Why do knitting yarn manufacturers no longer sell their product in skeins?

Question

I prefer to wind my own wool into a round ball,it is easier to use.

Answer 1

Many people find it easier to work from a pull-ball, and I think it's easier to mass produce them this way.

Answer 2

all i can say is times are changing so fast i can't keep up i started a project went back to finish and the yarn i was using they quit making.... wonderful for me huh .... thanks   have fun on my web page...

Answer 3

There seem to be loads on the net (unless the skeins are quoted as quantities).

Try:

http://www.texere.co.uk/yarns.php?catego...

Answer 4

It's pretty much a question of where the yarn is actually made and what machinery is available to the spinning mill to be honest.  Many yarns are still put up in hanks that require being wound into balls, but the majority these days is wound into some sort of ball.  For foreign spun yarn more balls can be shipped in a container since it's is more compact than hanks.

As for rewinding, absolutely.  I almost always rewind my yarns regardless of the put up means (there are a few brands I absolutely trust not to have problems in the ball 99.99% of the time, but very few, Brown Sheep and Dale of Norway).after having an entire 20 ball bag of some very expensive yarn in a small put up ball with way too many knots in it.  I use a ball winder to do this (the *cakes* of yarn don't roll away), tucking a *ball* into a shopping bag over the arm of the winder.  I also have a swift for the hanks I buy or spin on my own.  This allows me to find knots and remove them before I knit with them, or slubs or bad spots in the yarn, and again remove them before I have them in the knitting.

Answer 5

It depends on which manufacturer's product you're purchasing.  The big box stores (Walmart, Michaels, AC Moore, etc) sell primarily pull skeins from the major manufacturers like Red Heart, Coats and Clark, Bernat, etc.  The yarn there also tends to be acrylic or a natural/man-made blend.

If you go to a smaller specialty store, a "local yarn shop", you will find wool and other natural fibers put up in hanks.  They are small companies like Cherry Tree Hill, Noro, etc.  I've also seen skeins from companies like Encore and Nature Spun.  I've heard that it's better to store yarn in loosely wound hanks rather than tight balls; it keeps the fiber relaxed.