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Why The Yarn Channel Keyhole Is Important

Many people buy yarn bowls by looks alone, unaware of the varied functions a proper yarn bowl serves to the knitter and crocheter. Here is the difference between a right and left handed yarn bowl, and why a properly positioned yarn channel keyhole is important to you.

The yarn channel cut into the side of a yarn bowl is useful for allowing you to place and remove your work-in-progress from the bowl without cutting the yarn. This is great when you want to switch projects, or are taking your project with you on the run.

In most yarn bowls that feature a yarn channel, the end of the yarn channel usually has a channel keyhole, a circular section. This is the location where yarn should leave the bowl to be held and knitted in your hand. When the yarn travels across the low angled keyhole, the keyhole helps smooth out traveling yarn to help promote proper tension.

When a yarn bowl helps to maintain a proper tension, the hands and wrists of a knitter have less stress. This allows for more enjoyable knitting and helps to make more uniform stitches.

The angle of a yarn channel keyhole should also accommodate your knitting style to get the best from your bowl. See the image showing the knitting twins.

If a person is a left handed knitter, or a Continental knitter (a right handed person knitting with yarn set to their left side), then they will likely find better enjoyment from a left handed yarn bowl.

Notice the tension keyhole of both bowls in the image to the left. See how the yarn naturally wants to flow from the keyhole to the knitters' hands?

Now see in the image to the right how a
wrong-handed-bowl-for-you offers little to no help in maintaining proper tension as the yarn slides around the yarn channel, up and down, as the person knits. The bowl helps the yarn ball stay put, so it is some help, but not as much help as it should be with the tension control.
 

Getting the right bowl for your style of knitting and/or crocheting is important. It helps you to keep the right tension for your yarn project while helping to reduce some of the stress in your fingers and wrists.

Here's what other people had to say about Cindy Douglass Yarn Bowls.

"Cindy,...The yarn bowl is awesome! helps me keep the tension right." ~Jessica S.

"I sit on the bed and knit.  I was happily surprised that the bowl sits so steadily on the bed.  I don't know how I've lived without one of these for so long!" ~ Bridget M.

"I am absolutely delighted to have this yarn bowl. I never had used one before but am spoiled now and won't crochet without one again! " ~ Maggie B.

"My BEAUTIFUL yarn bowl arrived safe and sound today!!! I've had several yarn bowls over the years and can honestly say that this is BY FAR, not only the most functional but also the most beautiful! A million thank-you's for creating such beautiful & quality crafted tools for us to use and gaze upon! "- Kat S.

I was asked to show this info from the knitter's perspective. So I came up with a quick sketch which I hope helps! 

Rocking Butter Dishes

Well, here’s a little something that I still need to work out. How do I make the air flow evenly around a flat plane of clay? I'm thinking I’ll have to buy yet another item, this time a cookie cooling rack. I think I need to raise up the clay and allow air to circulate around all the surfaces. Hopefully, that will allow the clay dry flat.

Word Cloud Day

I didn't download any apps, so I didn't get to make a very artistic word cloud, but this should do.

Saturday Summary

This week feels like it was pretty productive. Maybe I feel that way because I unloaded a kiln. To see actual items that were once just ideas is pretty exciting.
Photos coming to the store soon!

On Being Left Handed

Disclosure: I am left-handed. I throw left-handed on a Brent C pottery wheel.

Lorna Meaden's Work Is A Real Dream

One of my favorite potters doesn’t care for me. She thinks I'm too odd, too weird. That was the impression I picked up during a weeklong workshop I took from her.  I found her view of me hilarious, since her pots strike me as being filled with whimsical irony.

The Process of Making Mugs

Let me tell you a bit about the process of making mugs for a special order.

Background: The person wanted the names of her grandchildren on a mug for each child. Being left handed myself, I'm a little OCD about wanting to see the name or image when I hold my coffee mug. So when this wonderful lady asked for names on her new cups, I discovered that nearly half of the mugs would be left handed, and some would be in red glaze, while others would be in green glaze. It turned out that I needed a spreadsheet to keep the order on track.

Fishy Tuesday, redux

Here is another fish I’ve done. This one was fired in an electric kiln. It has about the same dimensions at the first fish. Here’s what he looks like in the red stoneware.

And below is how he looks all dressed up.

Pottery Haiku

Wrinkled dirty hands
Coaxing clay on spinning wheel
Eternal beauty

Earl Douglass' 10 Great Reasons to Use A Cindy Douglass Yarn Bowl

My husband, Earl, doesn’t knit. He doesn’t crochet. He doesn’t even know much about pottery making.