If you're not familiar with the term, a Niddy Noddy is a twisted H-shaped tool that allows you to easily wind up skeins.  You can purchase these pretty wooden tools for $20 each, but in this free knitting tutorial you'll learn how to make your own Niddy Noddy using PVC pipes for a whopping total of $6!  Aside from being able to wind your own skein of yarn, creating a Niddy Noddy out of pipes means your helpful knitting device will also be extremely storage friendly.  Pull it apart or twist it flat and stow it safely underneath your bed until you the next time you need it.  Ready to learn how to make one?  Just read on, but make sure not to miss the accompanying video at the bottom of this page.

How to Make a Niddy Noddy

Note: The length of the Niddy Noddy will produce a skein that's 4 x's the length.  For example, a 12” Niddy Noddy will make a 4ft skein.  All of the pipe pieces below have smooth/unthreaded joins, which means that they slip together rather than having “threads” that screw together. 

Materials

1) 1/2" PVC pipe cut into a minimum of 4-6”& 1-12” pieces.  I purchased the pipes in 2 foot lengths from Home Depot and then cut them with a hacksaw.  If you don’t have access to a saw yourself, you can get items cut at home improvement stores, but they may charge a fee. 

2) 2 1/2" Streamline PVC SxSxS Tee junctions.  These will allow you to easily slip the pipes in and out of position. 

3) 4 1/2" Streamline PVC Cap.  These caps will protect your yarns from any rough edges created during sawing the pipe plus create a lip that will make it harder for the yarn to slip off. 

4) Optional: ½” PVC Slip x Slip coupling pieces - These will come in handy if you want to extend the length of your niddy noddy without keeping long pieces of pipe around. 

Instructions

Note: this will make a 12" Niddy Noddy.

1. Place the two Tee junctions on the 12” piece of PVC piping such that the pipe is perpendicular to both of the other openings. 
    
2. Orient the Tee’s such that one is laying flat on the ground and the other is pointing up and down (at 90 degree angles from each other.)
   
   
    
3. Add the 4- 6” pieces of PVC pipe to the Tee junctions, creating the Twisted H shape. 
   
   
    
4. Place the 4 caps onto the exposed pipe ends. 
   
    

Congrats! You have created your own Niddy Noddy!  If you want to make another size skein, just replace the 12” section with any other size pipe, or use a coupling piece to attach two pieces of piping together in a straight line.  (See my picture of a 4’ Niddy Noddy below.)