How to Unwind a Hank of Yarn

►►► VIEW THE FULL BLOG POST: sheepandstitch.com/library/ho...
Sometimes you'll see yarn wound up in a twisty bundle. This is called a hank. In order to knit with a hank, you'll need to unwind it into a ball first. Learn how to do it in this video!
Now, you may be wondering, why do hanks exist in the first place? Isn't a ball of yarn good enough? Why the complication?
One reason is this: yarn dyers who dye by hand do so by looping yarn into a big circle and then dying that big yarn circle. Once the yarn is dyed and dried, the easiest way to package that yarn is by twisting it into a bundle - that would be a hank!
Rolling the yarn into a ball or into a skein requires machinery that can be expensive and/or time-consuming whereas hanks are much easier and quicker to make.
For this reason, yarn that's wound in hanks are perceived to be artisanal or high quality. Almost all hand-dyed yarn are sold in hanks.
Personally, I love hanks. Sure, you need to wind them up, but the yarn looks so much prettier in a hank, like it has space to "breathe." And the yarn winding experience gives you time to "get to know" your yarn before you knit with it. But, I'm a bit romantic when it comes to yarn, so there you go!
Music by Kurt Vile, "Freeway": freemusicarchive.org/music/Kur...
More patterns and tutorials: sheepandstitch.com

[@hdchq2432]

I'm about to unwind the person who thought that hanks were a good idea

[@Eve65901]

LOL. Im dead. I did not realize it would need so much work

[@brittany16950]

😶🤭😆

[@buenas373]

Ikr

[@catbellybandit571]

should've looked this up before I spent like 4 hours untangling one and trying to make it into a ball

[@carolclmcm1214]

ohhhh, I have SOOOOO been there!

[@jesusfreak921]

Same!! Lol :D

[@dollbc2007]

This is me right now🤦‍♀️

[@kimmalwah5404]

Day #2 for me. 😡😡😡

[@sonnydaniel9934]

I guess Im quite off topic but do anyone know of a good place to watch newly released tv shows online ?

[@poornimaramesh5709]

Why does the yarn company put us through all this pain..? Why can't they just give it in a skein?? Thank you so much! I was able to unravel my hank and make it into a ball in half an hour. Really, thank you! You saved my time.. and energy. ❤️

[@qldteacher]

I'm so glad I looked up how to do this before I just started pulling on it. I've never bought a 'hank' of yarn before. Thank you so much!

[@stephiedrown795]

Me too! Bravo Sheep and Stitch!

[@SG-gd9zl]

Me too👍

[@mr.vokits8757]

I did not and I regretfully admit it.

[@xitzmikaax2098]

@@mr.vokits8757 mine is a tangled mess omg 😭

[@charizarr.d]

i did that with my first, a comedic disaster. second one, i learned my lesson lol😅

[@blinnlambert]

The knee method is brilliant! I used to dread balling up twisted hanks because they ALWAYS became a tangled mess, but I just tried this way and it was smooth and easy!

[@ienehanceit]

I still remember when I first bought a skein of yarn and tangled it in mind and youtubers like you have been helpful since then😂❤

[@hourglas39]

Best video for this chore. I've brought 2 Hanks and due to having no patience, I just end up cutting it in half 😭😭😭 I don't think I'll ever purchase yarn in Hanks again.

[@serenesongbird5570]

This was such a big help. I’m new to crocheting and my mom handed down a lot of yarn that was in hanks and I just didn’t know what to do with them. I didn’t even know it was called a hank!

[@cathyharding125]

Thank you for not including unnecessary info. Best video I've seen for knitting yet. THANK YOU!!!

[@ADancerInTheNight]

This was such an easy tutorial! And it's nice for those of us who haven't done this before ^^ Thanks for showing me!

[@naomeecutie21]

Thank you so much, my first attempt went terribly but I was able to unwind the others with much ease...thank goodness for KZbin!

[@EarthElemental]

Thanks for the knee tip. I bought a 650 yard skein of lace weight yarn, which took me 5 hours to roll up into a ball because it kept tangling. Using me knees will definitely help :)

[@ashleyrodriguez7996]

Been knitting off the hank. Felt like I was doing something wrong and found this video. Lots of help. Thank you!

[@kelath5555]

Thank you so much! I was gifted 4 hanks of yarn and thought, "I'm going to look up a tutorial before I wreck these." I'm so glad I did!

[@amberleitao4727]

Ohhh I do that with my knees too! Except I can’t sit on the floor because of back problems, so I sit in a recliner, or my rocking chair with my feet against the coffee table or on another stationary chair with my knees up and it works perfectly!! No pain in the Hiney (literally) for me. Minimal tangles and a LOT less anger and tears as to when I used to work flat off the coffee table or my craft table!

