Which is best: skein or ball?

Penny Batchelor shares her thoughts on the question of whether to buy her yarn in skeins or ready-wound balls

been there – getting ready to cast on a new project, then remembering that we need to first wind our skein into a ball.

Whether to buy your yarn in a ball or a skein is an issue that divides knitters, and is increasingly relevant as more companies and small traders turn to the skein side.

Is there a commercial reason to sell yarn in a skein, rather than wound into a ball? A representative from John Arbon Textiles explained that they sell their yarn in skeins wound on their 100-year-old skein winder (known as ‘Gillian’!) because of the aesthetic qualities offered by yarn on the skein: “they show off the yarn… and you can feel the yarn better”.

Designer Susan Crawford, who produces her own yarn range, says that her thoughts on skeins versus balls have changed over time. Whilst she previously sold her vintage-style range Excelana in balls, Susan is now in the process of moving it over to skeins to achieve a united look across all her yarns. “Customers seem to like skeins, and see them as having more value than balls, despite the extra work of winding them before use,” she says.

A quick straw poll amongst knitting friends revealed that they view skeins to be artisan and more pricey than their ball counterparts, but the effort required to wind them into a ball is ‘a faff’. Helen commented: “I definitely see skeins as being more expensive, probably because I tend to use ‘named’ brands and in my experience they stick to balls whereas smaller brands use skeins”.

A browse of online yarn shops showed me that the budget brands, which may be more orientated towards the beginner knitter who is less likely to own a yarn swift or ball winder, sell their products almost always in balls.

Whilst a skein may feel like a more luxurious product, they aren’t however suitable for everyone. Lucy, a keen knitter with a sight impairment, says she’s “a balls lady all the way… on the occasions I’ve made the mistake of buying skeins, I’ve ended up in a mega tangle. Some have ended up in the bin for this very reason.”

Certainly, though as a growing number of artisan yarn producers enter the market and sell their wool in skeins, the format will increasingly become more common. As long as the knitting consumer has a choice, both balls and skeins can sit happily side by side. Read Penny’s blog, A Woolly Yarn, containing British news and reviews, at www.awoollyyarn.co.uk