Working with Bobbel yarn cakes: is it easy?

Dear users, dear authors,
is it easy to work with Bobbel yarn cakes, or does it take some getting used to?
Let me know.

Well, I found it very easy right from the start.

Maybe that’s because in the beginning I almost always crocheted only amigurumi, so I crochet with more “tension” anyway. 
For many people, individual strands slip off the hook at first... But I think that’s just a matter of getting used to it.

In any case, Bobbel are sooo pleasant for me to crochet with.
There’s no ball of yarn flying around, and in the end I only have 2 ends to weave in. 

I got used to working with yarn cakes very quickly.

I’ve been working exclusively with plied yarn for 2 or 3 years now.

I really love Bobbel yarn, too, even though it took some getting used to working with it. But I got used to it very quickly. I especially love making shawls from it because I like the color gradient. I’ve also made tops using Bobbel yarn. I like having different color gradients but only having to work with one skein instead of switching between different ones. The materials are also pleasant to work with.

My first Bobbel was a breeze to crochet with—and I’ve loved Bobbels ever since. In addition to a few scarves and shawls, I’ve also crocheted baby blankets and a pillow from Bobbels.

The advantage of Bobbels is that you get really great color gradients without having to constantly weave in ends—which I don’t particularly enjoy doing ;-)

I always start with the inner strand of the Bobbel and usually keep the Bobbel in a small basket on the floor so that the yarn is pulled out of the Bobbel as vertically as possible while crocheting.

There are a few things I think you should be careful about:

• after unraveling—make sure you have all the strands of the yarn back on the hook
  
• if you’re unraveling a lot, it’s best to wind the yarn at the same time—I feel like unraveled Bobbel yarn tangles more quickly and forms nasty knots more easily than other yarns
  
• "Moving/transporting" Bobbels, especially when a large portion has already been worked and only the outer ring remains—if you handle them too roughly at that point, you’ll quickly end up with a tangled mess. Ever since my first “accident,” I’ve always kept my "Bobbel in progress" in a little basket
  

I can’t really warm up to gradient cakes.
First of all, I mainly crochet amigurumi. They’re not really well suited for that. And apart from shawls or tops, I can’t think of much to make with them.
Sure, the color gradients are very beautiful and soft, and you don’t have to weave in much. But then there are the little knots, and they do bother me a bit. And if you don’t know exactly how much yarn you need, the color gradient can also end up looking a bit unharmonious.
And lastly—I keep getting caught between the strands with plied yarn. I actually crochet quite quickly, but with gradient cakes I don’t really make much progress. I prefer hand-dyed twisted yarns.

The adjustment at first was a little tricky. But by now I love making shawls with the color gradients.
I’ve also knitted with solid-color Bobbel yarn cakes before. I haven’t yet dared to try the multicolored ones. But winter is knitting season, and I definitely want to try that sometime.

What I like best about the color gradients is that I can combine the favorite colors of my loved ones in my circle of friends. And also that I don’t have to weave in many ends. For me, that’s the absolute plus!

I think the Bobbel yarns are beautiful—I absolutely love the color gradients. But the
cotton/blend Bobbel yarn took some getting used to at first. I knitted with my first one and often ran into those single-strand issues. By the halfway point, I’d gotten used to it and things went quickly.