[@st...]

just like the others who commented below, I was impatient and just keep on pulling and pulling the yarn. I was so unset and frustrated because it was 100% cashmere and I didnt wanna waste it. I ended up snipping the tangled mess and tying them back together. The whole process took me over than 2 hours.

[@NoNo-wt9br]

That's what happened to my 100% alpaca yarn.

[@sanjanabhat5032]

Thanks a lot for this info! My hank was so messy when tried to unwind it, and so it's a huge ball of knots. Thanks so much!! I'll surely try this out

[@SendInYourSkeletons123]

I soooo wish I had searched for a tutorial before the first 2 times I tried to unravel a hank o yarn. What a mess. Next time, I'll be certain to use your suggestions!

[@francesscott9026]

Hahahaha I just looked this up too... dealing with a HUGE tangled mess right now 🤦‍♀️😭😂😂

[@susanhawkes2519]

Ill never buy a hank again.

[@agemoth]

@@susanhawkes2519 I don't blame you! 😂

[@orbjorgeinarsdottir1512]

Thank you so much 🤗 I had a couple of skeins and no way ( or so I thought) to roll them onto a ball ( my first attempt went horribly and the skein ended up into a tangled knot) I thankfully have one left of the same kind of yarn and 2 other wool ones and now I have a way to use them finally! Thank you again 😊

[@maryannkelly4207]

Just what I needed to know. O also spent hours untangling a hank of yarn. You saved me a great deal of time. Thank you, and I liked the music!

[@rcbpiccolo]

I put my circle around the backs of some chairs to keep it from tangling, and it worked great!

[@agemoth]

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[@Happyheretic2308]

I use one arm, my non-dominant side, and hang the Hank on my elbow - seems to work well! Wind with my dominant hand and untangle with gravity.

[@bettyblouin1392]

I turn a foot stool upside down. Then drop the yarn circle over the four legs. Works great...

[@sheepandstitch]

Great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@seasonsasmr]

Oh my gosh, that is an absolute AWESOME idea! Love it, thank you for posting!!

[@misss4472]

Thank you for a simplified, short video. Now I can start my Jimmy Bean big beanie bag project for April 2017. I will add a link this vid on other sites I use. 🙋 happy knitting

[@19_Istitch_you_knot]

Oh how I wish I would have had this about 4 hours ago! What a day of solid untangling ,

[@1845JR82]

See, this is leading me back to yarn hanks! Thank you for enlightening me! Now I can use my yarn instead of crying and cursing.

[@kelseykrach]

Thank you!!!! Wish I had watched this last night before I tried doing this… I’ve already spent 4 hours untangling… but I have learned my lesson for the next!!!! I’ve never used a Hank before and when I bought it at the yarn store I didn’t even think to ask.

[@MrsSchenck]

A million thanks!!! So glad I found this. 😊

[@madisonlarson839]

I love your videos, I'm just starting to knit and your videos really help. Thank you!!

[@sheepandstitch]

You're very welcome!

[@sharonkaybeyer528]

OMG, I am so happy I found this! First time I purchased a "hank" of yarn and didn't have a clue what to do! hahahha!

[@joannepagani3287]

Perfect! Exactly the info I needed!

[@chrisk722]

Thank you! SO helpful for me as a beginner...

[@rachelberryhill5413]

I liked the music so much, I went to go listen to it on Spotify to "like" it there and then watched the rest of the video. :)

[@DaysFlyBy007]

Omg thank you, I just untwisted my very first hank of yarn, Malabrigo Indiecita, and I was immediately freaked out not wanting to ruin this gorgeous yarn but no idea where to start, lol.

[@brietoujours1343]

This was so helpful. Thank you!

[@TangibleTania]

Great idea with the knees!!!! I just did up my 180 yd ball in not time at all!

[@Singforyou1954]

Thank you for this video...it is one hot mess when you do it wrong!!!! I learned the hard way and then searched for this info...my next hank of yarn won't be so horrible I hope.

[@sheepandstitch]

+Pat Sobczyk LOL, you're absolutely right! unwinding a skein willy nilly will pretty much end in tears/hot mess!

[@sanjanabhat5032]

Exactly what happened with me!!! But unfortunately for me, I still have a huge mess to untangle...uugghhh I tried untangling it yesterday and I had dreams about yarn. Lol

[@DawnYarnDoll]

thank you this is my first time using a hank and this was very simple to understand

[@trudylt]

This absolute beginner thanks you. Well done vid!

[@SpacePlant-nb8gm]

Thank you! This was my first time working with a hank and I was so lost!

[@ChristineTHuynh]

Mystery solved! Awesome tutorial..thank you

[@arielmyers4028]

I love kurt vile!! Great video thanks

[@shwethadhananjaya4498]

The knee method is really lifesaver. I could do it within 15mins.

[@chisaixo]

So helpful, thank you.

