**Needs pictures, Titles, and schedule. Maybe I can make GIFS for this? Also need to fix the headers to not be in caps.

PICS for gallery  Of yarn in a ball, yarn on niddy noddy, yarn in hank.  Caption: Look, magic!

Meet Your New Best Friend

-Picture of niddy noddy  Caption: This is the start of a beautiful friendship.

A niddy noddy (pronounced “knitty knotty”) is a handy (and I daresay, essential) tool for knitters to convert their balls and skeins of yarn into hanks.  This makes it possible to wash your yarn, to store it, and to even get an estimate of yardage. My niddy noddy has saved me so many tears that surely would have come without it.  Seriously, invest in one of these bad boys. You need it! Although they look like bizarre contraptions, after a try or two, you’ll be wanting to wind up all your spare bits of yarn!

Supplies You’ll Need

• A niddy noddy obviously!  What size, you ask? The main sizes that they come in are 42 inches and 72 inches.  The 42 inch model is ideal for smaller bits of yarn like leftovers from a colorwork project while the 72 inch version is best for large amounts of yarn or anything that is slippery.  If you can only get one niddy noddy, go with the 72 inch one. You’ll occassionally have some skinny hanks but that’s better than having a 42 inch niddy noddy that can’t hold some of your larger balls of yarn.
• The yarn you want to convert.
• Scraps of yarn either in the same yarn that you’ll be wrapping (if you want it to be store worthy gorgeous) or something slippery for easy removal later.  I use one or two for mini hanks, two to three for small hanks, four or five for larger hanks, and about a hundred for anything with silk! It’s better to have more than you think you need.  This is not the time to skimp on scrap yarn. Ask me how I know…
• Patience!  Some people will get this easier than others but, either way, it’s worth it!  Just imagine having the ability to have your own perfectly organized little yarn shop.  **swoon**

And that’s it!  Let’s get down to business.

Step #1:  Understanding How To Use This Thingy

(CREATE DIAGRAM WITH ARROWS SHOWING HOW TO DO IT.  (add link for them to make one if they need to?) Maybe place stickers on the ends of my wooden ones so they can see?)

This can be a bit confusing the first few times.  I suggest trying this out with a ball of yarn you don’t much care for justttttttt in case you become tempted to throw the whole thing away.  Not that I would know anything about that… If you get frustrated, it’s ok. Believe me, it does get easier and, once you know what you’re doing, it becomes quick, painless, and oddly relaxing.

IMAGE  Pic of the niddy noddy with arrows showing what you’ll do.  Maybe have the exact same picture a few times with the arrows added to each pic in the gallery

So, essentially you’re using the niddy noddy to make a tidy, giant loop.  You’ll be going in an “over, under” motion to pin the yarn in place as you go.  Are you ready to make a hank?

Step #2:  The First Loop Is The Hardest

Take the tail of your yarn and pin it to the handle using whatever hand will be holding the niddy noddy (I’ll be using my right hand to hold and my left to guide.)  Go ahead and hide a few extra inches of yarn under your palm. This will make it easier to tie off later.

PIC of me holding a small wad of yarn under my right hand on the bar

Now we will go over the first bar,

PIC of going over the first bar  Caption: We want to keep the yarn neat and tidy without it being pulled taut.

Under the second

Pic of going under the second bar

(WRITE THIS DOWN WHEN I HAVE THE TOOL IN HAND HAHA)
(LOTSSSS OF PHOTOS!)

If you want to use your niddy noddy to get an yardage estimate, make sure to count each time you complete a loop.  When you’ve completed your skein, take your number and plug it into this equation:

SLIDE of math equation (Number of loops on niddy noddy) x (number of inches on a loop with your niddy noddy)  / 36 (the number of inches in a yarn) = approximate yardage

SLIDE Ex  50 loops x 72 inch niddy noddy = 3600 inches  / 36 = about 100 yards

Step #3:  Keep Going And Going And Going

Now, just keep repeating this motion until you’ve put your whole ball of yarn on the niddy noddy.  Remember to not get too tight, we don’t want the yarn to lose it’s integrity.

PIC of yarn too tight and of it just right tension wise

Keep an eye on the way the yarn is building up.  You don’t want all of your yarn hanging out in one spot or the other.  You want it nice and evenly spread out.

(INCLUDE PIC OF WHAT NOT TO DO AND WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE when it comes to proper spacing)  Caption: This is good and this one needs some work.

Step #4:  Tying It Up

With the yarn still on the niddy noddy, take your scraps of yarn and weave it in and out like so:  

PIC (Include picture of me weaving scraps.  Use contrasting yarn.) I’m using contrasting yarn here so you can see but use whatever you want.  I like to tie this first scrap halfway between the two ends of yarn.

IMAGE

Work your way around the hank adding however many scrap pieces feels right to you.  Hint: More is better.

IMAGE (Make it a pic of the yarn on the niddy noddy and draw pics of where I would include a yarn tie.  One color for most yarns and a second for anything slippery) Caption: This is how I would place my scrap yarn but you do whatever you’re comfortable with.

To tie the loose end, you have two options:  put the scrap about 3-6 inches up from the tail then tuck the tail into the hank itself (easy way) or about 3 inches from the tail, add the scrap yarn like normal BUT, before tying the knot, lay the end on top of one of your scrap ends, and tie all three yarn pieces together in a slip knot (pretty but slightly harder way).  Either way, tuck your yarn tails in to the hank when you’ve secured them for a clean look.

(INCLUDE LOTS OF PHOTOS)  Pics of easy way to tieyarn ends and harder way

Step #5:  Turn That Loop Into A Gorgeous Hank

If you’re happy with the number of scraps you’ve tied around your loop, you’re ready for the final step: twisting it into a hank.  

(MORE PHOTOS)

Gently, scooch the yarn off the niddy noddy with one hand, then grab the opposite end of the loop with your other hand.

PICS.  Just take lots and lots of pics

Alternate twisting one hand towards you a few times and the other hand away from you the same number of times.  The middle of the loop will start to twist in on itself and that’s exactly what we want.

Continue this twisting motion until the look is just a tad tighter than you’d like the final hank to be.  When you remove your hands at the end, the twist will stretch out a bit.

If you’re happy with the level of twist, slowly bring your hands together.

We want the center of the loop to fold in on itself.  You may need to repeat this process a time or two until the loop folds where you want it to.  When the loop is folded in the center and your hands are touching, grab one end with your opposite hand and pull it completely through the loop around that hand.

Gently play with the twist until it’s photo worthy, add any label you want (INCLUDE LINK FOR MY LABEL DOWNLOAD) and ta da!  You now how a stunning hank that you made all by yourself!

What Do You Think?

Was it easier than you thought?  Were you able to get it on the first try?  Let us know in the comment section down below!