Cuencos de hilo

A wooden yarn bowl stops the one thing that interrupts every row: the ball rolling off the sofa and picking the floor up on the way back. The strand feeds up through a carved curling groove instead, so the tension stays even and the ball stays where you put it.

What the groove and the holes are for

All three bowls have the same two features, and both earn their place. The spiral groove is cut so the yarn runs through it without catching, and turns the ball rather than dragging it. The two small holes in the rim hold your needles between rows, which is the detail people mention after a month of owning one.

Wood or bamboo?

Bamboo is lighter and more uniform, at 15.5 cm across. The carved hardwood bowls are 6 inches across and 3.1 inches tall, made individually, so colour and grain vary from one to the next and no two match. Both are finished to a high gloss so nothing snags. Choose on the look — neither performs better.

Do you want a yarn bowl with lid?

Only if the ball sits out between sessions, where a lid keeps dust and pets off it. The carved wood range comes in light or dark brown, with or without. The bamboo gives three heights: no lid at 8.5 cm, a flat lid at 9.5 cm, and a high cover at 11 cm for a taller ball. If your bowl lives on the work table and gets used most days, the open one is quicker to reach into.

A bowl or a spinning holder?

A bowl holds the ball down and feeds from the side, which suits a wound ball or a cake that sits still. A spindle holder lets it turn instead, which suits a heavy strand that would otherwise drag. Those are on yarn holders, alongside project bags.