[@celinewong9885]

Omg! Thank you so much! This is very very helpful

[@srujanaguru4181]

Used to it happily.loved it!

[@shwethadhananjaya4498]

Thanks a lot for making this video

[@april-uq4uf]

This saved my life lol ty so much

[@nightsky1681]

Thanks, I was sitting here staring at this thing trying to figure out how I was supposed to crochet with this

[@stephiedrown795]

Thank you for this! 😊 I like the music too!

[@sheepandstitch]

Thanks for watching!

[@bettybare3320]

Man, my hank wasn't that easy. Mine has 3 little separations all on one side, then folded in half. I tried to separate from where they had it separated, but the bottom part of it was all tangled up. help, lolol

[@purple_fox_7777]

Good video!! LOVE the music!!!! Chris* Michigan

[@MommyLovesHerMakeup]

This is how I do it, I learned the hard way....lots of time untangling! What yarn are you using in this video, I love chunky yarns....always on the look out for options. Thanks.

[@iWantARainbowPony]

It's called martta the merino, it's sold on Etsy. Quite expensive though!

[@amberleitao4727]

LOTS of tears! Omg girl me too!!!

[@AlexandraRyanBarth]

SAME THIS IS ME RIGHT NOW and I'm so mad at myself for not searching for this hahaha

[@arsalakhan1654]

This helped a lot

[@gsagadin]

ty. Great job. Very much appreciated!

[@babyhaines86]

love kurt vile and love that yarn!

[@judithah41]

If I have an extra large hank (478 yards) of yarn, and am using a swift and ball winder, should I cut the yarn and make two balls. Thanks.

[@quinn799]

Thank you so much! I was so lost, this is so unintuitive without help

[@marciaw4164]

Thank God for KZbin videos

[@johnsonjohnson2831]

Thank you! I was just about to give up because I hate fighting with the skeins.

[@user-eo4qi6fh9t]

Lol I'm 68 and I have never bought a skein before like this. So thank you so much

[@ArgentTwilight]

I spent 3 hours trying to make a ball of yarn from one today because it got tangled up as I was rolling. I'm hoping that this will help me for next time I need to unravel one.

[@JustLiliGaming]

This yarn looks amazing! What yarn is it and where did you purchase it?

[@sheepandstitch]

+Lillysworld Lillysworld Woops! Sorry for the late reply. This merino yarn is by a Finnish brand called TJOCKT. It's super soft and pillowy. We sell it on Sheep & Stitch in 12 pretty colors: sheepandstitch.com/shop/tjockt-martta-the-merino-bulky-yarn/

[@OrincyWhyteDesigns]

Thank you!

[@mariektotora]

This is definitely me!

[@redredwine1277]

Thank you👌🏽God Bless

[@michelem9842]

Thank you very much.

[@actuallynoh]

Where did you get your yarn! Looks so nice!

[@sheepandstitch]

+Ashley Noh Hey! This merino yarn is by a Finnish company called TJOCKT. It's super soft and pillowy. We sell it on Sheep & Stitch in 12 pretty colors: sheepandstitch.com/shop/tjockt-martta-the-merino-bulky-yarn/

[@raquelrox96]

what do i do if i get bored halfway through making a scarf? can i do anything with half a scarf?

[@agemoth]

Turn it into a cowl! (Join 2 sides together, make a tube, stick it over your head! )

[@DestinysOnlyWish]

wow!!

[@andresdolores961]

Thanks

[@emily_kim]

What yarn and brand is that? Thanks!

[@sheepandstitch]

+Emily Kim Hey! This is TJOCKT Martta the Merino. It's currently on sale at the Sheep & Stitch website here: sheepandstitch.com/shop/tjockt-martta-the-merino-bulky-yarn/

[@Noahsoak]

nice tunes. :)

[@sheepandstitch]

Kurt Vile, baby!

[@MegaMissfitz]

Morning freaky finge! How,s it going in the unwinding dept? 👍👎👍

[@heidicook2395]

Please HELP! I have two incredible hanks of lovely yarn. I have never worked with hanks before. I put it around a chair, found two ties - one of which was the working yarn, and am trying to wind it using my ball winder. I was hoping this video would help, but it's only pictures and white screens. Is it normal for hanks to only have two ties? What can I do to get it to wind without becoming more tangled? P.S. I never knew wool could be so soft, or that fingering weight was so small. This will be quite an adventure!😻 I am quite confident I will succeed. I taught my self to use double pointed needles to knit socks when my vision was even worse than now. Slow and study wins the race. And help from more knowledgeable friends!😁

[@alixandraleroux8800]

Everytime I do this exact same thing mine still always becomes one big blob of disaster

[@callmema14]

Wish I had seen this before I undid my hank. I didn't know the proper way so I just grabbed an end and pulled from the hank. That created a big mess, I got frustrated and kept yanking and yanking. I think I messed up my hank! I have more but I feel like it's a waste now. It would take forever to untangle it and I would have to cut it up! Thank you!

