Question # 1 Balls

[Poinciana]

Oh me-o, mi-o!

When, where, or why does anyone make balls out of their yarn?

[DinahRoberts]

If it's a center pull skein I don't make balls out of it. If it's a partial skein and getting ratty I do make a ball out of that so it don't get all tangled up. However, there is yarn that comes in a hank that has to be rolled using a swift to hold it unless you have a kind person to hold it for you. Otherwise it gets tangled something fierce! Anyway, that's my answer but someone else might have a different one. Hugs, Dinah

[seashells_Shelly]

I used to make balls out of my yarn so it was easier to take along if I knew I would have to wait. Now I wind my yarn around the foam spinner on a knit n spin and it's a lot easier for me. I pop it into a little tote bag when going to dr or other place where i'll have a waiting time. I don't have any yarn vomit or knots or any other problems my yarn might decide to give me. I agree with Dinah on the yarn that comes in a hank. It can be tricky to get a nice person to hold the yarn for you to wind it. I find that if I use my feet to hold the hank and wind onto a foam spinner (part of the knit n spin) I don't have any problems and my yarn cooperates nicely. I do wear clean socks before I put the hank around my feet LOL. I don't often buy yarn in a hank unless I love it and find a good deal on it so I want to make sure I am especially careful winding it. HUGS, Shelly

[DinahRoberts]

I used to make balls out of my yarn so it was easier to take along if I knew I would have to wait. Now I wind my yarn around the foam spinner on a knit n spin and it's a lot easier for me. I pop it into a little tote bag when going to dr or other place where i'll have a waiting time. I don't have any yarn vomit or knots or any other problems my yarn might decide to give me. I agree with Dinah on the yarn that comes in a hank. It can be tricky to get a nice person to hold the yarn for you to wind it. I find that if I use my feet to hold the hank and wind onto a foam spinner (part of the knit n spin) I don't have any problems and my yarn cooperates nicely. I do wear clean socks before I put the hank around my feet LOL. I don't often buy yarn in a hank unless I love it and find a good deal on it so I want to make sure I am especially careful winding it. HUGS, Shelly

I finally bought a swift and got it for around $10 on eBay from China. Much, much cheaper than from a yarn shop here in the states!!!

[Theresa L]

I have purchase yarn from yard sales and sometimes it's been wound into balls. I usually set it in a bowl on the floor to keep it from rolling away when I'm working with it. Hope that helps!

[seashells_Shelly]

You did get a great deal, Dinah. Congradulations on such a good deal -----HUGS, Shelly

[buggainok]

I know everyone is different in what feels comfortable and easy to use when it comes to crochet. I only buy yarn in skeins, never hanks, so that is not an issue for me, to have to wind a ball for that reason. So I never wind balls of yarn.

Most of the skeins I use, i.e. Red Heart, Bernat, Hobby Lobby brand, etc. come in skeins that have a center pull. I've found that they work for a time, but always eventually end up tangling and having knots.

So, I just take the wrapper off my skein, put the skein in a sturdy brown grocery sack by my chair, and unwind the yarn from the outside. The bag keeps it from going anywhere. I unroll a few lines of yarn, crochet it up, then tug a little and unroll more. I suppose some would think that breaks their crochet rhythm, but I have a toy poodle to do that, and a hubby who interrupts frequently, so my rhythm is pretty much non-existent anyway.

[billieconrad]

As with some of the other replies, I pull from the center of a skein when I can. However, when you get something that you just have to wind into a ball in order to work with it a neat trick is to use one of the plastic containers that M & M minis come in. You put the loose end of your yarn into the container and fasten it; then wind around the container in a diagonal direction like one side of an X, turning the container gradually. When you are done winding, open the container, slip the ball off - you can work from the center of the ball with the end that was inside the container; or, leave it on the container (can put in a bowl or sack) and pull from the outside.

[LI Roe]

I wind leftover yarn into balls and then put them in a Snapware container when I am crocheting with it so it rolls around in a contained space and not under the couch and halfway across the room.

Most of the time I use the center pull and hope that it doesn't blob out more than I need, occasionally it does and then I either use it that way or just stop trying to crochet and roll it into a ball.

Everyone has a different way of handling it. I find, believe it or not, that rolling yarn, when necessary, into balls, is very relaxing for me.

LI Roe

[Ginnie256]

I make balls when the skein is almost finished. Usually I keep them in a basket when I'm working on a small project (it keeps them from rolling all over the place) I also make balls when I get something I want to take apart to make something else. It's easier for me that way. I can also put a few balls in my purse when I ride the bus. Much easier than a full skein.