Nostepinne or Nostepinde - Yarn Ball Winders
Nostepinne, also spelled nostepinde, are traditional Swedish winding sticks to produce center pull balls of yarn. By winding the yarn on a fixed diameter "noste", a ball is produced that can supply yarn from the outside of the ball, from the inside (so the ball does not want to roll about), or both simultaneously to twist the two together to make a thicker two-ply yarn.
These "noste" are turned from black walnut, a premium hardwood with very fine texture.
A right handed person typically will hold the handle (shorter) end in the left hand. The "noste" is rotated by the middle, ring and little fingers, the winding shaped by the thumb and first finger, and the yarn wound by the right hand from a skein or hank. A number of weavers’ Youtube videos show the nostepinne in use.
Light and comfortable in the hand, a very durable but thin clear varnish finish provides a very satisfying wood feel and allows gentle soap and water cleanup when needed.
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