The nostepinde (plural, nostepinder) hails from the Scandinavian countries. Its name, very roughly translated, means “a little stick for winding balls of yarn”( noste…ball of yarn; pinde…little stick). There are many variant spellings, such as nostepinne, nrstepinde, nystepinne, nostepende.
To use the nostepinde: I secure the end of the yarn to the nostepinde with a couple half hitches, in either the top or bottom groove. Then, in the middle of the shaft, I begin to wrap the yarn around the nostepinde, winding towards myself.
After several turns, I start to wind the yarn diagonally, turning the nostepinde away from myself as I do so.
After winding all the yarn, I loosen the half hitches and slip the ball off the nostepinde.
