Where to Find A Yarn Bowl or Yarn Holder for Your Knitting Wool

A yarn bowl can be made out of various materials - hand thrown pottery, wood, etc., as long as it's solid. The function of a yarn bowl is to keep the wool you are knitting with under control.

Hand-thrown and glazed  pottery yarn bowls seem to be the 'new kid' on the knitting block!  And considering that knitting is such a gentle, ancient, handicraft these two crafts - pottery and knitting -  go really well together. The coloured glazes of the yarn bowls seem to reflect the richness of the wool.

                   This is a Yarn Bowl

You can see how gorgeous these ceramic yarn bowls are.  If you ever - God forbid - got tired of knitting, then they could definitely double as an ornament in the home.

And naturally, yarn bowls are just as useful for those who love to crochet.

You might find that the rectangular skeins of wool are rather cumbersome in the yarn bowl, as compared to the round or 'cake' variety.  So make sure your yarn bowl is large enough to take your particular ball of wool.

 On the other hand, you could always use a wool winder and turn those big balls of wool into smaller ones that will fit your yarn bowl just perfectly.

Here are a few pointers to remember when choosing a yarn bowl:

• Make sure it isn't lightweight - you don't want it to fall onto the floor if you have it on the table next to you.
• Ensure it has a piece of cork, felt, or suchlike on the base so that it won't scratch the furniture.
• Would you prefer a yarn bowl with a lid to prevent the cat pouncing on your wool?
• Perhaps you like to move around the house with your knitting - if so, a yarn bowl with a handle could be handy.
• Bear in mind that some of these hand-thrown pottery yarn bowls are made to order, so if you want one as a present make sure to allow about three to four weeks for delivery.

There are a few  ceramic yarn bowls available with handles which can be useful if you want to move from room to room with your knitting.  But if you are travelling about and enjoy knitting as you go, on the bus or subway for instance, then a ceramic yarn bowl isn't really practical.

This is where the old-fashioned plastic yarn holder comes in.  A simple idea, but genius all the same!  These carry a ball or two of wool, the wool comes through a hole in the lid and it's kept nice and clean whilst you, knitting away expertly,  draw admiring glances from the other people on the subway.

Now if you really wish you were sitting in front of the coal fire, listening to The Bing Crosby Hour on the radio, the room lit by the light of the old oak standard lamp, cat purring at your feet, knitting socks for the troops - then you are definitely ready for a Vintage Yarn or String Holder!   

Don't be put off by the words "string holder".  I know - it sounds like something found in the garden shed - but I am sure some enterprising woman years ago retrieved it for herself and used it for her knitting! 

From this humble, vintage beginning we have reached the beautiful ceramic yarn bowls of today.

Works every time!

Happy Knitting!

c. K. Duffy