# ball winder recomendation...



## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

aka nostepinne thing is for the birds :help: 

well dd can use the nosteapinne and make things that look factory made...

mine however do not, and i find it boring :baby04: 

so, i am looking at ball winders 

I will have to get a umberella skien holder too won't I

a chair back won"t work? or straight from bobbin?

dd did discover it's easier to wrap the nostepinne directly from the niddy noddy, just let it bounce on the padded carpet or something soft...


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I just spun up 3 bobbins yesterday afternoon. I ply from a center pull ball so I wind my singles right from the bobbin to the ball winder. After I ply I wind from the bobbin to the niddy noddy. After I wash the skein I will place it onto my swift and wind it to my ball winder before use. I have one of those plastic ones, it's made by Royal. I've had it forever and never had any problems. If you are doing production work you might want to think about the ball winder that is made by Staunch (sp) I think it makes pretty large balls.


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## homebirtha (Feb 19, 2004)

Marchwind said:


> I ply from a center pull ball so I wind my singles right from the bobbin to the ball winder.


Can you explain to me why you would ply from a center pull ball? Is it just to free up a bobbin or is there some advantage to winding the singles into a ball first? Someone else mentioned this to me at a yarn store yesterday and I was wondering why it's done. Thanks for any info.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

I personally at the moment have only 3 bobbins, so to do a three ply I have to ply from center pull ball.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I've got an old ball winder (kind you can get from the fabric store). I really, really wish I had a larger one though. If I've spun a worsted weight and plied on my Jumbo bobbin, I have a hard time getting a single ball on the smaller ball winder (it gets too big).

Before I got my swift, I would either use the ball winder right off my bobbin or if skeined up, would use a the back of the chair. I had to manually unwind from the chair a few rounds, then wind onto the ball. Slower than using a swift, but faster than a nostepinne


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## ozarkcat (Sep 8, 2004)

You can get by without an umbrella swift if you're creative - I've made a non-umbrella swift out of pvc, somewhat similar to Babe's skein winder here:
http://www.babesfibergarden.com/skeinwinder.html
except that I work mine horizontally spinning on a board with a large nail through it. Looking back, I'd probably use T's instead of elbows - helps hold the yarn up if a skein stretches a little too much.


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Over on Ravelry there is a group called DIY Tools, several people have posted simple ideas for swifts. I wind onto TP centers to free up a bobbin.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Mindy to give you my personal answer as to why I ply from a center pull ball. I don't like Lazy Kates, as of yet I haven't found one that I like. I ply from the inside and outside of a ball to make a two ply. It's quick and easy, I think. I know some people have difficulty with the singles tangling. I find when I ply from the inside and outside of a ball I don't waste any yarn either. Since all that yarn came off the bobbin I'm plying onto, there isn't the problem of running out of bobbin space and only having a small amount of yarn left that I have to make into a tiny ball or toss. Besides all of that, it is how I learned to ply my yarns. And if you travel with your wheel you have far less equipment to carry with you.


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

Marchwind said:


> I ply from the inside and outside of a ball to make a two ply. It's quick and easy, I think. I know some people have difficulty with the singles tangling. QUOTE]
> 
> Most all my spinning these days is 100% angora, and I spin up 1-2 oz of fiber, wind it off, and then spin a skein from the ball. I've found that if you remove the cone (with the ball of yarn on it) wrap it in a damp cloth and pop it in the microwave to steam for 1.5-2 minutes, it sets the twist enough that the yarn does not tangle while plying. Works like a charm, and no chance of losing some of that precious angora yarn to a world class tangled mess.
> 
> ...


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## homebirtha (Feb 19, 2004)

Thanks MW. That makes a lot of sense. I may have to try that.  
Do you just hold the ball in your hand while you're plying? 



Marchwind said:


> I ply from the inside and outside of a ball to make a two ply. It's quick and easy, I think.


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## Oceanrose (Mar 25, 2005)

I also have switched to plying from a ball most of the time. I like Somerhill's idea for setting the twist a bit on certain fibers.

I had a Royal, it was 2nd hand and OLD. It did a great job but the gears were slipping so I just bought a Strauch. LOVE it. And you can do up to 1# balls on it. It's well made and for the price difference (30.00 for a new Royal - 98.00 for the Strauch) I felt it was a better deal.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

yes I would rather spend more and buy once,

i did find that using the nostepinne while watching a movie, turned out a much better product, probably over concentrating on it, but my arm really cant handle winding a 4 oz skien of fine spun


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Mindy I usually let the ball drop to the floor you really need two hands to ply with. When the ball starts to collapse on itself I'll pick it up and put it on my thumb of the non-guiding hand (for me that is my left). You can also put the ball into a jar with a smaller mouth or a bowl to keep it from running away. While I'm plying my right hand is guiding the twist and my left hand is managing the two singles. Sometimes I do get tangles but then I just stop and untangle it. Never just pull on a tangle assuming it will come undone you will get a permanent tangle that way.

Interesting idea Lisa I'll have to try that sometime. I can't say I've ever had a problem with my angora but there is a first time for everything.


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## Cloverbud (Sep 4, 2006)

http://lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/yarnpackagepage.htm 
Do you know a woodworker? This looks terrific. I'm going to try to talk dh into making this for me.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I showed the pictures to Paul last Friday. He said he could make me one!!


one of these days






if he doesn't forget!


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## Cloverbud (Sep 4, 2006)

Is he going to buy plans, or just be ingenious? I'll go halves if he's buying plans!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

he'll be ingenious!!


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## Cloverbud (Sep 4, 2006)

Why am I not surprised?! 

:hobbyhors (Paul on his way to the workshop)


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Make my own swift---thanks, folks, I think I can do that! Why didn't I think of that before? I just love my PVC kniddy-knoddy--so it's not pretty.


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