Winding 101: All you need to know about yarn management

If you’ve played with thread, you know that it will escape whenever given the chance. You’ve learned that a yarn under tension is easier to manage. And when it is under control, peace prevails in the weaver’s house. Here are our winding tips and tricks to banish yarn turbulence once and for all.

Yarn Put ups
Yarn is packaged in different ways: pull skeins, skeins, cones and tubes. For pull skeins, the only thing you need to know is to take the yarn from the center. This prevents skeins from rolling and inevitably tangling. To keep coned yarns from tipping over, place them on vertical dowels, such as those  on our winding station (the panacea of winding management discussed below). Tubes will unwind easier if held on a horizontal rod, such as on the spool rack and winding station.

Handling Skeins
Skeined yarn needs to be unwound and put into a different form. The simplest method (it’s amazing how many people have never heard of any other way) is the holding-the-yarn-between-two-arms-of-a-loved-one method. Works fine while they’re willing. We predict, though, that once they start disappearing when they see you approaching with a skein, you’ll be looking for one of the following:

Swifts
When you think of a swift, isn’t it the wooden Scandinavian Swift that you picture in your mind’s eye? For romantic appeal, this is the #1 choice.

The Scandinavian Swift clamps to a table and accommodates skeins up to 2 pounds and 2 yards in circumference. A real workhorse for large, heavy skeins, and delicate ones, too. Those Swedes know a thing or two about yarn. $71.

	Made of plastic and metal, the lite duty swift is happiest with lightweight skeins up to 60” in circumference.   We appreciate this featherweight swift for its versatility.   It can be used vertically or horizontally—a real plus when there’s a space crunch in the studio. $41.00

Our newest swift, the Goko, has a neat sounding name, and turns freely on wooden uprights.  A traditional Japanese tool, you’ll know when you use this swift why the Japanese prefer it for fine silks and other delicate yarns.

	If we were to say that the Goko is the smoothest turning winder we’ve seen yet, we wouldn’t be exaggerating. Here’s how it works:  The GOKO sits on the ground and turns freely in slots on its wooden stand.
The metal wheel is lifted out for loading; a lever inserted in the hub adjusts the size from 57" to 64”  in circumference.  If you do a lot of winding of spools, bobbins or balls, the Goko is a mighty fine investment. $110.

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Winding 101: All you need to know about yarn management continued.                                  Page 2

Winding bobbins, spools and pirns
 

Like unwinding skeins, you can wind bobbins by hand, but life’s too short for this. Get yourself a bobbin winder and never regret it. Your choices: the single end hand bobbin winder (great for bobbins, the least expensive), the double end hand bobbin winder  and the double end electric bobbin winder (good for bobbins, pirns, and spools).

Double end winders are recommended for pirns and spools because they have two holding points which help accommodate different diameters that might not fit on the pirn of a single end winder.

(Note: all doubled end winders can be fitted with points for lace winding; conversion kits are available.)

We designed the Winding Station because we needed a compact place to put everything. Where do you clamp your ball winder? How do you hold cones? Where can you place spools? At the winding station you can perform all your winding tasks and never have to move your tools again. Clamp on your swift, attach your ball winder, hold your cones, tubes, and spools and you’re off and winding! Is the winding station a necessary piece of equipment? No. Will it help organize and simplify life in the studio? Yes. $205.  Ask your dealer for these and other Schacht products.

A Schacht representative can help you make equipment purchase decisions.  They can assist you with your weaving & spinning questions, and most dealers offer classes

If your traveling to Colorado, plan to visit our factory in Boulder. It's  best to call first, as tours are scheduled "on demand".  Our hours are: M-Th 7:30-4:30
Fri. 7:30-2:00
303-442-3212

Check out our website where you'll find detailed product descriptions, many of our manuals and instructions.
www.schachtspindle.com 

Dear Violet Rose,
Help, help. I’m an experienced spinner, but I’m having problems with my spinning wheel not drawing in! What’s wrong?

            Abby Grace, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dear Violet Rose,
The front maiden on my Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel keeps flopping down causing the flyer assembly to fall out when spinning. What am I doing wrong?

            Elizabeth Waller, Mercer Island, Washington

Dear Abby,
Most often draw-in problems are due to one of two situations. The first is that the incorrect end of the bobbin is being used. The small end of the bobbin should face the rear of the wheel in double drive mode; the big end should face the rear in Scotch tension mode. The other cause of draw-in problems is a bobbin that fits too tightly on the bobbin shaft. To check this, remove the drive cord from the bobbin and spin the bobbin on the flyer shaft to see if it turns freely. If it does not, it needs to be reamed. We can do this at the factory for a $10.00 charge. We recommend that you send all your bobbins, whorls and flyer so that we can check the fit. Send to: Schacht Spindle Co., Inc., 6101 Ben Place, Boulder, CO 80301. Attention: Jane  --Spinningly, Violet Rose

Dear Elizabeth,
Don’t worry, you’re not doing anything wrong. Over time, the insert that the T-knob goes into fatigues and won’t hold. As a temporary fix, you can place 1 or 2 washers on the shaft of  the T-knob. This generally will keep the tension for awhile. The really good news is that we’ve changed how this part is made so as to avoid this problem in the future. Instead of the T-knob bolt going into an insert, a bolt goes through a hole from one side to the other in the front of the mother-of-all and is secured with a T-knob screw. You can order this part (with instructions!). It’s RPSW10, SW Front Maiden T-knob and Bolt. It costs $5.50 and there’s $5.00 shipping and handling.  --Cheers, Violet Rose

Dear Violet Rose,
I just warped my Schacht floor loom, but I can’t get a shed. Please help, something’s terribly wrong.

