Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Question about lace weight yarn

Hi everyone. I haven't posted or participated lately, but I have a question... Someone in a LYS once said they would NEVER wind lace weight yarn into a center-pull ball. What other way to wind it is there?

Main reason I'm asking is because the lace weight yarn I'm currently using is SO KNOTTED it makes me wanna cry. Any suggestions?

P.S. Seeing all these sizzles makes me wanna run out and buy yarn for it! :) They're awesome!

4 comments:

Melissa said...

Go ahead and wind it with the ball winder, but knit with the yarn on the outside of the ball. You can also wrap a paper tube around the core so that you have a support for especially fine yarns.

I'm finding that I knit less and less with a center pull ball in all my knitting because I don't feel like wrestling with those last few yards where the ball collapses in on itself.

Shannon said...

I always wind lace weight, how else are you supposed to use a hank? I do most of the time however use it from the outside of the ball, so it doesn't get into a tangly collapsed mess.

Knitty Cat said...

I wind lace weight too. Perhaps she's worried about stretching it or something. I wind it twice. Once from off my hubbie's hands, and once from the ball to a new ball to even out any tight spots.

AlisonH said...

I've never had a laceweight yarn have knots in it but one in one cone once. I'm quite surprised to hear yours has any, much less lots. I'd take it back and declare it unacceptable, myself.

I once had an email discussion with the owner of a small mill who said that knots were perfectly normal and acceptable; she and I did not see eye to eye on the issue. I know Lisa Souza at lisaknit.com not long ago took a shipment of a yarn that turned out to be full of knots, and she sent it all straight back. She didn't sell skeins to her customers that were faulty, and one or two knots in however many pounds she would just have swallowed as seconds that were her problem, but no way no how was she going to dye and sell yarn in that poor a shape!

The mill sent her more that, as I remember, had not one knot. I rather think customer feedback is a valuable thing, then. If it feels too late to return your yarn, you might want to try contacting the manufacturer themselves and tell them you love their yarn, but... It's in their interest to make you happy, after all.