SIMPLY WOOL
Storing Your Yarn
You have done a lot of work so far, and now you have usable beautiful hand spun yarn. But now, it's time to twist it into a hank or wind it into a ball.
Making a Hank
Making a twisted hank of yarn is a great way to display your hand spun yarn and all of your hard work. If you plan on selling your hand spun yarn at craft fairs, or to a local yarn shop storing your yarn in a hank is the common way of showing off your stuff! It's also the most convenient way to store your yarn on shelves as a hank will not roll around, and you can stack many hanks together on a shelf.
Step 1
The first step in making a hank is to put your hands into your loop of yarn and hold it taught.
Step 2
Next, twist the loop to make a long twisted snake.
Step 3
Keeping the twist, bring your hands together. Transfer the yarn looped around one hand over to the other, (similar to making a sock ball) and pull the yarn from that hand through the loop.
Step 4
Pull the yarn from that hand through the loop, and voila, you now have a hank of your yarn.
Making a Ball
Before using your yarn, making a ball of yarn is a must! It ensure that, as you knit or crochet, your yarn flows smoothly which will keep a consistent tension in your work (makes your projects smooth and professional looking), and makes sure there are not tangles or knots in your yarn.
Step 1
Take one end of your yarn, hold it with your thumb against your fingers, and wrap it around your hand 20-30 times.
Step 2
Remove the looped yarn from your hand, and begin wrapping the yarn perpendicularly around the looped yarn. Wrap it around 3 or 4 times.
Step 3
Fold the yarn in half, over itself, and continue to wind the yarn around the tiny ball you've created.
Step 4
As you wind the yarn around the ball, be sure to spin the ball ever so slightly to evenly distribute the yarn and keep the desired spherical shape.
Step 5
Once all of your yarn is wound into a ball you'll need to secure the loose end so that the ball doesn't unravel on you. Simply lift a few strands of yarn and then pass the loose end under them.
Store balls of yarn in baskets until you're ready to create something with them!