Chapter 03 · Practical guide
Yarn bowls are one of the few knitting objects that earn their place on a shelf. The good ones have a smooth channel, enough weight to stay put, and a lip that suits the yarn you actually use.
What to look for
A yarn bowl contains the ball and feeds the working yarn through a slot or guide. A rotating holder lets the yarn turn on a spindle instead. Both solve the same basic problem — stopping the yarn roaming around the floor — but they feel quite different in use.
Bowls are wonderfully simple and look good left out. Rotating holders are especially handy if you use yarn cakes or want two separate balls feeding at once.
Ceramic bowls tend to have reassuring weight, which helps them stay put, but the yarn channel needs to be smoothly finished. Wooden bowls feel warmer and avoid the obvious worry of knocking ceramic onto a hard floor.
Whichever material you choose, the important bit is the yarn path: smooth edges, enough room for the yarn weight you use and a bowl or holder that will not skitter across the table.
A decorative ceramic yarn bowl for keeping a ball contained while still looking lovely enough to leave out.
Keeps the working ball contained while looking more like a piece of homeware than something that needs hiding when the knitting is put down.
№ 02A natural wooden alternative for knitters who prefer something warmer and less breakable-looking than ceramic.
A good fit for knitters who want the yarn contained but would rather have warm wood beside the chair than a ceramic bowl.
№ 03A double rotating magnetic yarn holder designed to manage two balls at the same time.
Useful for colourwork, two strands or simply keeping two balls behaving themselves without tangling around each other.
№ 04A pair of simple bamboo rotating holders that let the yarn feed while the ball turns.
We use these ourselves. They are uncomplicated, useful and especially handy when you want two separate balls in play.
№ 05A single-ball wooden yarn holder with a magnetic rotating spindle so the yarn can feed smoothly as the ball turns.
Lets one ball rotate freely as you knit without taking up the space of a two-ball holder.
№ 06An oval wooden bowl with a lid and two yarn feeds for keeping the working yarn contained.
The lid keeps the yarn contained between sessions, while the two feeds are handy for colourwork or knitting with two strands.
Chunky yarn needs a wide channel. Lace needs a smooth glaze and no seams.
