If you’ve joined me on a TikTok Live or seen some of my photos over the years, you might notice I often have my yarn in a bowl. Maybe you’ve seen other knitters doing it, too.
Perhaps you’ve seen some of them using a fancy ceramic yarn bowl with swirly bits cut out and little holes along the side. It’s possible you’ve seen a wooden yarn bowl polished to a high sheen that shows off the grain of the wood just so.
And if you’re like many knitters, you’ve probably asked yourself what in the world is the deal with these fancy yarn bowls. Luckily, I’ve got you covered, along with a list of possible alternatives if you’re not in a place where you want or can splurge on a specially designated yarn bowl.
What Is a Yarn Bowl Good For?
So first, let’s talk about why you might want a yarn bowl. Ever been knitting, given a tug on your working yarn, and had the ball fall off the table/couch/your lap onto the floor where it rolled far away or under some furniture?
Yeah, it’s a painful experience.
Yarn bowls can help prevent that problem by corralling the yarn and keeping it from rolling away. A bowl that is specially designed for use as a yarn bowl will usually have at least one spot where you can feed the yarn through, which will allow for increased tension that creates a smoother roll off the ball or cake of yarn. It might also have some holes in the side where you can feed multiple strands of yarn from different yarn balls, which can be good for doing stranded color work without tangling your yarn.
I love yarn bowls for a few reasons. Most important, of course, is that they are genuinely useful. I hate it when my yarn rolls off and I have to climb under furniture to get it back. They’re also beautiful and come in so many different styles, so there’s a yarn bowl for every aesthetic. Finally, I love supporting fellow makers and small businesses, and those are your best sources for yarn bowls.
But what if you don’t have space or funds for a dedicated yarn bowl, or you’re just not ready to get one for any other reason?
Six Things You Can Use as Yarn Bowls
If you’re not interested in buying a yarn bowl or don’t have room in the budget for one right now, there are lots of other things you can use. The main qualities you need to look for are (1) weight and (2) a lip or rim that will keep the ball of yarn from rolling away. Here are some things I’ve used over the years.
1. A regular bowl
I used to have a really beautiful stoneware yarn bowl that a colleague got for me from Uncommon Goods, but alas, it had an unfortunate incident with my excited toddler several years ago and is no longer with us. Nowadays, I usually just use a regular bowl.
My favorite is a little jasperware bowl I found in an antique shop. It’s just the right size for a ball of sock yarn, and I rarely work with anything larger. Notice that the sides are fairly vertical rather than gently sloping outward and upward. That makes it extra good for use as a yarn bowl because it’s hard for the yarn to slide up and over the sides.
2. A colander
Colanders with larger holes can be a great option for a yarn bowl. You can feed the yarn through the holes in the colander, and it will act just like the holes in the side of a yarn bowl.
You’ll want to choose a colander that has some heft to it so it can counterbalance the force of you tugging on the yarn, so go for a heavier metal or even ceramic colander. Make sure, too, that the holes in the side of your colander are smooth. You don’t want a jagged edge damaging your yarn.
3. A teapot
Now this might sound strange to you, but hear me out. What’s a teapot’s defining feature? Its spout.
And it turns out the spout of a teapot is great for feeding yarn through. A teapot is heavy enough that it can hold the yarn in place, and it’ll usually have a lid, too. On the other hand, if you find a lidless teapot at a thrift store, most people want want it for a teapot anymore so you might be able to score a good deal on your new DIY yarn bowl.
4. A heavy drawstring bag
A lot of knitters and crocheters like using project bags, and with good reason. They keep your yarn, pattern, and notions all corralled in one place so you can easily grab them and go. It makes portable stitching much easier.
But the other benefit of a good project bag is that it can act like a yarn bowl. If the bag is made of a heavy enough canvas and has a drawstring closure, you can feed the yarn through the small opening at the center of the closure and contain the ball of yarn that way.
If you’re feeling brave, you can also do this with a zippered bag (and I’ll be honest, I often do exactly that). There is a risk, though, that the yarn could snag in the zipper’s teeth, so chose this path at your own discretion.
5. A basket with a liner
Finally, I love a good basket for use as a yarn bowl, but I’ve learned the hard way that a basket without a liner isn’t the best choice. That’s because the basket material often has poky bits that can snag your yarn. For the smoothest yarn control experience, I recommend a basket with fairly high walls and a cloth interior that will protect the yarn from catching on twigs or splinters.
Do you have an alternative to a yarn bowl that you love to use? Please share in the comments! I’m always curious to hear what other people have come up with.
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I found a lovely cookie jar in a thrift shop a few years ago. Nice, tall sides to keep the yarn from leaping out. I set it on the floor next to my chair.
I use my mini-minder from Lemonwood Fiber Tools on airplane rides. Ensures the yarn bowl doesn’t go sliding away off the tray or your lap and it travels a little easier in the bag than a bowl does.
In addition to yarn bowls, I have a wooden yarn holder that has a wooden dowel to slip a ball of yarn on and a spinning base. It sits on the floor next to me and I can easily pull yarn off of it as I knit!
I once used my son’s Lego head container to knit socks. A cake of sock yarn fit in it nicely. It wasn’t super practical but sure was fun.
