# Another Yarn Weasel



## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

I must be hooked:help:
Made this yarn weasel today, got the design off the web, i really like this one. :bouncy:


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

pitchy you are killing me.
now i have another idea for you. it would be nice to have adjustable arms on the winder so the washed skein (always shrink with washing), can be put on back on the same winder for winding into a ball  
could you do that too? :teehee:


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

Boy i don`t know sounds like a hassle, ya need one of those ones that expand like a umbrella.

Here`s a not that great video of it snapping.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

Susanne this is what i was talking about.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

yup, saw those before. 
i have to look if i can find a picture from a yarn winder with adjustable arms. if there is such a thing out there


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

here would be one, but not really what i have in my head
http://www.instructables.com/id/SewUseful:-Portable-Tabletop-Yarn-Swift-for-windi/


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

this is getting closer to what i was thinking
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5358550203/


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## vicky (Aug 20, 2002)

So are you going to start selling these? LOL They are gorgeous!


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

susanne said:


> this is getting closer to what i was thinking
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5358550203/


That is a good idea, cool.
Vicky, not into sell things very much. I`ll keep some of them and give a couple away. I don`t want to have to make things to sell.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Susanne I've used one of those swifts. They work well but I think I like my umbrella swift better. It's easier to use and and expand or contract.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

but wouldn't a yarn winder be more stable?


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

It was the click i was after. eep:


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

now pitchy, maybe you can invent the click for the swift????


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Susanne a swift is a yarn winder of sorts. I use mine to hold my skeins as I wind them into balls. I use my niddy noddy to wind my skeins. Are you wanting this to wind skein as well as holding them as you wind them into balls?


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

ideally it would be both. 
i have a niddy knoddy to get the plied yarn off the bobbin but if the yarn is very fine, it can be hard on my arms and wrist. and it takes for ever. 
i think with a yarn winder it will be a bit easier and faster


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

I took the yarn off a spinning wheel and wound it on the weasel and it worked really nice, ya gotta steer the yarn on with one hand and spin with the other. Then after a little spinning ya go "Pop goes the Weasel"


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Cool!!!! That sounds like the deal to have right there


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## FMO3 (Nov 22, 2009)

susanne said:


> ideally it would be both.
> i have a niddy knoddy to get the plied yarn off the bobbin but if the yarn is very fine, it can be hard on my arms and wrist. and it takes for ever.
> i think with a yarn winder it will be a bit easier and faster


Susanne,

In this blog is what you really need...it has an electric motor on it to wind yarn. her husband made it for her, as if you read the blog, just got back over 50 pounds of yarn.

http://nistockfarms.blogspot.com/2011/08/getting-all-wound-up.html


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

Added a counter dial, each mark is three yards with a total of 84 yars click to click. :happy:


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

pitchy are you giving me a lesson in patience? 
i should have waited or? how do i go and figure out how many yards till 100 is full with my new yarn winder?
keep going


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

FMO3 said:


> Susanne,
> 
> In this blog is what you really need...it has an electric motor on it to wind yarn. her husband made it for her, as if you read the blog, just got back over 50 pounds of yarn.
> 
> http://nistockfarms.blogspot.com/2011/08/getting-all-wound-up.html



does not need to be motorized as i want as much no electricity as possible. but the yarn winder looks awesome.

pitchy did you see the adjustable arms? that is what i had in my head


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

Yep i seen them, will have to see if we make any more. How much does a skein shrink after soaking?
If it isn`t much ya could tape say a 1/2 inch square piece of wood on the arms then remove them after the yarn shrinks.
That model winder didn`t have a counter dial on it just the clicker, see how many yards it takes to go around the arms once them count the number of turns between clicks and multiply.
You might be able to put a nail beside the gear and then put marks on the gear for each turn of the winder.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

A full bobbin of llama hair on the big treadle wheel, any guesses on the yardage.
A video of taking it from the wheel and putting it on the new yarn weasel.

Also as you can see we tied the skein in a bunch of places, so do we just take it off now, soak it then hang it to dry with a weight on it.










Video


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yep, soak/wash it in hot water and a bit of soap/shampoo. Rinse in water the same temp as wash water. Get as much water out as possible (I wrap mine in a towel). Hang to dry but do not weigh it, that will stretch the yarn which will remember where it wants to be when you wash a finished project and find it shrinks up or distorts.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

The fleece has already been washed so we just have to soak it to set the twist right.
The reason i ask is before we wound it on a real small yarn winder we made that would fit in the pan so we soaked it on the winder.
This thing ain`t going to coil up and strangle me is it. lol

Oh, 168 yards, two clicks.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Well it might threaten to but usually skeins of wool are harmless


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

I read that ya want to tie using a figure eight through the yarn, says if ya don`t and tie it like we did in the picture it will tangle up so bad you might as well throw it away.
Is that true?


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

no, i did not find that to be true. just tie it on a couple of spots, i do at least eight and you are ready to wash it.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

Ok, thanks Misses Susanne. :cowboy:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I do use a figure 8 tie on my skeins. I've had the tangle thing and it isn't fun to deal with. Ended up throwing the whole skein away.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

marchie how do you do a figure eight tie ? 
i have never had a tangled mess with my yarn and everywhere i went they did just tie the skein at different places.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

See if this works. It is too hard to explain so here is a PDF with pictures www.spinningdaily.com/cfs-filesystemfile...00.../tips-fall07.pdf This link isn't working.

Go here and scroll down to the 5th entry, it's the PDF file That one has all the info. [ame]http://www.google.com/search?q=figure+eight+tie+a+skein+of+yarn&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a[/ame]


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