Swiftly Now!

My work and social life picked up quite a bit this week, so I hardly had time to knit a stitch between meetings, tutoring sessions, and family outings.  This weekend has been mostly spent putting the finishing touches on my teaching portfolio that was originally due 2 months ago (I’m not irresponsible, dates were changed by the university because no one actually knows what’s going on.  I’ve come to terms with the uncertainty and just don’t do anything unless I’m told.  It’s fine.  I graduate so soon.).

This morning I was up early before a brunch date with two friends from college, and I saw a golden opportunity to test out the new winder and swift I had ordered earlier in the week.  For the uninitiated, most yarn for knitting is sold in twisted skeins or hanks, that look like this.

I’ve been told this is because the colors and gradations are better displayed this way, and that it’s easier for yarn dyers and painters.  In any case, while these twists are lovely, they are quite impractical when it comes to actually knitting.  After spending far too long fighting to hand-wind a skein twist into a more manageable ball for the socks I started last week, I caved and ordered the proper equipment to make my own center-pull yarn cakes at home.

Up to this point I’ve always had my yarn wound at the shop, but that makes an in-and-out trip pretty much impossible.  Here is my, admittedly pretty hideous, new swift (the funny green thing) and slightly less hideous yarn winder.

Also, you get to see my toes and some piles of clutter.  Hooray for you!  After clamping my fun apparatus to the coffee table (note the protective napkin barriers to prevent scratching) I untwisted my first skein and prepared to wind.

After that, it was surprisingly easy.  All I had to do was turn the hand crank and the thing basically wound itself!  Less than an hour later my pile of skeins had transformed into a lovely little group of cakes, ready to knit up whenever I please (full disclosure: nearly all of the yarn pictured is planned for socks).  Just in time for brunch!