How to Unwind a Hank of Yarn

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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!

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