Try old nylons...cut and knot one end, yarn out the other.

I'm just relieved to find other people have problems with their yarn falling apart. I thought it was just me! (paranoid, me?)
BTW knitting using the yarn from the outside of the ball in won't help, 'cos that's precisely what I was doing with my cashmerino aran.
I certainly will be trying some of the ideas listed.

I like the yarn bras but I don't like to buy them. I use the red mesh-ish bags that my cherry tomatoes come in, works just as well.

Oh my... the thought *never* occured to me.
You ladies are all a life-line, thanks!

Love the pear protector idea -
I usually use the plastic bags my newspaper comes in on rainy days - with a twist'em loosely snuggled just above the center pull. This way I can keep an eye on the ball's progress and keep snugging it down if necessary. The long 'tail' at the top can be used to secure the bag to the arm of the chair or handles of my knitting bag.
Aren't you annoyed by the contrast of textures between foil and yarn? I would be.

i love the yarn bra stuff.. i use all kinds.. i've gotten them from garlic holders, tomato holders, wine bottle holders (my fav.. hee..hee..) and even bought a few in the beginning.. the best ones have been the ones from little tomato holders.. of course sometimes they wear out.. but oh well more to look for.. i get my veggie friends to save them up for me.. and the lushes too.. wait i'm the lush.. hee..hee.. hugs karola

I'm not a big fan of the yarn bra but have always been happy with the snipped corner of a ziplock or when all else fails, just rewind the ball on a ball winder and pull from the outside!

xoxo

I put mine in a kitchen bowl. Very low tech.

I've also had that yarn pill like crazy. I made the Cozy shawl with it, wore it once, and it's unwearable. I made a hat and mittens for my son and they looked really bad, yes, in five minutes. It's very soft stuff and it was nice to knit with, but never again.

Usually when I go to the grocery store to buy fruits, some of them come with a protective styrofoam netting -- works great as a *yarn bra*!

Just faced the same problem with some antique silk yarn I am rewinding and knew it would be slippier than all get out. When it jumped off the ballwinder before I was finished winding, my worst fears were confirmed. Ran into Dear Child's bedroom and found an orphan dress sock with a tight and stretchy cuff. Quickly wedged the rapidly deteriorating ball into the cuff, knotted the foot and pinned the top to secure. But I do love the foil!

Did you try this: cut the base of a plastic bottle, wash it of yourse, put the ball in, with the thread going out of the top of the bottle, tape the base bask to its place. I found this idea in a catalog of a swiss-wool-maker. They put small hanks in the bottle. I don't know if this works with your yarn problem, though...

I have tried the panty-hose before, but the yarn didn't come out easily enough, as I knitted. I love the plastic bags with the corner cut out. The yarn slides through quite easily and is keeping my koigu from tangling up!

whatever you choose from such great ideas, make sure there is no friction because that yarn pills like a mother... I just made a sweater for my daughter and the good news is she LOVES it.. so soft.. bad news. after 5 minutes it looked like it was ten years old. shabby... but as I said she LOVES it. I love your blog! heading to Paris in a coupla weeks... need anything? I will fondly remember our meringue (sp?) near the bonne Marche.

You could always use the ziploc bag and put a little something heavy in with the yarn to keep the bag anchored....a pretty stone, a seashell...some bauble or other.

buy expensive cosmetics a Marionnaud when they have a special and get the Clinique zip bag for free... it is chic, free (considering that you just needed the cosmetics), and you can leave the zip just open a bit.

(must say that I like the chocolate coin idea, though)

This is hilarious! I'm going to have to remember this! When are you coming back to France???

I use an old canning jar so I can just carry the jar around with me. People look at me a little funny when I show up at volleyball practice with a big gallon-size jar with yarn coming out of it but I don't care.

What an awesome idea!

The rare times I allow my husband to go to the grocery store with me, he is good at finding foods to buy that come in yarn bras. "Lookie, if I buy this (fill in the blank) that is too expensive anyway, it does come with a yarn bra". So we have an odd ball assortment.

Well there you go. I've never heard of a yarn bra before. Surreal. My mind was boggling until I'd read a few comments.
Foil I never would have tried, but I did like Susan's suggestion above re the chocolate...

hahahaha I love the alien knit holders...
hahahahahahaha :)
(ps can send you babybel holder things if you want)

a teapot works wonders. you poke the yarn end through the spout and the smooth inside lets the yarn flow freely. :) it also keeps curious kitties from batting your ball around.

I use plastic pop bottles. just cut off the bottom, stuff the yarn in, shove the bottom back on. Of course wash like made first. The yarn flows out the top with ease. and there is three different sizes to choose from.

I cut up old panty hose :)

Kate,
I use knee-hi's. The one's made out of pantyhose material. I always seem to have an odd number of them anyway. Good luck with your yarn.

