Guest Author - Llyn Payne
No matter what size bobbins a given spinning wheel has, there is a finite limit to the amount of yarn that bobbin will hold. As all the available bobbins become filled the yarn must be removed in some manner - it must be wound off of the bobbin in an orderly fashion that packages it neatly for either immediate use or so it can be stored for future use.
One way to wind off from the bobbin is to use a ball winder which will wind the yarn into a neat package. This method is fine for weaving yarns since wet finishing is not required until after the fabric is woven and off-loom. For knitting yarns which need to be wet finished before use, winding off with a ball winder is an extra and unnecessary step since yarns must be skeined to keep them from becoming a tangled mess during wet finishing.
The other way to wind off is to skein the yarn. There are tools available for winding skeins of various sizes, from small sample skeins to large skeins containing many yards of yarn. Skeining tools can also be improvised on the spot. One skeining tool that is always available is your arm. Simply wrap the yarn around your thumb, down around your elbow, and back to your thumb. Don’t wrap it too tightly or removing it may be difficult. The main problem with this method is that the skein will be uneven and difficult to unwind.
Another quick method of improvising a skein winder is to simply wind the yarn around a book.
Stick a few pencils under the first wrap of the yarn to allow a bit of slack. When the yarn is wound on and the skein is tied, pull the pencils out to release the skein.
Niddy-noddies are excellent tools for winding skeins. They are readily available in a variety of woods in styles to suit the tastes of every spinner. The size of a niddy-noddy is determined by the length of skein that can be wound on it. Some are adjustable for winding more than one length of skein. Available sizes vary from niddys that will wind small 24" (60cm) sample skeins to those that come from extensions allowing for skeins of up to 4 yards (3.6 meters). The most common lengths are 1 ½ yards(1.3 meters) and 2 yards (1.8 meters). If you are producing skeins for sale, consider a 2 yard niddy-noddy as 2 yard skeins are the standard length measure.
The fastest way to wind off is to use a skein winder or reel. These usually have 4 to 6 arms, a handle for turning the reel, and some sort of counting device which counts the turns of the wheel.
The skein is would simply by turning the handle of the skein winder and yardage can be computed from the number of times the reel is turned. If the circumference of the reel is 1 yard, then the number of turns is also the number of yards in the skein. If the circumference of the reel is 2 yards then take the number of turns times 2 to obtain the yardage figure for the skein.
Once yarns are neatly skeined and tied ( loose figure 8 ties in 4 places), they can be easily wet finished and easily wound into balls for use or stored for a future project.
