While working on the pattern SliTTop by La Maison Rililie, yarn management became important. I chose to knit this gorgeous top in ITO Kinu held double. I have never had the opportunity to knit from a cone before and I was so excited that I didn't have to wind the yarn before starting my project. But this came with a cost - I had no idea that every time I pulled for more yarn the cones would fall over and roll all over the floor or table. I was managing OK until I got to the part in the pattern where I had to knit the front and the back separately but at the same time. This meant that instead of 2 cones rolling all over the floor there now were 4! It was not pretty. I knew there must be a better way.

I love to use yarn bowls when knitting with balls and cakes of yarn. Yarn bowls are not only beautiful they keep your yarn from rolling all over the floor or table while you knit. One of my favorite Yarn Bowls is from Creative with Clay creator Charan Sacchar.

However these gorgeous Yarn Bowls didn't work with the cones of yarn. So I enlisted my 8 year old to build me a tool out of Tinker Toys. In 3 minutes he built me this...

It works beautifully! Later that evening I researched online to see if anything like this existed (in a more permanent form than Tinker Toys). I was excited and told my husband we should get a patent and trademark until I found these amazing Knitting Spindles from Wool Tree Mills. Although my patent and trademark dreams were squashed LOOK AT THESE!! I mean, I can't imagine anything more beautiful!

These Knitting Spindles are not only gorgeous but they are functional. The Double spindle will hold 2 cones or 2 balls of yarn and will prevent your yarn from tangling when knitting with two yarns at a time. The Double Spindle would be great for Fair Isle knitting as well. I'm definitely going to get a double and a single spindle. I just have to decide if I want the single with the tool tray or without the tool tray, decisions decisions....

Whether you use a yarn bowl, yarn spindle or homemade contraption built by your child out of tinker toys, as long as your system works for you to keep your yarn under control and out of knots then it is the right system to use. There is no right or wrong way. Once your yarn is under control you can knit more and untangle less and really it's all about the knitting!