from an online guide, edited..

things you need to have on hand to do this properly- a hank or skein of yarn ANd a chair or a patient person

step 1-untwist the yarn so you have 1 large loop

step 2-take the loop and put it over the back of the chair. you could use a piano bench or the legs of a chair or the arms of an exercise bike or a friends hands that will hold the loop over their arms

step 3- find an end of the yarn

step 4-wind the end of the yarn around your index and middle fingers about 4-5 times

step 5- remove the yarn from your fingers and pinch the yarn in the middle, so it looks like a bow tie. wrap the center of teh bow-tie three times

step 6-fold the ends of the bow in to the center and wrap tightly five times. it doesn't look much like a ball at all right now

step 7-turn the ball 90 degrees and wind the ball 5 times, turn it again another 90 degrees and wind again, doing this over and over,sometimes winding vertically and horizontally keep changing the direction of the yarn so the ball stays even and tight. be certain that you are pulling all the strands of yarn evenly, gently and slowly so you are not stretching or pulling any fibers whihc would make for an uneven knit.

step 8- watch your ball stays even and not lose while you are winding but also(especially towards the end if you are not doing this with a patient friend who can watch and warn you)watch that the skein/hank that you are winding from is not getting tangled or falling onto the floor.

most importnatly, take your time and watch your yarns.