Niddy Noddy, a spinning necessity.
Strange as the name may sound, the niddy noddy is an incredibly helpful tool for spinners. Available in a handful of different styles, the function remains the same: Freshly spun yarn is wound onto a niddy noddy, directly from the bobbin (or spindle). Besides keeping your newly spun yarn tangle free, this tool helps measure your yardage, as the niddy noddy will be set to create a skein of a specific circumference. You merely have to count how many times your yarn is wrapped around the niddy noddy, multiply it by how many yards it’s set to wind your skein, and you’ve got a pretty close approximation of your total yardage.
Winding your yarn up into skeins is also the ideal way to prep it for your next step, be it dyeing or soaking to finish. It’s also one of the most popular ways to store your yarn and free up your bobbins. Take it from me, it’s a lot easier to make skeins with a niddy noddy than wrapping your yarn directly onto a swift, or around the back of a chair. I’ve learned this the hard way, multiple times.
Since there are a few different types of niddy noddies, I thought I’d take a moment to show you the various ones we carry.
First, there’s the Ashford Niddy Noddy (standard size). This simple niddy noddy is made from unfinished wood, and winds a 1.5 yard skein.
Next we have the Louët 1 to 2 yd Niddy Noddy, which comes in lacquered beech wood. This niddy noddy gives you the option to adjust it to wind either a 1 or 2 yard skein.
Last but not least, we have the Schacht Niddy Noddy, Maple and the Schacht Niddy Noddy, Cherry. These adjust to wind either a 1.5 or 2 yard skein, and they fold flat for convenient transport/storage.
If you’re thinking about making your own yarn, you’ll be glad to have one of these handy tools!