Hand Wind a Ball of Yarn

This simple tutorial will show you how to wind a center-pull ball of yarn without any special equipment. 

I have several hanks of really beautiful yarn in my stash that I don't even think about using because I imagine having to take them to a yarn shop so they can be wound into balls on their nifty little swifts and winders.  And really, when am I going to do that?

So one day when I was home sick, I decided to crack out a few hanks I'd just purchased for a summer project (missed the boat on that one. . . ) and wind them up by hand. 

It's easy! And it's a nice project to do while you're home doing not much else and watching silly television online. 

The advantage of wrapping a center-pull yarn ball is that the yarn stays neat and won't get tangled.  Also, if you pull the working yarn from the center instead of the outside, the ball will stay put and not roll around as you unwind it!

Some yarn comes already wound into center-pull balls.  Some comes twisted in hanks, like in the picture here. 

If you purchase this kind, take the paper off and open the yarn up into a big loop. (See picture 2).

Drape the loop of yarn over two chairs or the edge of a desk, or between the hands of a helpful friend.  This keeps the yarn from getting all tangled up while you're winding it. 

You start winding from the center of the ball (obviously). 

Hold one free end in your hand and drape the long end around your thumb as shown in picture 1.

Make your hand into a gun, and wrap the yarn in a figure 8 around thumb and finger.

Continue in this method until you run out of room on your fingers!

Slide the stack of figure 8s off your finger and thumb and pinch together in the middle. 

Pinch the yarn stack between finger and thumb, keeping the starting end draped over your thumb.  You want to make sure as you wind the ball that this end remains free and accessible!

Start to wrap the yarn around this bunch in a circular motion to form a ball.  Keep your thumb pinched into the middle as you wrap.

Continue wrapping the ball of yarn.  You will quickly see it begin to resemble a proper ball and it will be easier to understand what you're doing.

I like to keep my thumb stuck into the center of the yarn where I started wrapping so I don't lose the free end. 

Then I just wrap and turn, wrap and turn all around the ball until I'm out of yarn.

Finally, tuck in the end of the yarn you've been wrapping so it doesn't unravel.

Now you have a center-pull yarn ball.  Take the center end that you kept free, and start your knitting from there!