The other day, I started another pair of two-at-a-time socks. I can get one pair of socks from a 220 yard ball of yarn… but to do this technique, you need to separate the ball into two smaller balls of yarn. So, how do you get two even balls of yarn without using a yardstick to measure the yardage?
I find that the easiest way to divide a ball of yarn in half is to weigh the ball of yarn as you wind it into a second ball. A postage scale is great for weighing yarn, because it is often fairly accurate to a tenth of an ounce… something your regular bathroom scale won’t do.
For my socks, I was using a ball of Ella Rae, which weighs 3.5 oz. So, I pulled the yarn out of the center of the ball and began winding. I knew I would want to stop winding when the scale read 1.8 oz (which is close to half of 3.5… with rounding).
Just to verify, I weighed the ball that I had just wound, and it was 1.8 ounces as well! An evenly divided ball of yarn!
Awesome tip! I love it!
What a great idea! It never occurred to me to use a postal scale but you’re right–it’s easy to use and accurate. Thanks for the tip.
THANK YOU so MUCH for this info on separating one ball of yarn into two!!! I just ordered some lovely new sock yarn and it came in 1 large ball. You’ve saved my day. Thanks again.
Love and Light,
Patricia