A teapot! What a great idea. I use cloth drawstring bags that some new sheets came in if I am going to take my knitting with me somewhere. But when I’m knitting at home I use a yarn holder that is wooden and has a spindle which holds the yarn and that hangs by a magnet from the holder, thereby allowing it to spin. I got one for about $20.
Another good reason for me to use a yarn holder of some type is that I have two Cocker Spaniels who shed!
At home, I use a wooden spinner that works great for yarn cakes, and out of my home I have a small project bag, because I have lost my yarn down the aisle at church once. My son thought it was really funny. I waited till the end of service to retrieve it with his help, because it went under quite a few pews. I sometimes use a lined basket too, because I seem to always have more than one project going. Thanks for all the other ideas.
Ceramic plant pots are useful I find, especially if you have several balls on the go!
I use a small ‘belly’ basket and a bulldog clip. A few years ago, my son bought me a beautiful handmade wooden yarn bowl, but as with most knitters, I tend to have more than one project on the go, so having another ‘bowl’ is needed
I’ve used pretty planters of various sizes. Some have a lip & most are heavy enough to stay put.
Great tips, thank you….who knew???? My favorite things teapot. Thanks
A zip lock bag with the top half ‘unzipped’
…..easy , effective , works great if using multiple colours-use multiple bags…..VERY inexpensive.
I have a project bag (The Heather made by Beautiful Syster) that doubles as a yarn bowl. Very convenient for alternating between home knitting and attending knit night at my LYS.
I love the teapot idea!
I have several yarn bowls (they are pretty!) but end up with using the project bag method. This is successful for me – and easy to tuck away (I have a goldendoodle who thinks it’s hilarious to grab my project and run). If it’s a cake and not a ball, I’ll tuck it between me and the edge of the sofa, which is fairly successful.
I have tile floors and always drop things. I so wish I could use a delicate little teapot.
I’ve got a Japanese ramen noodle bowl that has a hole at the top edge with a slot opposite that are intended to hold chopsticks. I found mine at a thrift store, but they are available at places like Target and Walmart in materials like ceramic and wood. Mine is about 4″ across and 5″ deep made from ceramics. Works like a charm. Can be found online in many different patterns an materials from $4 to much more expensive for very beautifully and artfully made designs.
I have a couple of yarn bowls. My home bowl can take anything up to a Cascade EcoPlus cake/ball (8 Oz of chunky). It is a Nambe butterfly bowl that I found for $18US at a tag sale. Heavy enough not to go anywhere, no rough edges to snag anything and virtually indestructible. Widely available at tag sales and thrift stores in better neighborhoods.
My travel bowl works well for a 400m skein of fingering yarn. When Amazon was starting, their trucks were touring the country distributing Amazon swag. I got a lined canvas bowl with a carabiner attached that was supposed to be a portable water bowl for dogs. My stitch counter is attached to the carabiner, and the bowl is easily dropped in my go-bag.
I generally pull from the center of a yarn cake or ball. I did just buy a Yarn Go Round Carousel from Twice Sheared Sheep. I haven’t used it, so I can’t speak to its usefulness, but I already know that it won’t for for big box store yarns (unless they are smaller and happen to be in a cake.
Great ideas. I have one of those fancy wooden yarn bowls but it’s not much help when moving around. I used to have two small bags, each just big enough for one ball of wool, made of a shiny fabric so there was little resistance. They were drawstring bags and on very long drawstrings so I could wear them crossbody. I wore them and used them while watching my kids and husband play sport. Great for standing on the sideline. And they were made of recycled material, too. Sadly, they disappeared in one of our moves. I’ve never seen anything like them again and never got around to making any either. 🙁
When traveling I will use a gallon size zip top bag. It works great and the yarn rolls safely inside the bag.
I discovered ziplock bags can be amazing for holding pattern, cable needle, and 1-2 balls of yarn in a large freezer bag. You can also use larger Rubbermaid bowls with lid, cutting a hole in either the bowl or lid. Happy knitting!
I use a 5L ice cream container with lid. When using multi colour balls, I heat an old metal skewer and punch a hole to put yarn through. The lid keeps the yarn clean. The container doesn’t fall over and it’s easy to take in the car. Also use the heavy duty plastic bag sheets come in. Also put yarn through each side of lid that has press studs on it. They’re clear so you can see how much yarn is left for your project. Thus one allows you to put needles in as well.
A decorative wooden bowl at home, a repurposed metal dog dish on the road. I don’t use anything that can’t travel, such as a teapot (cute as it is). I’m a monogamous knitter, and often knit away from home, so my one current project needs to be portable.
I’ve also had the humbling experience of having my yarn roll away in church. And we use chairs rather than pews. Lots more legs to wrap around, wooden and human
I use a pair of old socks for two at a time sock knitting… one center-pull ball goes inside each sock to keep the yarn clean and the balls stable. When I’m taking my knitting out I can tuck one sock inside the other along with the wip on its circular needles making for a very compact work bag to tuck in my purse or pocket.
I like all your bowl/teapot/colander ideas too.
I’ve tried putting it in an empty square tissue box and setting it on the floor, it’s not heavy but feeds the yarn easily