I've been slow-blogging a series about what it's like to start a yarn company...as a crochet designer. Below is entry #8. I last checked in with entry #6 at the end of 2014, on my yarn's first anniversary.
Where's entry #7? Yesterday I accidentally journaled entry #7 at a different blog. I couldn't help it. It's about what it's like for three involved parties—designer, yarn company, and magazine editor—to use a new yarn for a magazine design.
Where's entry #7? Yesterday I accidentally journaled entry #7 at a different blog. I couldn't help it. It's about what it's like for three involved parties—designer, yarn company, and magazine editor—to use a new yarn for a magazine design.
Yarn Put Ups: When the Priority is on Managing Weight and Length
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| This new magazine pattern brings to my mind some thoughts I've had about yarn put ups. Fabric Fusion Tote by Jennifer E. Ryan. Pattern and article in Crochet! Magazine Spring 2015. |
The "yarn put up" is how yarn is wound into a convenient product. Terms like skein, hank, and ball refer to the final shape. Each has advantages. (Here's a beautiful post about these types.) The amount of yarn is also part of the put up.
You could say that yarn put ups manage chaos. Most yarns are packaged in amounts of one hundred yards or more. These lengths require careful organization to prevent tangled messes. When I was deciding on the optimal length of my Lotus yarn samples, I found I had to stay under two yards to avoid tangles.
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| Original double-sized 256-yd (100g) Lotus cakes are stacked behind two of the Lotus "Snacks," which are one-third the size (85 yds, 33g). |
Yarn shops will wind your purchased yarn hanks into balls for you. Even practiced employees using a motorized winding system risk tangled mishaps!
A yarn company manages the yarn chaos on an even bigger scale. It takes careful planning to package yarn in the best size and shape. Manageable skeins need to be both consistent and convenient.
The original put up amount for my Lotus yarn is 256 yards (234 meters), which weighs approx. 3.5 ounces (100 grams). The put up shape is my favorite, a cake. This is a type of center-pull ball that sits flat, and I make sure that it's easy to find the yarn end in the center. It won't roll around whether you pull the yarn end from the center, or from the outside of the ball. It also stacks and stores well.
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| A pile of hanks; in the center is one wound into a "cake". This is lace wt mohair yarn, only 25g; 315 yds of fuzzy chaos to manage per hank! This yarn crocheted: ♡Aery Faery♡ |
I also chose it because the larger the skein, the fewer the yarn ends to weave in later. I consider that to be a particular value to crocheters. It's not too large to keep it from from being convenient and portable, though.
The disadvantage of a large put up is that sometimes you only need a small amount, for contrast stripes maybe, or a small project such as jewelry. Or, for a large project when you come up a little short. Maybe you know you have enough yarn to exceed life expectancy, but you still want a just a...snack. Assorted Snacks, even!
A disadvantage I've weighed (so to speak) is that the price might seem high if a person doesn't realize that Lotus equals two of the more common 50g put-ups. Or, that craft yarns often don't hold to the 50g and 100g skein sizes at all, so you have to calculate number of yards per gram for an equal comparison. (Some craft yarns be crafty at making you think you're getting more yarn than you are. Just sayin'.)
In yarn shops, watch out for fine, expensive yarns, such as lace weight cashmere, that look like 50g balls but are 25g or 30g (under one ounce) instead!
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| My new put up size of Lotus is a one-pound cone! That's over 1,100 yds or about 4.5 100g balls. I call it "Lotus Z-Bombe" 😃 |
I've had yarn "put ups" (yarn packaging choices) on my mind since I last blogged. Click here for earlier yarn journaling entries.
