At the start of the year, I always think ahead to what I’m planning on making this year. I’ve been busy filling up my knit¬e planner for 2023. Before I can start casting on all my New Year’s projects, first I have to wind some yarn. The process of unpacking a fresh skein, setting up my winder and swift, and winding the yarn is so satisfying. I find the winding process so relaxing. It is almost magical watching the swift spinning around. If you are new to winding your own yarn, or have been wondering whether or not you should be, I’ll take you through my yarn winding process.
Unpacking & Unrolling
Depending on the brand of yarn, you might have a label around your skein, looped through it, or a little tag dangling off. The first step is to remove the packaging and then unfurl your skein. Skeins are twisted up and then the one looped end is tucked into the other looped end to keep it secure. It is very simple to just untuck the loop and the skein should fall out into a large ring of yarn.
Stretching & Aligning
I usually like to stretch out and align the skein before putting it on the swift. This helps to make sure that all the yarn is lined up nicely and that the skein isn’t twisted, which could cause troubles while you are winding your yarn.
Loading the Swift
I open up the swift slightly, so that it is easier for me to adjust it with one hand. Place the skein over the swift, but make sure that it stays flat and untwisted. This can be a bit difficult, but while holding the skein with one hand, use your other hand open up your swift so that the yarn fits snug on the swift and doesn’t fall down. Usually a skein will have two or three spots where it is being held in place by scrap yarn. Now is the time to remove these these. You can either cut them with scissors, or unknot them. Keep in mind that one of these will have the two ends of your yarn tied up into it, so be mindful of where you cut.
Prep for Winding
Now you have to find the end of your yarn that runs around the outside of the skein. Sometimes it can be tricky to choose the right one, so take your time, otherwise things can get a bit tangled. Once you find the right one, put the strand through your feeder on your ball winder.
Winding Wonder
Here comes my favorite part. Find a comfortable seat next to your winder, and wind away. Depending on the weight of yarn and size of the skein, this can pass quickly, or take several minutes. Lace weight yarn takes the longest, and bulky weight yarn will wind much quicker.
If you are winding multiple skeins at the same time, then you can start the whole process over again.
If you wind your own yarn, do you enjoy it, or find it to be a chore? What is your favorite part about the yarn winding experience?
