Buying Yarn - The Basics

Part 1. Yarn "put-up"

Often times, we hear about yarn "put-up". What exactly is that?

Well, yarn comes in only a very few ways - packaged or "put up" into either a ball or a skein (pronounced to rhyme with "cane", not "keen") and sold either by weight or yardage. (We use the metric system in the store, but somehow, the word "meterage" just doesn't have the same ring to it).

In common speech, I have noticed that people will often call their yarn "balls" regardless of how the yarn is packaged. In fact, the yarn can come in commercially wound balls, such as Paton's Classic Merino (shown in a basket on this page http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pageID=3&section=507&prodID=0722 ), or in balls that resemble flat buns in shape. Both of these shapes are intended to be used as "center pull balls". That is, you should find the end of yarn that is nestled in the center of the ball, and work from that end. Sometimes, it is difficult to find the end in the center, as it has become tangled during winding or transport. (Or, inadvertantly by squeezing and "petting" the yarn!) Other times, I've found that some variegated or ombre yarns have somehow been wound "backwards" even though they are from the same dyelot!! I'm not sure how this happens, but if you need the colour patterning to match, it is something to watch out for, and then one needs to either work from the outside of the ball, or to rewind the ball.

Yarn that is sold in skeins, or "hanks", should be rewound into balls before you begin to knit or crochet with them. Skeins of yarn are first wound in large loops, which are then twisted, and interlocked to keep them in place. This loop should be placed around a swift, (or if you don't have a swift, a lampshade, chair legs, chair back, willing helper's hands, or even your own knees or feet will work) then wound into a ball using a wool winder (sometimes called a ball winder; or you can use a nostepinde, or your own hands). If you do not first wind the yarn from the skein into ball form, you will soon discover that you have a tangled mess to work with. And you will no doubt become very frustrated, and will not have a pleasant experience at all.

A wool winder is also very usefull for managing all those left over part balls of yarn you just can't bear to dispose of. A ball winder produces a flat bottomed, easily stacked, "cake" of yarn.

I haven't spoken yet about the weight or yardage put-up of yarn - I will talk about that in the next post on Yarn Basics.

New Products.

We've been getting in so many new yarns, it is hard to pick which ones to feature!!! Some of the yarns that I'm excited about are the Noro Sock yarn, the buffalo, and the bamboos.

The Noro sock yarn is getting mixed reviews around the Internet knitting community, however I think the colours are too gorgeous to pass up!!

We have Bison fibre, in lace weight, fingering weight, and sport weight. Also some that has been blended with bamboo fibres http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?mysearch=Fibre+Isle&pageID=28

Bamboo is becoming more popular as people are turning more to natural fibres. We have several yarns that are bamboo or bamboo blended with wool or cotton. http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?mysearch=bamboo&pageID=28

We also have new yarns by Louisa Harding; a bamboo blend called Jasmine
http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pageID=3&section=570&prodID=3925
and a silk yarn called Mulberry
http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pageID=3&section=142&prodID=3926

All these great new yarns, and new fibres to play with!