Using the Swift

So, I posted a video on FB yesterday of Mate, holding a skein of yarn over his two hands, while Chicken wound the yarn into a ball on the winder. (You can find the video HERE if you follow me on FB.)

One astute FB reader saw the swift in the background and asked why Mate was holding the yarn instead of using the swift.

Well, the thing is, while the swift is invaluable when you have a smooth skein of yarn, if there's a flaw in the skein--if even one strand crosses over-- you can end up with a big, expensive disastrous mess of yarn on your hands.  There were some flaws in the skein, so Mate used his hands so he could move the yarn in a way that would keep it from tangling.

Anyway, I had the swift set up so I could wind the skeins for one project--a big project--so I wound fourteen skeins.

Or, well, I wound eleven skeins last night, and left three for tonight, as well as two more for other projects since I had the apparatus out.

And there I was, winding my own business, (hee) when Squish asked me if she could do it for me.

Now ZoomBoy tries this, and he often, well, fails miserably. When he can get his groove on, he does okay, but if a problem comes up, he tangles, and then he gets frustrated and things go to shit.

But Squish--she enjoys the relaxation, but she also knows how to think before a problem arises.

So anyway. She wound all my yarn.

And enjoyed it.

And as a treat-- and she really DID think of this as a treat-- she wound the skein of yarn with the peacock feathers worked into it that B.A. Tortuga gave me at RT. I've been thinking about B.A. this week, and I just wanted the yarn wound in case I thought of a good thing to do with it.

I'm sure the perfect project is out there.

So, yes. Winding yarn. It's a skill, along with knitting, crocheting, and spinning, just one you don't think about a lot.

It's like doing stretches before learning to dance, or writing fanfic before launching into an original creation--it's a quiet skill, a preparing one.

Relaxing and productive and--according to Squishy-- just a little bit fun.