Tag Archives: yarn

My yarn swift

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A yarn swift is a device that holds a hank of yarn fairly taut so one can wind it into a ball without creating a hot mess of tangles and knots. Usually I use my knees, an upside down patio table or Mr. Aitch’s arms as my yarn swift. Having a rotating mechanism is much easier.

Here are the parts of my swift.

Two arms 30-inches long that are notched in the center to fit together to make a cross. One hole is drilled into the center to hold the arms onto the base. Each arm has holes drilled partway through to hold the dowels that will eventually hold the yarn. A two-piece base. Two washers though one would work to make the arms rotate easily. Five 6-7 inch dowel rods.

The two base pieces notch together.

Next the washer(s), and the longer dowel.

These are the washers I used. I couldn’t find a large one with a hole that would fit my dowel. The smaller one fits inside the larger one perfectly so it won’t wobble when the arms turn.

The two arms lap together in the middle to make a cross and slide over the center dowel.

The four other dowels are pushed into the holes, one on each arm, to correspond with the size of the yarn hank.

I ground the ends of the dowels just a bit with a pencil sharpener so they would go into the holes easier.

Voila! I spent $10.68 on the wood and washers. After several hours of cutting, repeatedly plugging and unplugging my tools, and assembling, I got myself a yarn swift that when not in use, takes up very little space.

I had a short video of the swift in action but I couldn’t get it to load properly.

My next sewing project will be to make a drawstring bag to hold all the pieces.

Now if I had a woodworking shop and all the necessary tools, this would have looked more professional. In my dreams a band saw, drill press, table saw, chisel, and a router would be awesome. Instead I used a jigsaw, drill, coping saw, hack saw, Dremel tool, screwdriver, utility knife and sandpaper.

Here are the two videos I watched for the dimensions and demonstration from Cozy Corner Crochet.

If you want more details, just leave a comment.

Now, if I can make this, you can too!

Patti nona

I made one myself

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I mentioned earlier that I wanted a yarn swift. Mr. Aitch didn’t think so but he was reluctant to lend me his arms when I had a hank of yarn that needed to be in a ball.

I scoured the internet and found a site that gave me the basic details to make one for myself. This is an Amish style swift which is horizontal with few moving parts and not the umbrella style that looks like a torture device.

We don’t have all the fancy tools or a woodworking shop so you might be able to make one, too. The total cost was under $11. I can fill you in on all the details just as soon as the skies clear and I can get a decent picture.

Sing it with me….The sun will come out tomorrow….

Patti nona

Broken seed stitch recipe

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10

This sock recipe landed in my inbox last week. It’s not a complete sock pattern in that the designer (Hanna Leväniemi) assumes you know how to knit one already. Since I do, I wanted to give it a try. Here’s a link to the Broken Seed Stitch recipe.

blue, green, yellow hand-painted yarn

This ungodly, bright yarn was a dyeing experiment from September 2020 when one of our granddaughters dyed yarn with me. It’s been sitting in my fingering-weight yarn stash for a few years thinking I would overdye it sometime but obviously didn’t.

I really, really, really needed a sock project on my needles so with Mr. Aitch’s help*, I wound it into a ball. I wanted to coordinate it with something that would tame the glaring colors and found some Knit Picks Stroll in Aurora Heather, a deep green with bluish undertones. I’ve used this color twice before and it’s just beautiful.

My typical sock is 64 stitches on US #1.5 (2.5mm) and I knit top-down (from the cuff) to the toe. After 15 rows of k1, p1 ribbing I joined the “contrast” color and followed the 4-row broken seed stitch pattern.

I. Am. Loving. This. Sock.

The Aurora Heather really toned down the bright greens, blues, and yellows so they almost glow.

My only issue is where the colors and pattern change at the end of each row. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong or if that’s just the nature of the stitch. When I knit the second sock, I will knit a half row before I change yarns so the join will be on the opposite side of that sock.

The inside looks cool, too!

So what’s on your needles, or hook, or embroidery hoop?

Patti

*I’m seriously thinking about getting a yarn swift so I don’t have to beg Mr. Aitch to hold the yarn on outstretched arms while I slowly wind the it into a ball. Do you have one or can give me any suggestions for one?

I cheated

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5

I’ve been on a yarn diet for a couple of years though I did buy some cotton/bamboo yarn for socks for my sister-in-law. She can’t wear wool. I really don’t need any more sock yarn…yet.

I had a gift certificate from Knit Picks from a couple of Christmases ago and they were having a sale. So I decided to get a few balls/hanks of sock yarn that I’ve been eyeing for quite some time.

I can get two pairs of socks out of three 50 gram balls of their Stroll yarn. I chose basic colors more or less.

From left to right: Rainstorm Heather, Midnight Heather, Cobblestone Heather, and Jack Rabbit Heather. I’ve used up my stash of those colors except for the Rainstorm, which is a new color for me.

The Stroll Effects comes in 100 gram hanks. Top two are Raven and the bottom two are Cordial. I’ve not knit with these colors before but I love the deep, rich colors.

This is a better photo of the colors but not quite the same as in real life.

Last but not least is a single ball of Chroma in the Sedona colorway. This is a single ply that I will most likely use for a shawl or another item that won’t get the wear and tear that socks do.

This color reminded me of fall leaves.

I better get my Mosaic socks finished so I can start a new pair using one of these!

Patti nona