Center pull ball

My mother thaught me if I pull the inner thread out of a skein/ball and knit with that I will not I have to keep turning the skein, and I will not have to deal with the skein rolling away. She also thaught me how to roll a skein into a ball without the "modern gadgets" of a swift and a ball winder, but she only ever done regular balls. So when I started to discover knitting on the internet I inmediatly fell in love with the ball winders, but of course they were too expensive for me. I needed the money for more important things, like yarn... which often came in skeins and I kept hankering after those center pull balls... and ball winders... until I found out how can one wind a center pull ball with only their own two hands. I was surprised to find out it is rather simple, and keep wondering why my mom, and grandma never figured this out. I actually love winding balls ever since. Just ask the girls in my knitting class ;-))) And of course this is one of the first thing I show in my class.

Start with a longer tail. All through you have to watch that this tail is still free (I sometimes tuck it into my sweater to keep it out of the way).

Then make a butterfly between your thumb and pinkie:

Keep until... you feel it is enough.. you don't have to make it too thick, just:

Then holding the butterflx with your fingers start to roll in such a way that your fingers holding the butterfly are inside the yarn you are rolling:

After a bit pull out your finger, hold this new circle at an angle to the butterfly, turning the whole thing a bit and roll an other few circle with your fingers inside:

Keep repeating until the ball is almost solid, but take care that the "ears" of the butterfly are free at the top and the bottom of the ball as well as end of the yarn.

Now you keep rolling at an ange, leaving only the tip of your fingers inside to keep the yarn loos enough. After a few rolls/circles turn it a little bit.

Roll a few rounds, turn, roll a few rounds, turn.... and on... until you have a few meters left which I wound across the ball and secure the end under.

When you start knitting pull the end you started with and the initial butterfly. The rest should flow freely afterwards.

You can also look up videos on you tube, just type in "how to wind a center pull ball"