We’ve already talked a bit about how you will typically find yarn in a store. But did you know that this is not the only shape you will find yarn in? There are two other shapes that you might see, although they aren’t as common as the skein. Let’s talk about the other frequent types!
Yarn Cakes
Some brands have cakes of yarn. These are round and a few inches tall. The yarn has been wound around itself in a way that makes the cakes stackable. Many people prefer this form of yarn, and will create them for themselves out of the typical skeins. There are yarn winders available that will wind the yarn into a cake for you. The advantage of this form is they tend to be more easily storable since they stack better. You may be able to fit more yarn into a smaller space! If you are winding the yarn yourself, you will also be able to deal with any tangles before actually working with the yarn on a project.
Yarn Hanks
Yarn hanks are generally wound around themselves into a figure eight type of pattern, although they are twisted several times instead of just once. This helps the yarn stay together in one compact piece for retail. I don’t generally see this type of yarn in stores unless it is a dedicated yarn store. More often, these tend to be indie yarn producers. I personally don’t find yarn in this form to be very useable. I find that it easily tangles and can create problems with my tension. So if I purchase yarn like this, I will absolutely wind it into cakes before using it to create.
As a side note, if you don’t have a yarn winder, that’s ok! You can absolutely manually wind your yarn into a ball. That’s what I did as a child because we didn’t have one. It works the same way, it’s just a sphere instead of a more flattened shape like a cake.
Did you know there were different options on the shape of yarn you buy? Have you seen all of the different types?