yarn twists

[Catherine]

I am returning to knitting after 30 years and loving the feel of yarn in my fingers again! But I am having a problem I don't remember having in the past - the yarn keeps twisting - so much so that it knots up. What am I doing wrong?

[amy]

Welcome Catherine!

I can't imagine what you're doing to make the yarn twist like that! ???? You might want to go to your LYS (local yarn shop) and have someone watch you knit--maybe they can help you figure it out.

Good luck!
Amy

[Marnie]

Some of this may be the yarn you are using. I am workign with a ribbon yarn right now that is on a core like toilet paper is. When I pull my yarn, it twists up something terrible. the only way I could resolve this would be to put it on a stand that would force the yarn to unwind flat instead of twirling off the top of the skein, willy nilly.

Other yarns twist and kink up when they are pulled from the center of the ball or pulled from the outside. Yarn's just funky that way.

What kind of yarn are you using and in what form is it (skein, ball, hank, pile?)

[Catherine]

I think the problem was the way I was winding the yarn into a ball - I was doing it by hand and some how twisting it. This was a problem I used to have when I did embroidery and then they told me that some people just move their wrists in such a way that this happens and, if you do it, it is really hard to stop. I have since taken the yarn into the shop (another plug for supporting your local store) and wound the yarn on a yarn winder and haven't been troubled. Thanks for the suggestions.

[beldaraan]

What's a hank and wouldn't putting your yarn into a big pile mean the perfect "breeding" place for knots?