Gradient yarn / Bobbel yarn cakes: tips

Dear community,
Do you have any tips for working with gradient yarn / Bobbel yarn cakes?

First, I thread a bead onto the yarn and work from the inside out.

I place the yarn cake upright in a container that’s just big enough to hold it. Usually, the original packaging works fine.

As the hole forms inside, I gradually place a glass of the appropriate size into it to keep the yarn cake from collapsing.

If “yarn barf” does form, don’t pull on it. Just give it a shake to untangle the mess quickly.👍

I do it exactly the opposite way—I work them from the outside in, and keep them on a paper towel holder while doing so.

Yarn cakes really aren’t my thing 🫪
4 strands or more, UNTWISTED....
but every now and then I have to get through it too
here I had a two-strand yarn... that was still manageable
the ONEPIECE shirt.......really made from JUST ONE PIECE!
crocheted entirely in rounds...
and thanks to the yarn cake, it turned out especially beautiful after all ;)🌸🦋

Since Bobbel yarn cakes are usually made of multiple unplied strands, give the yarn a slight twist as you knit or crochet.
This makes it easier to catch each strand.
 

When I start a skein from the outside, I wind it onto an empty DVD or CD spindle.
And I place the plastic disc—the one that was always at the bottom inside—underneath the skein.

Then I just put the whole thing in there and I’m ready to go. The skein spins more easily that way.



 

Speaking of twisted vs. unplied yarn: examples of twisted yarns I’m familiar with include Twister and its variations from Hobbii, or the Flowers series from Yarnart (basically the same thing, but cheaper), or yarns like Tea Time from Hobbii or Cookie from Järbo. However, when cotton is involved, these are blended yarns with acrylic. In any case, I really can’t recall ever coming across a twisted Bobbel yarn made of 100% cotton. If anyone has a tip (from the mass market), I’d be very grateful ❤️

It doesn’t make any difference to me in terms of handling whether I have twisted or unplied yarn on my crochet hook (and I also think the difference is much more relevant when knitting), but the stitch definition is somehow different after all.

Another aspect regarding twisting seems to be the direction of the twist. Wherever I picked this up, there was talk of “S-twist” and “Z-twist.” One of these (the former, I think) is the usual direction, the other is exactly the opposite, which is apparently meant to ensure that the yarn doesn’t untwist, or only untwists a little, while being worked. I’d love to try this out, but I can’t recall ever seeing any information about the twist direction. Except, of course, with the Hobbii yarn, which would be too expensive and too nice for me to just try out on a whim. So here’s another one: kisses on the tummy for any “helpful tips” ❤️

Great idea, @Tauglanz, and beautifully presented 👍🏻 The yarn will definitely spin even better if you spray the... um... bobbin from the bottom with a tiny dab of silicone lubricant. Really just a tiny bit, because that stuff tends to get everywhere.