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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
 Posted - 06/24/2002 : 1:12:43 PM
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I have a large cone of yarn that I want to put into 100 g skeins for dyeing. Is a niddy noddy the thing I want?
Rebecca
...found easily in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia... |
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Busyhands
Permanent Resident
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2002 : 9:49:27 PM
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I think what you want is a swift. A niddy noddy is one of those spool knitters like you might have played with in grade school - a wooden spool with some nails in the top, or a plastic doohickey with a hole down the middle and some pegs at the top, and you make I-cord with it. Or sometimes they are shaped like a doll. if you search for 'swift' at Patternworks or Herrschners they probably have a picture of one.
Lin
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ajar
Chatty Knitter
USA
174 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2002 : 10:52:33 PM
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Yes a swift and a scale and a ball winder. The swift expands to hold the yarn to form hanks for dyeing. Make sure to secure hanks with figure 8 ties to prevent tangling, at least four. If you can afford a digital food scale, go for it. I find the cheaper scales need lots of recalibrating. If you don't have a ball winder, get one. You will definitely need it to put the dyed hanks back into knittable balls. Also it is great to have the swift and ball winder when buying hanks of yarn.
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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2002 : 08:02:59 AM
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OK! A swift is what I want and a ball winder. When I started this last summer I just wrapped yarn around my elbow and hand, but I'm thinking bigger this year.
Thanks so much!
Rebecca |
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Kathe
Chatty Knitter
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2002 : 08:43:27 AM
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Hi Rebecca,
I think a niddy noddy is what you want. It's a tool used in handspinning to remove the yarn from the spinning wheel into skeins (much like wrapping around your elbow). The yarn should be secured in 4 places around the skein, then you can wash it or dye it. From there it would go onto a swift to be wound into a ball with the ballwinder. If you want l00g skeins you will need a scale as well.
The gizmo Lin referred to has a very similar name to niddy noddy (maybe even the same name, I can't find it right now) but the spinning niddy noddy would do just what you're describing.
HTH, Kathe 
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knitkitty
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2002 : 11:00:38 AM
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I think Clara has a picture of this niddy-noddy at the top of her newsletter this week. I did not know really what it was for. There are so many of us newbies around that are trying to learn from books, magazines, and catalogs we could use some instruction on the facinating tools of the fibre trades.
Perhaps Clara could do an article about this and then keep it archived in her tools (needles) section. ??? beg, beg, beg, hint, hint, hint?????
So glad I can come here to KR to learn.
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kepkake
Chatty Knitter
USA
251 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2002 : 5:57:58 PM
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Hi everyone,
Here is a link to a spinning site with a list of tools and their prices. www.prairiewool.com/extras.html
This is not to say that the prices are the cheapest...just an idea of the cost and a brief explanation of some of the tools. The ball winder and yarn swift would be great to have. Happy knitting
Wendy |
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Mikki67
Warming Up
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2002 : 7:35:21 PM
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I would definitely use a niddy noddy. They are relatively easy to make after a quick trip to the hardware store.
To make mine I bought:
1 18" length of 1" pvc
4 6" lengths of 1" pvc
2 T-connectors of 1" pvc
Place the short peices into the ends of the t-connectors and place the t-connectors on the ends of the long piece. It took minutes to make, and a talked the friendly hardware guy into cutting the pvc for me (they always cringe when I walk in there, I never use anything for its intended use, remind me to tell you about the bookshelves made out of ladders sometime).
Good Luck and Happy winding,
Mikki |
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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2002 : 04:28:36 AM
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OK, I DO WANT A NIDDY NODDY. and a swift and a ballwinder.
Mikki, I'm going to try and recreate your niddy noddy idea! I love putting stuff together (not surprising for a knitaholic). I'll also check out ebay for a niddy noddy.
Thanks again, y'all,
Rebecca
...found easily in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia... |
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knitkitty
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2002 : 12:37:40 PM
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Thanks for the link, Wendy. The only problem with seeing more is my thirst for knowledge is not quenched, but piqued.  
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Alissa
Seriously Hooked
USA
632 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2002 : 6:40:59 PM
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As a child, we always called the spool knitter thingies "KNITTING NANCIES". I have some adorable ones that are made by INOX and look like little dolls.
My favorite niddy noddy is made from PVC. It has never lost it's shape or splintered when I wound the yarn too tight (but the ends do droop a bit while under tension.)
Happy Knitting,
Alissa
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BessH
Permanent Resident
3095 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2002 : 03:56:39 AM
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"OK, I DO WANT A NIDDY NODDY. and a swift and a ballwinder."
