SE544944C2

SE544944C2 - Yarn holder

Info

Publication number: SE544944C2
Application number: SE2150707A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Christina Monica Ketikidou; Gunnar Roland Ahlström; Patricia Maria Ahlström
Original assignee: Twizzter Ab
Priority date: 2021-06-02
Filing date: 2021-06-02
Publication date: 2023-02-07
Also published as: SE2150707A1

Abstract

A portable device (1), for supporting a skein of yarn from the wrist of a user during crafting, comprises a hanger (2) and a support portion (3). The support portion (3) is rotatably arranged on the hanger (2) and comprises an upper (9) and a lower (10) end portion, as well as a middle portion (11), which is narrower than the end portions (9, 10). The middle portion (11) comprises a first connector (13) for interaction with a second connector (14) on the lower end portion (10), such that the support portion (3) is divisible into two segments.

Description

Field of the invention The present invention relates to a portable device, for supporting a skein of yarn from the lower arm of a user during crafting, the device comprising a hanger and a support portion, rotatably arranged on the hanger, the support portion comprising an upper and a lower end portion, and a middle portion, which is narrower than the end portions, the middle portion comprising a first connector for interaction with a second connector on the lower end portion, such that the support portion is divisible into two segments, one of the first and second connectors comprises two passages, and the other of the first and seconds connectors comprises two protruding portions for insertion into the passages.

Background FR1093658 discloses a holder for a skein of yarn, when a user is knitting from the yarn. The holder is designed to be carried as a bracelet on the wrist of the user, and the skein of yarn is rotatable, so as to deliver the yarn as needed with a slight pull thereon. The holder seems to work well enough, once the skein is positioned thereon, but before knitting is possible, the yarn has to be wound thereon, which is tiresome and time-consuming, as no means for mechanically doing so is disclosed. Also, the yarn will have to be manually unwound, when changing colors or type of yarn during the knitting/crochet process. The manual winding and unwinding of the yarn may stretch it unnecessarily, causing the elasticity of the yarn to diminish, which in turn may result in an unelastic and 'hard' knitting. The FR 1093658 does not accommodate existing skeins, such as industrially produced skeins, which are wound by machine with a 'hole' in the centre of the skein as a result.

Summaﬂ lt is an object of the present invention to solve, or at least mitigate, parts or all of the above mentioned problems. To this end, there is provided a device where the protruding portions are diverging away from one another, for a bias against the paSSageS.

Hereby is attained firstly that a skein, cake, or ball etc. of yarn may be supported or suspended to keep it from falling to the ground, while the yarn is accessible as needed. Secondly, that it may be carried around by a user who is walking around while performing their craft, such as knitting, crocheting or tatting. Thanks to the divisibility, the ball of yarn may be mounted on and demounted from the device quickly and easily, without snagging or tangling the yarn. Existing skeins with central holes may easily be used and interchanged at will, without unwinding the yarn from the holder. The two separable segments of the support portion may be releasably secured to one another. Finally, as the support portion is rotatable, the yarn may be pulled from the ball without giving it an unwanted extra twist.

Also, a smooth outer surface of the connectors may be accomplished, at least in an attached position, so that the yarn may not be snagged. ln some embodiments, the material of the middle portion and the rest of the yarn holder may vary, totally or in parts thereof. Some examples are plastic materials and wood, e. g. bamboo.

Further, the weight of the yarn ball may be distributed on the at least two sets of connectors, and the demands for strength on each set may be reduced. The security of the connection between the segments of the support portion may be maintained.

Even further, the connection of the connectors may be facilitated. ln the connected state, the bias may serve to maintain the connection, and keep the support portion from falling apart. Diverging protruding portions is a simple way of providing a bias. On connection of the segments of the support portion, the protruding portions may be slightly compressed, i. e. pressed towards one another, by the user. This may align the protruding portions with the passages with respect to mutual distance and angles. When the pressure is released, the protruding portions may spring back, and a contact between the protruding portions and the insides of the passages may be achieved in several areas. Thereby the friction between the passages and the protruding portions may be increased, and the connection will be strong. The user may have to temporarily counteract the bias to disband the connection. ln order to release the connection, the protruding portions may be compressed, so that the contact with the passages is diminished, and the protruding portions may be slid out of the passages. ln further embodiments the upper end portion and the middle portion are continuously connected, such that they form a closed loop.

Hereby the shape, in particular the outer contour of the support portion in an assembled state may be kept unaffected. Some parts of the loop may be transversal to other, neighboring, parts, thereby keeping the neighboring parts at a suitable distance from one another and keeping the support portion from distorting during USS. ln still further embodiments, the lower end of the middle portion comprises a rounded tube section, for insertion into the skein of yarn.