            Ann Chamberlain, Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Violet Rose,
I have trouble reaching over my front beam or my back beam to thread the heddles. Any suggestions?

            Dana Logan, Ft. Collins, CO

Dear Ann,
Don’t be embarrassed when I tell you that it’s likely that you forgot to put the warp over the back beam. I’ve done this myself and I’ve been weaving over 30 years. Check to be sure that the warp goes directly up from the beam and OVER the back beam and straight across to the heddles. To fix, simply loosen the tension and lift off the back beam and slide it under the warp and replace. Voila! Crises averted. (On our Standard Floor Looms, the beam just lifts off; on the Wolf folding looms, you’ll need to undo the bolts at either side of the beam and loosen the brake tension to take off the back beam.)  --Your Friend Violet Rose
 

Dear Dana,
Some looms, such as the Schacht Standard Floor Loom, have removable front and back beams which allow you to sit up close to the castle. On a folding loom, such as the Schacht Wolf looms, you can partially fold up the loom to get closer to the castle. For either solution, it is most comfortable if you find a low stool, chair, or box (approx 15” tall) to sit on.  --Happy threading! Violet Rose

Project: Wonder Woman Cuff  by Liz Good                                                                                       Page 4 

Band With Slit

The inkle loom produces so many interesting patterns I wanted to make something that stood out by itself. I have been seeing a lot of wider cuff-like bracelets in stores recently and have been tempted to buy one. I haven’t found the right one, however, so I thought it would be fun to make something stylish and appealing for myself in yarn. 

For this project I added a couple of special effects. Slits were woven in, as well as beads and crossed yarns added to dress up my final product.  I used readily available 10/2 pearl cotton, which makes a soft, yet sturdy band. The three-end threading pattern produces a graphic honeycomb pattern. The bold red, white, and blue color scheme accentuates this effect. Inkle weaving creates a finished project quickly; adding details dresses it up. -- Liz Good           

Project Instructions
Equipment: Schacht inkle loom and 2 belt shuttles

Yarns: Warp--10/2 pearl cotton at 4800 yd/lb in red, white, and blue. Weft—10/2 pearl cotton in white. About ½ oz of red and blue and 1 oz of white are used. UKI colors: Perfectly Red #1070, Pure White #010 and Ultramarine #497. White sewing thread.

Notions: Beads for band and closure.

Warp length: The finished length of band is 6 ½”. Warp the inkle loom for the shortest length; use the additional warp length to weave additional cuffs or a bookmark or two.

Warp Color order:

Heddle WW BWW B WW BWW B WW WRW WRW WRW WRWW   27    

Open    W B BW B B W B BW B B W W R RW R RW R RW R RW    26    

W=white              B=blue         R=red                     Total Ends =        53          

Project: Wonder Woman Cuff - and other inkle loom ideas continued                                                           Page 5

Both the button loops and the buttons are woven into the band. For the center bead accents and X joins, the warp is divided in two and two shuttles are used to weave a slit; beads and X joins are woven in as the slit is woven.

Step 1: Warp loom according to warp color pattern above.

Step 2: Weave 1 inch.

Step 3: Create loop fasteners. Make a cord by twisting together 3 lengths of yarn about 8 inches long each. Insert the plied yarns into the shed. Pull two loops up between the warp yarns about ¼ inch in from the side. Make the loops big enough to fit your fasteners. Insert ends of plied yarn in the next shed and cut off extra.

Step 4: Weave 1 ½ inches.

Step 5: Weave slit by dividing the warp in half. There are five yarns in the center so one side will have the extra yarn. Spreading the warp apart on the pegs helps keep it separated for weaving.

Step 6: Insert an additional weft yarn into the newly created half. The new weft should go the same direction as the original weft. Insert a white sewing thread, about 24” long, with the new weft yarn (this will be used for the beads). Wind the thread onto the shuttle along with the weft.

Step 7: Weave ¼ inch, keeping the two halves separate and running the thread with the new weft. Stop on a row with the weft and thread in the middle of the band. Unwind the thread from the shuttle and place a red bead on the thread. Run the thread across the slit and combine it with the other weft; this switches the weft the thread is running with.

Step 7 continued: The bead should stay in the slit. Be sure to pull the thread tight so that the bead stays in place (it will loosen up after the weaving is finished).

Step 8: Weave ¼ inch. Stop with both yarns in the center (one side will be ahead of the other). Create an X join in the slit by crossing the two wefts and returning them to the side that they came from.

Step 9: Weave ¼ inch, ending with the weft and thread combination in the center. Insert the white center bead as you did the red bead.

Step 10: Weave ¼ inch and create an X join as before.

Step 11: Weave ¼ inch, stopping with the weft and thread combination in the center, and weave in a red bead.

Step 12: Weave ¼ inch. On the last row do not stop in the center, but send all yarns to one side. Combine all the wefts and weave 2 rows to finish off the added threads.

Step 13: Cut off extra threads and weave them into the shed, leaving one weft.

Step 14: Weave 1 ½  inches.

Step 15: Cut weft thread leaving a tail about two feet long. Thread the button or bead fasteners onto the weft. Insert weft into the shed and push the fasteners up through weft so that they will line up with the corresponding loops at the other end of the band.

Step 16: Weave 1 inch.

Step 17: Finish by folding the inch on both ends under and sewing hems.

(c) Copyright 2003.  Schacht Spindle Co., Inc.