
2. Remove the securing threads – only cut the small pieces of yarn holding the strand together once you have securely stretched it out. Cut off the small knots – this ensures you don't accidentally cut into your strand.
3. Winding and coiling – Attach the end of the yarn to the yarn winder and start slowly. The yarn should run evenly – not too tightly, but also not too loosely.
4. Your cake is finished! Now you can use the thread either from the outside or from the inside – depending on how you prefer to work.

No tools required – winding wool by hand.

Of course, you can also wind your strand completely by hand – although this takes a little longer, it is wonderfully meditative and works almost anywhere.

Here's how:

1. Stretch the open strand over a chair back, a door handle, or ask someone to hold out their hands.
2. Find the beginning of the thread and begin to form a small wrap in the center – about the size of a thumb.
3. Now continue winding loosely in a spiral , gently rotating the resulting ball in your hand to keep it evenly round.
4. As soon as it gets bigger, you can guide the thread diagonally across – this keeps the ball stable and prevents it from getting tangled.
5.  

A little tip

If you have several strands for a project, it is worth processing them alternately (changing every 1-2 rows) to achieve smooth transitions between slightly different colors.

✨ Conclusion:
Wrapping yarn is a loving ritual in every new project. It slows you down, creates order – and brings you step by step closer to your finished knitting project. 🧶

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