The Sewing Place

Drawing wool from the centre of the ball

Pearl

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #15 on: June 16, 2018, 18:50:27 PM »

Marniesews

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #16 on: June 16, 2018, 21:36:47 PM »
Who's been in my wool bag?! Seems like it will look like that for a little longer, Pearl, as my ebay order due between Tuesday/Thursday still hasn't arrived. 

Not sure how long I should wait before I query it.  ><
Hopefully back more regularly! Ballroom sewing may be permanently paused but bag making is the current focus.

Sewingforfun

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #17 on: June 21, 2018, 13:23:56 PM »
The advantage is that the whole ball is less likely to unwind if you drop it (you can tie in the outside end), but as Brenda says, it does collapse a bit when you get near the end.
 
If you wind your own balls from big skeins, it's easy to get it do this, and to come out easily! To start, make a few loops over your hand, then holding the bunch of loops with the free end sticking out, start winding the ball this way and that over the loops, always making sure the free end is sticking out. When you are done, pull the free end (or the whole bunch of loops) out from the middle and it will come out easily from the centre. I'm not sure it always woks so well with commercial balls that aren't made to do that.
Dancing too much and trying to remember sewing is for fun! Used to be CarolC.

Thecostumelady

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #18 on: June 21, 2018, 13:59:37 PM »
Can anyone remember those plastic wool holders we used to use?  They looked like a beehive with a round flat base going up to a sort of rounded off cone shape.  You put your ball of wool inside and threaded the end of wool through a hole in the top.  They would either stand on the floor next to you or they had a plastic loop on the top so you could carry them on your wrist as you walked around knitting (???!!).  I don't suppose they would work these days with the shape of todays 'balls' of yarn as it required the ball to rotate as you pulled it out.  At the time, yarn was sold in hanks that you had to wind into balls before you could use them anyway.
Ann x

wrenkins

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #19 on: June 21, 2018, 22:27:44 PM »
"looked like a beehive with a round flat base going up to a sort of rounded off cone shape."
My mum had a pink one!  :S
Harbouring resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die!

BrendaP

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #20 on: June 21, 2018, 23:00:04 PM »
The beehive shaped ones would have been marketed by Paton and Baldwins; some of their wool was branded Beehive.

Mine is a much more mundane shape and it has 'Falcon Nestling, double knitting' printed onto a transparent sticker which is on the side.  I use it for bits of string!
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Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

Marniesews

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #21 on: June 24, 2018, 20:53:41 PM »
Well, we're not doing very well on buying a wool winder. The one ordered from eBay didn't turn up and the seller just refunded the cost without explanation whereas I'd really rather they'd just sent another. Now I've got my sewing alterations for yesterday's comp out of the way, I'll have another look what's available - the practicality of having several smaller balls of wool to carry around is appealing too but I know I don't have the patience to wind my own, @Sewingforfun:|
Hopefully back more regularly! Ballroom sewing may be permanently paused but bag making is the current focus.

Sewingforfun

Re: Drawing wool from the centre of the ball
« Reply #22 on: June 24, 2018, 21:48:33 PM »
Well, we're not doing very well on buying a wool winder. The one ordered from eBay didn't turn up and the seller just refunded the cost without explanation whereas I'd really rather they'd just sent another. Now I've got my sewing alterations for yesterday's comp out of the way, I'll have another look what's available - the practicality of having several smaller balls of wool to carry around is appealing too but I know I don't have the patience to wind my own, @Sewingforfun:|

I have an umbrella "swift" that holds the skeins and goes round and round as you pull the wool off it. Like this - https://www.ckbltd.com/uk/craft/wooden-knitting-umbrella-swift-yarn-winder-holder.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwgr3ZBRAAEiwAGVssnY1H93PEi18HiXLcpcZLT6JJyt3x3c76DhhlTe7SbBgJZer1FN_ithoCkPIQAvD_BwE
 To do the balls, I make the loops as above, then wind diagonally one way then the other. It is mindless and easily done while doing something else! (but the wool has to come in skeins to start with, obvs...)
Dancing too much and trying to remember sewing is for fun! Used to be CarolC.