Question about hanks....

CarmenIbanez · 05-02-2007, 04:23 PM

Why, once a yarn is dyed, do people re-wind it? I kind of like the way that hanks look with blocks of color. Why do some people decide to change it? Is there some conventional wisdom on this that I am just not thinking of?

sara_jayne · 05-02-2007, 09:25 PM

I say leave it in hanks, personally. Lisa Souza dyes all her yarn and delivers it in hanks. I think hanks are better for the yarn - center pull balls could pull it to tight and disruput the yarn (misshape it) where as hanks just let the yarn hang out until the knitter is ready to knit with it (and then wind it).

Just my thought!

Are you gonna start carrying yarn?????

CarmenIbanez · 05-02-2007, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by sara_jayne

I say leave it in hanks, personally. Lisa Souza dyes all her yarn and delivers it in hanks. I think hanks are better for the yarn - center pull balls could pull it to tight and disruput the yarn (misshape it) where as hanks just let the yarn hang out until the knitter is ready to knit with it (and then wind it).

Just my thought!

Are you gonna start carrying yarn?????

I was wondering about the folks who take their hanks, already dyed and then put them back on the swift and then turn them back into hanks? I don't like center pull balls either. I like putting them in my own center pull balls, because I make smaller balls that will fit in my knitting bag.

CarmenIbanez · 05-02-2007, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by sara_jayne

Are you gonna start carrying yarn?????

My dad and I are trying to work out a deal with his wife's family to help us import some beautiful thai silk yarn. I am not interested in being my own yarn shop, really. But I'd like to offer a few yarns that are special and unique.

sara_jayne · 05-02-2007, 09:30 PM

I'm so bad at reading - I was reading your post again and realized you were talking about other people

I hope you can work out the whole import thing!

dustinac · 05-02-2007, 09:30 PM

I think it's just what you like..

I've noticed that a lot of times the blocks of color don't give a very good look to how the yarn will look wound up.. and the hanks are not as pretty.. on KG they showed it on skein winder.. she first put it on a swift then spun it on to the skien winder.. this lines up the blocks of color better and shows you how the pattern will work out.. more.. I've been thinking of getting a Niddy Noddy cause the skein winder thing is about 80.00.. this way I can also buy cones of yarn and use the noddy to get the yardage I need.. but right now I'm just winding it in cakes cause I think it looks better than the chunky blocks

My green, lilac, and blue looked ugly.. I mean ugly when it was drying.. dh was like umm.. hun.. why don't you just stick to solids

he was even amazed how pretty it turned out when I wound it up...

SandraEllen · 05-03-2007, 01:11 PM

when I dye yarn, sometimes i use really long hanks that aren't a standard size. It helps prevent pooling. There's no way one of these hanks would fit on a standard swift.

I'm assuming they put them back into regular size hanks so people can use their swifts at home.

CarmenIbanez · 05-03-2007, 04:48 PM

Now that makes a lot of sense. Not being a swifty girl, I didn't think of that. Thanks for the explanation.

CindyH · 05-03-2007, 08:52 PM

I am one of those people that rewind the hank into another hank after dyeing. The main reason I do so is because I think the result better shows how the colors look together knit up. Also, sometimes a block of color can be only on one side of the hank, so then it's hard to photograph a good representation of all the colors. Additionally, sometimes the hank gets a little bit disorderly after dyeing, so rewinding it tidies it up nicely. The size of the hank can also be a reason, like SandraEllen said. When I dye self-striping colorways of more than 2 colors, the hank definitely needs to be rewound, since the circumference of the hank can be around 10 yards!