Now you are getting the idea. A knitter's gotta have her tools. BTW, I got my swift and ball winder for my birthday last year - after lots of dithering and procrastination on the part of DH. It actually does everything I need, including the work of the niddy-noddy, but an extra tool is always useful.
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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2002 : 05:08:16 AM
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OK, I want a niddy noddy, a swift and a ballwinder, stainless steel dye pots, and a triple beam balance scale.
You are so right, a knitter has to have tools.
Question: when I put together the pvc NN (niddy noddy), do I wind the yarn diagonal from end to end or exactly how does that work? I know when I buy skeins like this I have to untwist them and be very careful about winding them into balls or I get a big messy tangle and then I want to kick something. (This is why we also need the swift!)
Maybe someone could bring their NN or if Clara has one to the retreat in November and give me a few minutes to learn the correct way of doing this.
Question: How come DHs don't consider knitting to be important? When I said I could use these things for an upcoming August birthday present, he rolled his eyes. Now if he had a consuming hobby or interest like building toy trains or something, the whole family would have to be very serious about it, you know?
Thanks again for all your replies,
Rebecca
...found easily in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia... |
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Clara
queen bee
USA
4363 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2002 : 11:10:44 AM
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Ah, absolutely! They make travel niddy-noddies, so I'll just "have" to stock up on one.
You essentially want to make a T at each end of your center post. You don't want them to be parallel to one another, they need to be at cross angles to one another. (So when you stare down from above, you see an X.)
Winding yarn onto a niddy noddy is an up-down-up-down process, each time moving to the next T end that you haven't reached yet.
That is, you'll start at the top end nearest you, winding it around that end a few times to secure it. Then carry the yarn down the length of the center pole and wrap it under the next T end.
Then carry the yarn up again and wrap it *over* the next T end, and back down under the next T. The next T edge you meet will be where you started. And you keep going like this so that the yarn never crosses on itself, it just creates a really large loop.
Does that make sense?
Standard over-the-counter niddy noddies usually dispense "loops" in common lengths. For example, with the niddy noddy pictured on this week's newsletter (the direct link to the image is:
http://knittersreview.com/images/020620_cover.jpg)
each full pass all the way around the niddy noddy is the equivalent of 2 yards. So if you make one yourself, be sure to measure the distance of one full pass so you can easily know the number of yards in that skein.
Just another thing to think about!
Clara
Your friendly Knitter's Review publisher
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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2002 : 12:43:13 PM
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Thanks, Clara, I think I get it. Over, down, around, up, over, repeat. Or something like that. If you can take the traveling NN as a business expense for the retreat, do it and I'll sign up for your lesson!
Thanks,
Rebecca
...found easily in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia... |
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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2002 : 05:12:50 AM
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The niddy noddy was assembled yesterday from PVC. I plan to start winding the skeins today using Clara's instructions.
I have madder root, logwood, osage orange and brazilwood dyes to try this summer. I'll be sure to bring samples of my dyeing attempts to the retreat for all to see.
Rebecca
...found easily in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia... |
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Clara
queen bee
USA
4363 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2002 : 07:07:24 AM
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Excellent! Now you'll have to bring your niddy noddy to the retreat too. We'll have a niddy noddy reunion on Saturday night. Nothing like a bit of "noddy" business! 
Clara
Your friendly Knitter's Review publisher
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Rebecca
Permanent Resident
USA
1119 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2002 : 2:12:23 PM
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They say you always remember your first time: today I wrapped 9 skeins of wool using my brand new NN. I almost hypnotized myself, wrapping back wrapping forward, etc. I had a nice rhythm going by the second or third skein.
Thanks for all your help!
Rebecca
...found easily in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia... |
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Clara
queen bee
USA
4363 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2002 : 5:48:34 PM
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Hey, that's fantastic! Pat yourself on the back for having made it over the hurdle - you're now on your way to true fanaticism. Next stop... spinning wheel!
Clara
Your friendly Knitter's Review publisher
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NancyG
New Pal
24 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2002 : 08:42:47 AM
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[quote]
OK! A swift is what I want and a ball winder.
I got a wonderful wooden swift at a great price from C.L. Blomqvist in Sweden at
http://www.clb.se/eng/w_equipment.html
(they also have ball winders, though I got mine on EBay.)
I'd also recommend getting a set of shade cards, as long as you're at it. They make a wonderful shetland-type wool called Tuna that comes in a lot of colors. My order, including "small packet" postage came to 415 SEK which amounts to about $43 US.
Here's a currency converter site
http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi
have fun twirling!
Nancy G. |
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knitkitty
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2002 : 09:15:06 AM
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Hey, thanks, Clara! You obviously wrote this weeks article just because of all my hinting and begging above.   LOL! What a great site!
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