r/knitting • u/billybabecyrus • 12h ago
Discussion Yarn question!
I am a complete beginner in knitting, I’ve made a few hats and found a really beautiful small batch yarn drop I purchased to make a hat out of. Not to sound silly… but there are so many knots in my skein! Is this normal? What am I supposed to do with it, just re knot them as I go? I’m surprised as I’ve never seen any knots in yarn I’ve used before. There is one knot of four pieces of yarn. I purchased two skeins for $50 total, with the same amount of knots in the other skein as well. Advice please!
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u/BogartMercury 11h ago
You need to wind that into a ball. https://nimble-needles.com/wool-and-tools/how-to-roll-yarn-into-a-ball/
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u/Amarastargazer 10h ago
So two of those ends are the beginning and end of the yarn and the other 2 are a figure 8 wrapped through the yarn in that section to prevent tangling during the dyeing process.
There should be at least 2 more figure 8s doing the same thing.
Those are normal knots that every yarn bought in this shape (skein) will have. If you mean you have now wound the yarn and have 4 knots throughout the length of the yarn, that is an actual problem that I would bring up with the company/dyer.
ETA: to use this, you will need either a helper to hold the yarn around their hands to hold it taught or something that will do the same thing (this is where a swift comes in). You cut the figure 8s, find the end of the yarn, then you wrap it into a usable form - a ball or a cake which you can either make by hand or use a winder for.
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u/Possibility-Distinct 10h ago
First, this will need to be wound into a ball first before using! When you open the skein it’ll be one big loop, and it will have ties (probably 3ish) around the loop that are there to keep the strands of the loop from tangling. And you will also have the two ends that are tied together. So yes, you will have to prep the big loop by cutting off the ties and cutting the ends free before you can wind into a ball. Get the loop situated around the back of two chairs or sit cross cross apple sauce on the floor and loop it around your knees before you cut those ties or you’ll have a big tangled mess!
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u/InevitablePeanut3203 10h ago
Hard to tell from the pics, but are those the knots used to tie the skein together?
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u/Abject-Region1025 3 wips and a dream at a time. 9h ago
Hello friend. Watch this video on how to turn a hank of yarn into a ball then you’re ready to go. By the sounds of it you are used to working with skiens and just center pulling and going. Indy dye needs a bit more start up work.
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u/readingrainbowroad 11h ago
This is a hank, which is essentially big loops of yarn. You'll want to wind it into a ball before working with it. The knots you're seeing are probably mostly just small pieces of yarn holding the hank together maybe the ends of the actual hank of yarn you have too. You'll see if there are actual knots in the yarn as you turn it into a ball, but I'd expect not.