5 tricks to never have tangled yarn and tips to untangle with ease

/ Crochet / By natashaj

Tangled yarn is a nightmare for knitters, crocheters or any other fiber artists. I have been there and I can feel your frustration. Having tangled yarn while trying to create something new is also a huge waste of time and energy. It is best to avoid the tangling of yarn as much as possible. There are a few basic things that you can do while working with hanks, skeins or balls of yarn that will keep it in your control. There are a few things that you can find at home and some other that are sold specifically for knitters and crocheters. You can choose what suites your need and budget and use them to help with handling the yarn.

In this post today I will be discussing a few tips and tools that can be used to prevent tangled yarn all together. and also a few tips and tools to untangle the yarn that you might already have.

Reasons to have tangled yarn

• Improper storage of yarn
• Improper handling of yarn
• Yarn quality and texture
• Yarn balls rolling uncontrolled while crocheting or knitting
• Trying to work directly from skein or hank
• Working with multiple strands of yarn held together
• Working with more than one color yarn

5 tips to prevent tangled yarn

1. Roll skeins and hanks into balls to prevent tangled yarn

This is more or less the most obvious thing to do. The skeins and hanks of yarn are meant to be used directly for knitting or crocheting. These have to be converted into balls or cakes. It is a good idea to roll them into balls for storage as well.

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I like to use the yarn swift because of a number of reasons like the ease with which it disposes the yarn to wind. It also prevents the tangling of yarn as it will hold the hank in place for you to roll it into a ball.

These of course are optional tools but will definitely make the process easy, convenient and fun.

2. Use center pull balls

The second tip I have for today is to use a center pull ball. This also have a multiple number of benefits. The center pull yarn balls do not roll around when you work because the yarn is pulled from the center not the outside of the ball. These are even easy to store because you can tuck in the outer tail of yarn when storing it and it wont unwind and tangle. You can read more about the yarn ball winders here.

3. Use a yarn bowl to prevent tangled yarn

If you like to use the normal outer pull balls of yarn then it will help if you use a yarn bowl. You can buy a pretty one or DIY one for yourself which will be inexpensive. A yarn bowl is a slightly heavy bowl that you can use to hold the yarn ball while you knit or crochet to keep it from rolling away. It may or may not have a curved slit to pass the yarn through.

4. Threading multiple yarns through a container

The maximum chances of getting tangled yarn is when you are working with multiple strands of yarn together or when you are working with two or more colors of yarn.

When working with more than one strand of yarn it can help of you just create a ball holding the yarn together instead of crocheting of knitting with multiple balls. This way you will have to bother about just one ball of yarn and not multiple tangled yarn balls.

5. Use tic-tac clips to secure the yarn ends of balls for storage

 I get tangled yarn mainly when store the yarn balls improperly. The yarn is usually stored in clear boxes so that i can what is in which box.

My yarn stash is huge. The trickiest of all the silk and the synthetic silk yarns and threads. they are super slippery and they unravel in the boxes creating a mess. The best way to keep this from happening it to use tic tac clips or any other type of clips to hold the end of yarn in place. Even the microfiber acrylics are super slippery.

When I store the reels of silk thread I never remove the paper jackets from them. The jacket keeps it from unraveling.

These are a few tips and tricks that i use to keep away from tangled yarn. But despite of all the efforts i still tangle the yarn some times. Now what to do when that happens?

I will give you a few tricks and tools that will help you untangle the yarn faster. But before we get into that just look at the tangle yarn at hand. Do you really feel its worth the effort and time. If the answer in no then read no further. Either put it in trash or donate it some place. If not then you can also pay some one to do the work for you. If you do not have the heart to do that then get ready with these tools and got to work.

Here is a list of a few tools that some in handy when dealing with the tight knots in your tangled yarn.

• Tweezers
• Needles (Blunt point)
• Small crochet hook

• Do not cut or pull the yarn too tight. Gradually work yourself through it.
• Find the end of the yarn and start form there.
• Deal with one section of yarn at one time.
• Get a friend to help.
• Take frequent breaks and be patient with it.

Happy crocheting!