Skein, Ball, Hank, Cake

Jargon, jargon, jargon. Knowing what is being said helps separate an expert from a novice. In knitting we are fond of our jargon and in fact we like to flaunt it by creating abbreviations for the jargon as well. Or we like to drop names that are important to us, but generally mean nothing to non-knitters. We can be like that at times.

This however is not a lesson on deciphering abbreviations or people's names. Today I want to focus on only the words used to describe the way yarn is bundled, either by hand or commercially. Terms like skein, ball, hank and cake are thrown around by knitters and we know what we're talking about. But perhaps you'd like to know specifically what they mean. So take 1.5 minutes to watch this video by Very Pink. You'll never, ever wonder about these terms again.

A Skein of Yarn, commercially wound

Hand Wound Ball of Yarn - Stock Photo

Commercially wound Doughnut Ball of Yarn - Image from Cascade Yarns

Hanks of Yarn - Image from Prince of Yarnn India

Cake of yarn wound using a ball winder and swift - Image from Fresh Stitches

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