Hereby the mounting of the skein etc. of yarn on the upper part of the support portion, may be performed without problems. There are no sharp projections which may snag, split or tear the yarn. Also, the rounded tube section serves to hold those parts of the middle portion that are transversal thereto at the intended distance from one another. A rounded tip of the bottom part of the middle portion ensures a smooth insert into the center of the skein, i. e. there is no risk of snagging or tangling when the middle portion is inserted into the skein. Commercially produced yarns are usually wound into skeins with a central hole or a loosely wound center, where the middle portion may be easily insertable. However, the user may utilize a mechanical ball-winder or a nostepinne to produce a skein with a similar central hole from a hank of yarn. ln even further embodiments, two connectors are arranged on the middle portion at a fixed distance from one another.

Hereby the integrity of the shape of the support portion may be maintained, and connection may be facilitated. ln further embodiments each of the two connectors comprises a hole in the mantle surface of a tube forming the middle portion.

Hereby the insertion of connectors from the lower end portion may be facilitated, as the connectors to be inserted may be guided along the mantle surface of the tube at the outer region of the middle portion. lt is noted that embodiments of the invention may be embodied by all possible combinations of features recited in the claims.

Brief description of the drawinqs The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non- limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein: Fig. 1 is a plan view of an assembled yarn holder according to the disclosure with the position of a yarn ball outlined; Fig. 2 is a view according to Fig. 1 of the yarn holder in a disassembled state; Fig. 3 is a view according to Figs. 1 and 2 of the yarn holder in a partly assembled state; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the yarn holder with a yarn ball mounted on the holder.

All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the embodiments, wherein other parts may be omitted.

Detailed description of the exemplarv embodiments Fig. 1 illustrates a yarn holder 1 according to a preferable embodiment of the disclosure. The yarn holder 1 comprises three main parts, namely a hanger 2, a support portion 3, and a swivel 4, arranged between the hanger 2 and the support portion The hanger 2 has the form of a circular ring in the illustrated embodiment, but it may also take the form of a chain, a flexible band, etc which may be closed, openable, or even fully open, e. g. a hook. The shape of any closed embodiments of the hanger 2 need not be a perfect circle. The shape may also be oval, heart shaped, triangular, etc., provided that it may enable the hanger 2 to be hung freely from an object or a person. ln the illustrated embodiment, the hanger 2 is intended to hang from the wrist of the user, and its size is defined thereby. With a minimal movement, the user may ensure that the support portion 3 is free to rotate each time a length of yarn is pulled from the ball. ln the illustrated embodiment, the hanger 2 is manufactured from metal wire, but in other embodiments, almost any other reasonably durable and workable material may be used, e. g. plastic, textile, wood, etc.

The swivel 4 in the illustrated embodiment is known per se, and there may be many other types of swivels, performing the same function, for use in other embodiments. The swivel 4 comprises a cylindrical body 5, which is connected via a link 6 to the hanger 2. The cylindrical body 5 has a central, longitudinal bore 7, through which a pin 8 extends to the support portion 3. The body 5 and the pin 8 are mutually rotatable, thereby making the support portion 3 rotatable, in any direction, relative to the hanger The support portion 3 comprises upper 9 and lower 10 end portions, separated by an intermediate, narrower middle portion 11. The end portions 9, 10 and the middle portion 11 together present a bobbin-like contour. The position of a skein 12 of yarn is outlined on the middle portion 11, ready for use. The middle portion 11 has been inserted through the center of the skein 12, where there in most cases is a hole or where the yarn is less densely wound, compared to the outer parts of the skein 12. Yarn may now be wound off the skein 12 as needed while crafting. As the yarn is pulled from the outside of the skein 12, the skein and the support portion 3 may swivel easily around the pin 8, which is arranged on a central axis of the support portion 3. The yarn may then be wound off the skein 12 from the outside without any considerable twisting thereof. Twisting the yarn may result in the yarn becoming “energized” i. e. it may receive too much twisting in its direction of plying and may twist back on itself and become tangled. Twisting of the yarn in the opposite direction, i. e. against the direction of plying may unply the yarn. Both of these adverse effects are avoided with the rotating support portion The lower end portion 10 is arranged to stop the skein 12 from sliding off the middle portion 11 under the influence of gravity. The upper end portion 9 is particularly useful for keeping the skein 12 from accidentally sliding onto the swivel 4 and risk getting caught therein. Especially, the tapered contour of the upper end portion 11 tends to keep unwound yarn at the approximate level of the skein 12. The tapered contour of the lower end portion 10 lets the unwound yarn slip off gradually and smoothly from the support portion ln the illustrated embodiment, the support portion 3, comprising the upper end 9, lower end 10, and middle 11 portions, are manufactured from metal. ln particular, the upper end portion 9 and the lower end portion 10 are manufactured from bent metal wire, while the illustrated middle portion 11 is manufactured mainly from a thin metal tube, which has been bent to the narrow U-shape of the middle portion 11. The U-shaped middle portion 11 is welded to the upper end portion 9. The middle portion 11 has two passages, or openings, 13, which function as attachment or connection means for attachment of the lower end portion As seen in Fig 2, the illustrated embodiment comprises two connectors in the shape of two protruding portions 14, extending from the lower end portion and manufactured from metal wire. The protruding portions 14 are inserted into the openings 13 on the middle portion 11. The protruding portions 14 are slightly diverging, as seen from the end portion 10, i. e. they are extending slightly outwards, away from one another. To insert them into the openings 13 in the tube of the middle portion 11, they may have to be lightly compressed. The two longitudinal tube sections of the middle portion 11 preferably remain at an approximately constant distance from one another, and the lower end 15 of the middle portion 11 serves to maintain this distance.

