Yarn holding device
A yarn holding device is provided for holding and carrying a spool or skein of yarn by a person while knitting and/or crocheting. The device can hang downwardly from the arm or hand of the person while providing a supply of yarn to the person while knitting. The device has a handle in the form of a ring that can hang from the arm of the person. A shaft extends from the ring with a length to carry the skein of yarn. A sleeve in mounted on the shaft and carries the yarn during use. The sleeve is rotatable on the shaft to feed the yarn. A removable base is coupled to the bottom end of the shaft for removing the sleeve from the shaft and for positioning the sleeve with the yarn of the shaft. An eyelet is provided on the ring to feed the yarn from the skein to the person during use.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of provisional application No. 61/064,195 filed Feb. 21, 2008 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a yarn holding device that can easily be held by a person while knitting or crocheting. The invention is particularly directed to a yarn holding device that hangs on the arm of the user while knitting or crocheting to provide a supply of yarn to the person.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDuring knitting or crocheting, the spool or skein of yarn can often become tangled. To prevent the yarn from becoming tangled, the yarn is often retained in the bag or other container. The yarn can also be attached to a spooling device.
One prior device to hold the yarn during knitting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,458 to Goldthreate. This device includes a base having a handle and a plurality of support posts on the base. A spool having the yarn wound thereon is placed over one of the posts.
Another device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,125,267 to Bekan which includes a ball shaped yarn holding member. The yarn is fed through an opening in the ball to supply the yarn while knitting. A bracelet is attached to the ball so the ball can be carried and worn during use.
Although the prior devices have been useful for their intended purpose, there is a continuing need for an improved yarn holding device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a yarn holding device that can be easily held by the user while knitting or crocheting. The invention is particularly directed to a yarn holding device that hangs on the arm of the user while knitting or crocheting.
The yarn holding device of the invention includes a shaft attached to a base for holding a spool or skein of yarn. A ring is attached to one end of the shaft having an opening sufficient to allow the user to extend their arm through for holding and suspending the device during use. The ring includes an eyelet for feeding the yarn from the spool to the user.
One aspect of the invention is to provide a yarn holding device having a shaft and a sleeve on the shaft where the sleeve holds the yarn during use. The sleeve is able to rotate easily on the shaft while feeding the yarn through the eyelet during use.
These and other aspects of the invention are basically attained by providing a yarn holding device having a ring hanging on the arm of a user during use and a shaft extending from the ring. The ring includes an eyelet extending outwardly from the outer edge of the ring. A spool or skein of yarn is positioned on a hollow sleeve which is mounted on the shaft and is rotatable with respect to the shaft. A base is attached to the end of the shaft to retain the sleeve on the shaft during use. The yarn is fed through the eyelet to supply the yarn to the user while knitting or crocheting.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the annexed drawings.
The following is a brief description of the drawings in which:
The invention is particularly directed to a yarn holding device that hangs on the arm of the user while knitting or crocheting so that the yarn can be fed to the person knitting from the skein while the skein is retained on the device.
Referring to the drawings, the yarn holding device 10 of the invention includes a handle in the form of a ring 12, a shaft 14, a sleeve 16 and a base 18. Ring 12 as shown in
Ring 12 includes an eyelet 22 for receiving the yarn 24 during use. As shown, the eyelet 22 is provided on the end of a leg 26 so that the eyelet is spaced from the ring 12. The length of the leg 26 and the spacing of the eyelet from the ring can vary depending on the needs of the user. In one alternative embodiment, the eyelet can be contiguous with the ring 12. The eyelet 22 has an opening 28 with a dimension sufficient to feed the yarn 24 from a spool or skein 30 to the user without binding.
The shaft 14 is attached to the ring 12 and extends radially outwardly from the ring. In the embodiment shown, the shaft 14 is a separate element that is attached to the ring 12 by a screw 32. Ring 12 has an aperture 34 extending radially through the ring 12 and an extension 36 shown in
The bottom end of the shaft 14 in the embodiment shown has external threads 42 for coupling with the base 18 as shown in
The sleeve 16 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a hollow axial passage 46 that enable the sleeve 16 to slide onto the shaft 18. In the embodiment shown, the sleeve 16 has substantially flat ends with the bottom end contacting the top surface of the base 18. The axial passage 46 of the sleeve 16 has a dimension to slide onto the shaft 18 and spin freely while in use.
During use of the device 10, the skein of yarn 30 is positioned on the sleeve as shown in
While various embodiments have been shown and described, it will become apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A yarn holding device adapted for holding and feeding yarn to a person while knitting or crocheting, the device comprising:
- a shaft having an axial length with a top end and bottom end, the shaft having a dimension for receiving and supporting a spool or skein of yarn where the spool or skein of yarn is rotatable on the shaft;
- a handle coupled to the top end of the shaft adapted for carrying the device during use and while knitting or crocheting to allow both hands of the person to be free; and
- a base removably coupled to the bottom end of the shaft, the base having a dimension to retain the yarn on the shaft.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein
- the shaft is fixed to the handle, and
- the handle has a circular ring shape with a central opening having a dimension to receive the arm of the person during use, the handle being adapted for hanging on the arm of the person while in use.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the handle has an eyelet extending outwardly for supplying yarn from the skein to the user while knitting or crocheting.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the shaft is removably coupled to the handle by a fastener.
5. The device of claim 3, further comprising a sleeve rotatably mounted on the shaft and extending through the skein of yarn, and where the sleeve is removably coupled to the shaft.
6. A yarn holding device adapted for holding and feeding yarn to a person while knitting or crocheting, the device comprising:
- a shaft having an axial length with a top end and bottom end, the shaft having a dimension for supporting a spool or skein of yarn;
- a sleeve having an axial passage and mounted on the shaft and being rotatable with respect to the shaft, the sleeve having an axial length and diameter to support the skein the yarn;
- a handle coupled to the top end of the shaft, the handle being in the shape of a ring with central opening having a dimension for allowing the arm of a person to pass through and being adapted for carrying the device by the person during use;
- an eyelet extending from an outer edge of the ring-shaped handle, the eyelet having an aperture to receive yarn from the skein and supplying the yarn to the person during use; and
- a base removably coupled to the bottom end of the shaft, the base having a dimension sufficient to retain the skein of yarn and the sleeve on the shaft.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein the bottom end of the shaft has external threads, and where the base has a threaded hole for removably coupling with the threaded end of the shaft.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 23, 2009
Publication Date: Aug 27, 2009
Inventor: Farshid Sepehri (Bethesda, MD)
Application Number: 12/390,651
International Classification: D04B 3/06 (20060101); B65H 75/18 (20060101); B65H 75/12 (20060101); D05B 91/14 (20060101); D05B 91/00 (20060101); B65H 49/30 (20060101);