Kathleen

LOL. Just finished knitting a baby blanket with DB Cashmerino Aran. It pulls from the center? DUH! Every ball I used had a nasty knot in the center so when I removed the ball band, I figured it was one of those that knit from the outside in. Do you mean I just knit the whole "celtic baby" backwards? Seriously, I think the foil thing is genius.

Kathleen

i love the ziplock snipped corner method but you have to start it at the beginning, or cut your yarn. but other than that, it's perfect for me, especially for knitting in cafes (dirty tables and floors, ick) and on the bus.

I love my yarn bras!

I nearly blew tea through my nose when I read the title & saw your shiny UFO!! Hilarious. I usually use a little mesh bag (an old fruit bag) but if the tin foil works then I'd go with it...

i do this with my tatting thread but you do have to kind of live with it untill the end of the yarn or the end of the project. you take one of those plastic cd holders (not jewel cases, one of the large stack kind that you get your re-writable or burnable cd's or dvd's in) now pull out your trusty drill and drill yourself a hole, on the top for center pull (also take out the post with a hack saw), on the side to use the outside of the ball without having the yarn twist up on you (leave the center pole in and shove it through the center of your yarn). stick your yarn through the hole, twist the case closed and horay! yarn holder and a recycle project all in one. PS, if you do decide to make the hole in the side and pull from the outside of the skein, you can then take the hack saw and cut a slit from the hole to the bottom of the lid so you can slide your yarn out if you need it.

Our liquor store uses those mesh yarn-bra things to put around bottles when they bag them - it's much more fun to buy a few bottles of wine than chocolate or pears!

Don't buy the yarn bras. Just get a pair of knee highs, cut them up into 2-inch strips (circular), and wrap one strip around your yarn ball. Save the rest for replacements. It works the same but may not look pretty. The black one does not look like you are just using an old pair of panty hose.

Amen to the zip-lock bag with corner snipped off. Makes it cat-proof too (unless you have a cat that chews on plastic bags like mine does)

Definitely buy the chocolate coins. Eat a few and think about the problem. What problem? The foil is working just fine. Eat more chocolate.

Check out www.yarntainer.com! They have plastic ware with pre-poked holes in the lid! They come in a variety of sizes and are reasonably inexpensive!

don't know whether they have these in france, but i've used the cushy "nets" that are found around asian pears in the produce section.

i've tried the yarn bra and felt it was too tight at times.

i go with my tried and true snipped corner ziploc. the only thing i do that (might) be different is i snip an end where it zips (i take off a bit of the corner). this way if i want to take it out of the ziploc for one reason or other i don't have to cut the bag to get it out.

i'm also a fan of the ziploc when doing multicolor knitting. if you put both balls in one bag you can flip the bag instead of a ball at a time. i'm notorious for lots of tangles and this works better for me.

i'd definitely go for the chocolate coins. so what if the bag doesn't work out?

apart from that my tip is as follows: knit from the outside of the ball!

I've never thought to try aluminum foil! What an interesting idea. I generally just use ziplocks with the bag open. The only problem I ever have is that the bags are slippery and like to slide off my lap/couch onto the floor, but then the yarn is still protected and clean (read: cat hair free), so it's no biggie. I might have to try foil now, though.

I'd like to be able to knit fast enough for it to be a problem :)

I've tried the yarn bra and wasn't thrilled - I had to pull pretty hard sometimes to get the yarn to feed out. However, it did seem to keep the ball of yarn from disintegrating into a pile of knots towards the end, and that's a problem I frequently have. In fact, tangled yarn is what I'm known for in my knitting group!

I am a firm believer in the ziplock and when you use that it is easier to move projects into and out of knitting bags.

Hey, you think people read?
I put a rubber band around the outside and forget about it. I'm a luddite I guess.

that is to funny! I love it!

Orphan sock ribbing works great! Just cut off the foot (store bought of course)!

Easy to come by, since the washer has a voracious appetite for socks!

I've tried the ziploc with a little unzipped too and had the same results - the bag ended up right next to my hand or the yarn would get caught. Maybe the snipped corner would work? I haven't found a solution I'm happy with either, maybe I'll try aluminum foil.

The chocolate coin mesh things seem like they would be scratchy for yarn.

Hey you. I was just about to say hey.

This is SO WEIRD! A woman was in the shop today and she was using tin foil to keep her knitting together too! I my whole life I've never seen anyone use tin foil with their yarn.

I bet we have some sort of sumptin at the shop. Just remind me okay?

I also use the snipped corner of a ziplock technique.

Foil and ziploc bags are both good ideas. It never even crossed my mind!

Although I've never tried it personally, I've heard of people placing the ball in a Ziploc bag with just enough of the zipper open for the strand to pull through...
Good luck!

(An aside: I would love to feel that Cashmerino up... it looks incredibly soft...) ; )

ziploc bag, zipped closed, one corner snipped off, & the yarn threaded through the hole.