Knitting, Men's Knitting Retreat, the men's knitting community and tutorials. Queerjoe.com has been a blog published since the early 2000's about knitting and LGTQIA issues.
I bought the first one for 14€ inc shipping. I love using it. I have to watch some youtube podcast while im winding so the time goes really quickly. It takes only 3-4 minutes each ball. I had to tape the metal guide in place and with some types of yarn it doesnt wind properly , (the yarn winds around the tube instead of going up and down the ball)but I figured how to guide the yarn with my hand when that happens. For the money Im more than happy to put up with such glitches. I have limited space now days with all my yarn and sewing machines so that was a considerations. I also bought a wooden umbrella which functions perfectly for only 20€ inc shipping. Now with those two gadgets, I can dye yarn .
If you have a counter or table edge that’s not too thick, that’s the best place for a winder. I’ve even used my coffee table. If you’re winding skeins or hanks into cakes of yarn, you’ll definitely need a swift. This is my favorite - amzn.to/3KD0SqV
Omg I've been doing exactly that! I was wondering if it had a name 🤣! Thanks for sharing. It's visually the best ribbing by far and if you use left hand picking rather than wrapping/ throwing you will fly through the work 👍 It works in the flat as long as you keep working through the leading leg too!
I have the Starwood winder, also, and what I don’t like is how jerky it can be with turning the handle. I have the wooden “Amish” swift, and I’ve noticed that my yarn tends to get stretched out a little bit. Am I doing something wrong?
I've never used an Amish swift before, but I always try to make sure my swift is turning with as little tension on the yarn as possible. As for the jerkiness, the only time mine is jerky is when the distal arm vibrates a lot. Two things that I find that helps with this...first, when I attach the distal arm, I put the washer under the u-shaped end, not on top as most photos show. I also put a t-pin through the rubber gasket/buffer parallel to the the surface it's on...which tightens it to the arm-piece and also allows for less movement and vibration.
I hate my Stanwood. Makes the balls too tight and smaller at the bottom which makes the yatn slide off the smaller end. Tried everything to adjust it and can't. Got new ones and no winder is perfect. Boo
I just found your podcasts, so this is a response to an old episode. Anyway, I currently own the least expensive model and you’re right about all the issues. My husband (the problem solver) was able to fix all the issues so it’s working much better. But, man, it was a headache. The yarn can still get wrapped up underneath so I have to watch it closely. Thanks for the review. I may get the one you recommended so I can have bigger balls of yarn. I’ll be watching all your podcasts. ❤ and stay safe.
I have been avoiding the Beekeeper's blanket like the plague because the thought of sewing together ALL THOSE HEXIS makes me break out in hives. But this tutorial has changed my thinking, and now I think I'll be knitting a Beekeeper! I certainly have enough scraps and minis. Thank you!!!
I broke the clamp on my Stanwood jumbo ball winder, trying to fasten the clamp around the "lip" on the underside of the edge of a card table. (Stanwood did send a replacement clamp; I just have to install it -- and find a thinner table to clamp the winder to!) Of the cheap plastic winders, I trust the KnitPicks version most, as the build quality seems better. I also just got a wooden ball winder (a different brand, in gently used condition, from Etsy), and am excited to try that out (on the thin-topped desk in my craft room, as I don't wish to break any more clamps!).
I just saw one that cost about $550 over on Bag-O-Day Crochet Channel.. it has an electric foot pedal! Idea about the last ball Winder that you actually recommended as a good inexpensive one... I wonder if you could take a paper plate and cut the middle out and then slip that on first and then set up your yarn and get going. You know kind of on the same idea as when you don't want your beaters to splash you when you are whipping cream to make your own set and forget ice cream in the freezer.? If you have or paper plates you can simply poke your beaters through and use it that way you might actually have to expand the holes a little so that you can slip them off of the wide part of your beaters that are supposed to keep goop from getting up where you insert them. Or you can just cut to the middle and then cut out a circle or a rectangular space for them to slip through, and that way it covers your bowl so you and everything else on your counter stays clean.
I believe your first knot is a surgeon’s knot instead of a square knot. A square knot is right over left then left over right but this does come undone occasionally as does the surgeon’s knot unless, as you discovered, you leave long tails and weave them in. The last example of the weaver’s knot is a very interesting way to make this. I have never seen anyone starting with a slip knot. I make it and while the yarn seemed to be slipping as I tightened it the yarn did break before the knot came undone so the yarn must just have been stretching. I will have to try this method with my very slippery but very strong yarns ( bamboo rayon or silk) and see how this works. Thanks!
Thanks QJ!!! Wish I'd seen this before I'd bought my FIRST ball winder. My balls would have been huge (pun intended) had I bought one of these first!!!
I just got the pattern. I am wanting to use the same yarn the designer was using in her video. I am waiting for her to respond. Please keep us apprised of your progress. Thank you. Enjoy.
My experience has been that it depends on the yarn. But if the knot holds during the tying and knitting, then it is secure afterwards as well. I know right away because some yarns just don’t do well with this knot and come loose immediately when I pull on it.
I chose the Stanwood winder instead of the Fiber Artist winder based on your recommendation. So far, I really like it. It makes me a little upset I wasted money on two of the cheap plastic ones.
Yes...the company making them in Germany uses two colorways of "leather paper" (not leather at all...completely vegan) that uses some recycled content.
The only suggestion I'd have is to either see if you can modify the number of stitches and re-calculate all the shaping for the the ear/headband section or find a pattern that does that for you.
Thank you.. 1st doing the pattern as written and then if needed to recalculate . I know it will fit someone. Hopefully me. He wants it for hunting season which will 10 days from now. Will do the headband and go from there.. I believe I will be making them for family members in Minnesota , North and South Dakota .I am excited to do the pattern.Thank you again
When there are only a few stitches to pick up, there is virtually no difference between the two tools. When I'm doing a long string of dropped stitches, it's a lot easier using the latch hook tool for me.
I really loved how you presented the subject: Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them. It was very easy to follow. Thank you! I have been nervous to do iCord this technique on my Erlbacher CSKM because I read one is not supposed to turn the machine without needles, but yet the same manual recommended making iCord. I am not comfortable enough yet to try this myself without knowing the why behind that statement. Do you have any insight on this?
There is nothing I'm aware of that will damage a machine by turning it without needles and I've never had any issue with that. I will say I don't recommend cranking without YARN in the machine. It's possible to damage the latches that stick out and even break them. But I have never heard anyone say don't crank the machine without needles. Especially considering that when I do ribbing, I'm leaving needles out of the cylinder all the time.
very interesting, all the tutorials I found only wrap the purl stitches clockwise, not the knit stitches. I would like the work to be tighter so I will try your method with wrapping the knit stitches clockwise as well. Thank you
Hi Joe! Thanks so much for sharing. I recently got my CSM and am on a learning curve. The parking of the ribber needles is genius! Thanks so much, I shall try it on my next sock. 🧦 🧶
Parking ribber needles is genius. Not my genius but genius nonetheless the less. Unparking is a bit more difficult than parking them. You need to make sure the yarn in the ribber needles is in front of the latch.