After the insertion into the openings 13, as seen in Fig. 3, the compressing force may be released, and the protruding portions 14 may strive to spring back into their original directions. The result may be that they are biased towards the inside of the tube of the middle portion 11, and by friction against the inside, they are kept from accidentally sliding out from the openings 13. The friction may, however, not be higher than to allow manual, intentional pushing of the lower end portion 10 into the fully inserted position shown in Fig. 1. Nor may the friction inhibit intentional pulling ofthe lower end portion 10 out of the openings 13; it may just preclude unintentional dislodging of the lower end portion ln order to mount the skein 12 of yarn on the yarn holder 1, the middle portion 11 first has to be separated from the lower end portion 10, as has been described above with reference to Fig. 2. The lower end 15 of the middle portion 11, comprising a bent metal tube, may then be free to insert into the middle of a skein 12 of yarn. As the outside of the tube is smooth and the lower end 15 is bent without any sharp angles, it may pass through the skein 12 of yarn without snagging, splitting or tearing the yarn. The skein may the surround the middle portion 11 evenly, so that the yarn may be wound off gradually, while the skein 12 still stays in its position on the middle portion 11 _ After the middle portion 11 has been inserted all the way through the skein 12 of yarn, its lower end 15, with the openings 13, may be accessible on the opposite side of the skein 12. ln some cases, the skein 12 may have to be lightly compressed along the middle portion 11, towards the upper end portion 9, for the openings 13 to appear. The protruding portions 14 may then be insertable into the openings 13 in the middle portion 11 as described above. The yarn holder 1 is then ready for use.

The yarn end on the outside of the skein 12 is readily accessible, and as it is lightly pulled, the skein 12 will rotate with the support portion 3 around the swivel 4, and the yarn is gradually unwound from the skein 12 as the user needs it. Since the support portion 3 rotates as the yarn is unwound therefrom, the yarn will not be twisted around itself.

Optimally, the skein 12 may stay in its position until the last layers of yarn has been wound off, but if the middle portion 11 has been inserted slightly off-center into the skein 12, there may be a small length of yarn left on one side of the middle portion 11 when the last layer is wound off from the other side of the middle portion 11. However, such a small amount of yarn is unlikely to cause any problems. lf the middle portion 11 has been inserted perfectly centered, there may be no remaining amount of yarn on one side of the middle portion The skein 12 may also be demounted from the yarn holder 1 before all of its yarn has been used, e. g. when the user wants to change the color or type of yarn.Hereby, the skein may have to be compressed sightly towards the upper end portion 9 to expose the lower end 15 of the middle portion 11, and the protruding portions 14 may be pulled out as described above, so that the support section 3 is opened and the skein 12 may be removed.

Fig. 4 shows the yarn holder 1 in its assembled state with a skein 12 of yarn actually mounted thereon.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims. ln the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

Claims

Claims A portable device (1), for supporting a skein (12) of yarn from the lower arm of a user during crafting, the device comprising a hanger (2) and a support portion (3), rotatabiy arranged on the hanger (2), the support portion (3) comprising an upper (9) and a lower (10) end portion, and a middle portion (11), which is narrower than the end portions (9, 10), the middle portion (11) comprising a first connector (13) for interaction with a second connector (14) on the lower end portion (10), such that the support portion (3) is divisible into two segments, one of the first and second connectors (13, 14) comprises two passages, and the other of the first and second connectors (13, 14) comprises two protruding portions for insertion into the passages, characterized in that the protruding portions are diverging away from one another, for a bias against the passages. _ Device according to claim 1, wherein the upper end portion (9) and the middle portion (11) are continuously connected, such that they form a closed loop. Device according to claim 2, wherein the lower end (15) of the middle portion (11) comprises a rounded tube section, for insertion into the skein (12) of yarn. _ Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the two passages are arranged on the middle portion (11) at a fixed distance from one another. Device according to claim 4, wherein each of the two passages comprises a hole in the mantle surface of a tube forming the middle portion (11).