I know this is long and I hope nobody thinks I am a know it all, I just want to share what I learned about yarn winders.
Before winding I place the unwound yarn in a tall container on the floor. If it is a center pull skein I pull from the center.
If it is not center pull I alternate pulling a few yards of yarn from the skein, then wind and pull a little more.
Always winding at a steady pace holding onto the yarn to control the tension.
When your cake is ready to remove, loosely roll the label and hold it atop the spindle so when you lift the yarn from the spindle you can slide the label inside the cake. Then thread a yarn needle with the loose end and run it, at an angle through the side out the top edge of the “cake”. If you let the yarn end stick out the top a slight tug of that yarn tail will tighten and accent the strand you must pull to pull it back out again.
Please read the caution before you start to wind using this next method.
Yarn winders do not readily accommodate very small amounts of yarn. You need a fair amount for the “cake” to hold its shape. To resolve this issue you need two (2) empty toilet tissue rolls. I chose those because most of us have a steady supply of them.
Make a quarter inch cut on the edge of the first roll and place the loose end of the yard to be wound into that slash.
It holds the yarn like the notch on the spindle. You must do this first as you will not be able to do it when the roll is in place.
Place the roll on the spindle, with the slash holding the yarn at the bottom. The roll will probably be too big.
Flatten the second roll then fold it in half to create quarters. Slide the flattened, quartered roll between the spindle and the roll. This makes a “shim” and tightens the first roll to keep it from sliding around. Now thread the yarn strand through the yarn guides and slowly wind holding the yarn to control tension. With this method you can wind any small amount of yarn, then secure the end with the top edge stitch, as noted above, and write the yarn information on the roll. Also if the amount is small enough, and since the yarn winds at the bottom, you can turn the roll over and wind another color on the other end.
CAUTION:
When using a shim, you must wind slowly because winding rapidly creates centrifugal force. Centrifugal force will cause any shim to pull up and away which can then become a flying hazard. In my haste to try my idea I jammed a crochet hook between the spindle and the roll and started winding furiously.. Yep, the hook flew out the top, taking off like a rocket across the room narrowing missing my TV. Lesson learned with no injuries.
The advantage to center pull skeins was to prevent the yarn from rolling around when working with it and the disadvantage to center pulls skeins is they collapse into themselves and tangle as you deplete the yarn. I hate yarn barf. Since the yarn winder creates “cakes” which will stand in one place and do not roll around, I never work from the center of the “cake” as that will cause it to collapse into itself the same as a center pull skein. I found constant rewinding of collapsed yarn, will cause it to twist and the more often you rewind the tighter the twist.
PS: If you have not purchased one yet, and you use a lot of yarn, I suggest your buy the largest one your budget will afford. I now have 2 because I bought the first one I saw and it will only wind 4 ounces. I hate KNOTS and like to buy/wind big skeins without cutting the yarn so I now have one that will wind more that twice that amount.
Thank you for your patience I hope this helps someone.
Before winding I place the unwound yarn in a tall container on the floor. If it is a center pull skein I pull from the center.
If it is not center pull I alternate pulling a few yards of yarn from the skein, then wind and pull a little more.
Always winding at a steady pace holding onto the yarn to control the tension.
When your cake is ready to remove, loosely roll the label and hold it atop the spindle so when you lift the yarn from the spindle you can slide the label inside the cake. Then thread a yarn needle with the loose end and run it, at an angle through the side out the top edge of the “cake”. If you let the yarn end stick out the top a slight tug of that yarn tail will tighten and accent the strand you must pull to pull it back out again.
Please read the caution before you start to wind using this next method.
Yarn winders do not readily accommodate very small amounts of yarn. You need a fair amount for the “cake” to hold its shape. To resolve this issue you need two (2) empty toilet tissue rolls. I chose those because most of us have a steady supply of them.
Make a quarter inch cut on the edge of the first roll and place the loose end of the yard to be wound into that slash.
It holds the yarn like the notch on the spindle. You must do this first as you will not be able to do it when the roll is in place.
Place the roll on the spindle, with the slash holding the yarn at the bottom. The roll will probably be too big.
Flatten the second roll then fold it in half to create quarters. Slide the flattened, quartered roll between the spindle and the roll. This makes a “shim” and tightens the first roll to keep it from sliding around. Now thread the yarn strand through the yarn guides and slowly wind holding the yarn to control tension. With this method you can wind any small amount of yarn, then secure the end with the top edge stitch, as noted above, and write the yarn information on the roll. Also if the amount is small enough, and since the yarn winds at the bottom, you can turn the roll over and wind another color on the other end.
CAUTION:
When using a shim, you must wind slowly because winding rapidly creates centrifugal force. Centrifugal force will cause any shim to pull up and away which can then become a flying hazard. In my haste to try my idea I jammed a crochet hook between the spindle and the roll and started winding furiously.. Yep, the hook flew out the top, taking off like a rocket across the room narrowing missing my TV. Lesson learned with no injuries.
The advantage to center pull skeins was to prevent the yarn from rolling around when working with it and the disadvantage to center pulls skeins is they collapse into themselves and tangle as you deplete the yarn. I hate yarn barf. Since the yarn winder creates “cakes” which will stand in one place and do not roll around, I never work from the center of the “cake” as that will cause it to collapse into itself the same as a center pull skein. I found constant rewinding of collapsed yarn, will cause it to twist and the more often you rewind the tighter the twist.
PS: If you have not purchased one yet, and you use a lot of yarn, I suggest your buy the largest one your budget will afford. I now have 2 because I bought the first one I saw and it will only wind 4 ounces. I hate KNOTS and like to buy/wind big skeins without cutting the yarn so I now have one that will wind more that twice that amount.
Thank you for your patience I hope this helps someone.
