Winding Yarn

Clock reel gears

Winding yarn into a hank can be a pain, literally. A niddy noddy can be exhausting to use if there is a lot of yarn. Enter the antique clock reel. I found mine on Craigslist and it wasn't very expensive. The ones that I've seen range in condition from barn fresh to pristine. I'd say mine spent some serious time in the barn. When shopping, all you really need to check is whether the thing winds. It isn't hard to count and 2 yards is pretty standard for one rotation. Mine has a weasel that still pops and does so after every 40 turns (80 yards). It won't reset though so the pop is just a novelty. Don't discount these oldies; mine sees daily use and is still going strong. 

Clock reel

While we are on the topic of winding yarn, I thought I might provide a few definitions:

1. Hank: this is the yarn off of the reel; it is tied in several places and twisted for storage.
2. Skein: this is a mill spun preparation.  They come in cocoon shapes and may be center pull.
3. Cake: these cute little pats of yarn come from a ball winder. They are usually round tubes that are flat on the top and bottom.
4. Swift: As in the umbrella type. They come in many shapes but all serve the same purpose, to hold a hank of yarn so that in can be wound into a ball (by hand) or a cake (ball winder).
5. Clock Reel: see above. Finished yarn is wound onto these and the niddy noddy.
6. Niddy noddy:  Turned wood (or other material; I made one from PVC pipe) in the shape of a capital "I" that fresh yarn is wound onto and into a hank.
7. Ball Winder: Used to wind yarn from a swift into a usable preparation like a cake. Different winders may make different shapes.

Many of these definitions and tools are used interchangeably. Here's one way to remember: Yarn is spun onto a bobbin, then wound off onto a clock reel or niddy noddy and into a hank. The hank goes onto the swift and is wound into a usable preparation with a ball winder.