[@sanjanabhat5032]

What I did with my messed up hank is, take an open end and try to untangle it by passing it through all those tangles, and when you're at a little amount of yarn ( or a lot, depending upon Ur patience), cut the yarn and wind it into a little ball or a skein. And continue that process till Ur done with Ur hank. That's what I did and I have 5-6 small skeins and some little cute balls of yarn :) so u don't have to cut it up.

[@mads855]

Mine has so many knots all over! I'm going crazy

[@elenaw9718]

So helpful! The first time I went in all willy nilly and ended up with a big jumble of mess.

[@HoneyBadger938]

I wish I saw this before unravelling my hank of super fine but bulky fuzzy yak yarn. What an absolute mess I made of it! Lol. The thought going thru my head was...what the #$%&, its now expensive pillow stuffing. Lol

[@GigglezZxox]

Any tips for what to do when it’s a tangled mess? 😭 pretty sure I’m just going to have to throw out this $40 hank of yarn

[@agemoth]

Undo it over a few months lol

[@annhedges7019]

Kurt Vile FTW!

[@foragingvegan2654]

Somehow the hank still became a tangled mess😭 I'll try it again with the next one

[@elizabethmanning3475]

I’m here for the Kurt Vile music

[@_missmarissa_]

i’m a beginner knitter and had no idea hanks had to be unraveled beforehand dangit

[@NJLampFilms29]

Who the eff is hank?

[@sheepandstitch]

+NJLamp Films LOL

[@michellegrover1067]

😂

[@Zepheriah]

GROAN

[@marymoran1015]

Nerdfighteria

[@jenniferherzberg6934]

He hangs out with Pete and will.

[@lolainma3218]

Exactly what o did. Second skein took me just as long as it was tangling from using chair to do it as one KZbinr showed. Nightmare

[@peaschy]

Should’ve watched this before i have to untangle a hank of yarn for 2 hours straight 😭

[@susanhawkes2519]

Just trashed a pile of gorgeous but unwindable, tangled up wool. No tool, unbendable knees and a bandaged finger. String kept coming from inside. Was hell. Sorry, Ellen's half pint. Will be good to stuff pillows with I guess.

[@Lilacleaf49065]

This was helpful, but even without the big mess of tangled yarn..... never again. I don't understand why yarn is sold this way.

[@Thesingertina]

Not me getting excited thinking I would have to unravel or cut like that

[@adgurl01]

I was about to buy a swifter but now I don’t need to. Just use my knees 🤭🤭

[@sheepandstitch]

Yup! A swift is great if you have a lot of skeins to unwind. Otherwise, knees work just as well 😊

[@dannybonsai7102]

why dont they ball them up at the store?

[@sheepandstitch]

For handpainted yarns the dyer usually dyes the yarn in a loose hank. So it’s easier to sell it as a hank. Some people think winding the yarn into a ball stretches the yarn fibers also.

[@dannybonsai7102]

@@sheepandstitch oh I see. Is it at risk of stretching out when we ball it up at home? Or it is more of a problem if it has to sit on a shelf in that state?

[@mrfixitferg]

My wife bought a roll of this and I played this video to help her and this is just a terrible way for the manufacturers to leave the yarn.

[@sheepandstitch]

A lot of indie/artisan dyers leave their yarns this way because: 1. It's easier than winding the yarn into a ball 2. it allows you to see the color pattern very clearly if you unwind the hank and look at it like a big circle and 3. there's a belief that winding the yarn into a ball and leaving it like that for a long time can stretch out the fibers and leave them with less bounce and body. Ultimately, the manufacturer should make sure that the hanks are untangled so that the customer doesn't have a hard time winding up their hank. If they do this, the winding up process is not too onerous, I think.

[@mrfixitferg]

Interesting I’ll pass this on to my wife have a good one

[@c0ronariu5]

Ducking hell that was the loudest “music” I’ve ever heard on a craft video.

[@user-eo4qi6fh9t]

I mean a Hank. Lol

[@C1ouDN1n3]

Untangling like this as a full time student took 3 MONTHS🤣

[@vivianpowell1732]

I found the loud music very distracting. It helps to untwist the hank and then hang the circle of yarn overnight before removing the knots and trying to wind it into a ball. I gently hang the circle of yarn around the crook of a coat hanger. It's still a task I always dread.

[@braddhadair]

super helpful!! thanks!

[@cynthiastipeche4356]

Is that Kurt Vile?

[@sheepandstitch]

Sure is!

[@possumpants]

You'd think for the price I'm paying for some of this fucking yarn I buy it could come pre-rolled.

[@agemoth]

I heartily agree! It's bullcrap!