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* Choosing the Best Yarn Winder and Yarn Swift
CHOOSING THE BEST YARN WINDER AND YARN SWIFT
* June 18, 2021
* Travis Romine
* Blog / Blog
YARN SWIFT AND YARN WINDER GUIDE: WHICH IS BEST AND WHY DO I NEED THEM
WHAT DOES A SWIFT AND YARN WINDER DO?
Sometimes called a yarn winder, wool winder, yarn baller, ball winder, or yarn
roller, no matter what you call it it’s a must-have tool for knitters and
crocheters! When you buy yarn, it will come in a variety of forms. The most
common forms that yarn comes in are a skein, ball, or cone. When your yarn comes
in a ball or a cone, you can usually start knitting right away. In some cases
you'll want to rewind your yarn if you don't like the way it's coming off of the
ball or cone.
Another reason you might want to rewind your yarn that's already in a ball is
that a ball that has a center pull on it is so much nicer to knit from.
However, when you buy yarn in a skein or hank or yarn, it will absolutely need
to be wound into a yarn ball before you knit or crochet with it. You can do this
by hand, but it’s not very fun. You’ll need to use your knees, a chair, or a
kind friend to help you make sure that the skein of yarn doesn’t get tangled. At
the same time you’ll have to roll the yarn into a ball by hand. It’s
time-consuming, tedious, and if you’re anything like me, when you want to start
a project, you want to start it now!
A yarn winder and swift will take almost all the work out of winding your yarn,
so you can start your next project quickly. The yarn swift will hold the yarn to
prevent it from becoming tangled as the yarn ball winder winds it into a neat
little ball. Having your yarn in yarn cakes makes it so easy to get going on
your project and also makes it easier to use as you're knitting. When you roll
your yarn by hand it's in a ball shape, which can roll around annoyingly. This
is just asking for your cat or dog to turn it into a fun new toy while also
destroying your pretty yarn. The swift and winder will take care of all of these
hassles for you. Don't worry about needing a lot of room either. Both of these
tools will typically clamp down onto a tabletop and fold away for storage.
HOW TO USE A WOOL WINDER AND YARN SWIFT?
You will need to find a tabletop with an edge that the yarn swift and
winder can be clamped down on. You can place a cloth over your table before
clamping your tools down to ensure that your table doesn't become damaged. Make
sure that your bolts are tightened so your yarn baller and swift don't become
air born causing an even bigger mess! You'll want to clamp your swift and
winder about 12-18 inches apart for the ideal tension.
Once you have them set up, you’ll take your yarn hanks and remove any labels on
it so that it’s a circular loop. You’ll place the hank of yarn over your yarn
swift and expand the swift out until the skein is taut on it. If you have the
umbrella swift this will be as easy as expanding an umbrella. There's usually a
knob that you push to expand and release the umbrella swift just like a real
umbrella! If you have one of the table top swifts there will be an adjustment
you'll make to the pegs that will allow the arms to extend or contract to
accommodate the size of your skein.
Next, you’ll carefully cut the ties on your skein. The number of ties the
manufacturer puts on the skein varies. Make sure you aren't cutting through
your yarn! If you do it's not the end of the world, you'll just have multiple
balls of yarn. In fact, you may find as you wind the yarn, that it has cuts in
it that weren't caused by you. Sometimes mills tie ends together and they can
come undone. This is a commonplace situation and will just mean you'll wind
until you come to the end of one piece, remove that wound yarn ball from the
winder, then place the next end in your yarn baller and wind the next ball of
yarn.
One of the ties that you cut will reveal the two ends of the skein of yarn. From
there, you’ll want to determine which one of the ends is coming from the outside
of the skein. You can do this by gently pulling on each of the ends to see
which one releases more freely from the skein. This is the end that you’ll take
and feed through the guide on your yarn baller. There is a little slot on the
top of the winder bobbin/spindle that you use to secure your yarn end into the
winder. This will make sure that your yarn winds at an even tension. The end
of yarn you place in the spindle will be where you access your working yarn from
your cake!
If you lose your center strand of yarn please don't try to dig it out of the
center of your yarn cake, this will cause a bigger problem. You can use the
outside strand to knit from. This isn't exactly ideal because it won't easily
pull out like it will from the center. The other option, if you really want to
knit from the center, is you can rewind you ball of yarn.
Once you have everything set up, you're ready to start winding your yarn! You
will slowly start to turn the handle on your yarn winder clockwise. You can use
your other hand to gently guide the yarn to keep even more control on the
tension. Notice if there are any hang-ups in your yarn as it’s coming from the
yarn swift. If it's spinning freely you can increase your speed spinning the
handle. You’ll keep turning the handle until all of your yarn has been wound
into the yarn ball. When you’re done carefully lift the yarn cake from the yarn
roller, keeping track of the end in the center as you remove it so you can use
this as a center-pull ball. Tuck the end of yarn that's loose on the outside of
the ball in to secure it so it doesn't become tangled. A handy tip is to roll up
your yarn label and stick it inside the center of your ball of yarn for easy
identification.
BALL OF YARN VS SKEIN
When you purchase a ball of yarn, sometimes called yarn cakes, it’s typically
been wound by a machine and is ready to knit. You’ll find the end usually
located on the outside, but sometimes it will have a center-pull.
The other form that yarn can come in is called a skein or a hank. You’ll
usually find that all of the beautiful hand-dyed yarns come in the skein form.
When it’s in a skein it’s basically just a loop of loose yarn begging to get
tangled up. It must first be wound into a ball before knitting it, either by
hand or by using a wool winder and swift.
BALL WINDING FIXING A TANGLED UP SWIFT
Although the yarn baller and swift will definitely make winding your yarn much
less of a chore, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t hazards. One of the most
important things is the placement of your yarn on your swift. If you have it
twisted at all, it can lead to tangles and trouble. The other thing you want to
make sure of is that you’re pulling the right end of yarn through the wool
winder. Using the wrong end can also lead to a mess and frustration.
When you have your yarn placed on the swift, give the end a gentle tug and see
if it's spins freely. If it does, then you're good to go, and you are ready to
wind the yarn. If it gets hung up or seems like it's twisted, first try pulling
the other end. If that doesn't work, then try adjusting the yarn on the swift.
There are some skeins that just will not cooperate. They're rare but can really
put a wrench in getting going on your project. If it doesn't seem like it's
going to wind easily from the swift, I'd recommend just winding it by hand to
save yourself the frustration.
If you wind yarn often enough you’ll probably find yourself in that situation
eventually. Try to fix the problem as best as you can with the skein of yarn
still attached to your yarn swift. If all else fails, remove your yarn and
untangle it, then wind by hand.
BEST YARN ROLLER
You can’t go wrong with a basic plastic yarn winder like the one. Small, but
powerful, this yarn winder will handle skeins from lace weight to worsted weight
yarn. It's made out of strong materials and it's very easy to crank. It maxes
out at about 220 yards of worsted weight yarn or about 4 oz, but most people
will find that that’s plenty. If you get this one and find you need to wind a
bigger skein you can still do it! You'll just need to wind the yarn into two
balls. This winder is very easy to use and set up. It takes up very little space
as well. At a reasonable price point, this wool winder is a great value and is
the best choice for most people.
A similar option and price point is the Lacis In-Line Wool Winder. This one is
plastic and winds balls up to 4 oz. What makes this one unique is that it uses
an in-line bobbin with a moving yarn guide to give you a very smooth winding
motion. This one is also small and easy to set up and use.
Maybe you like to use larger skeins or heavier-weight yarns. If that’s the case
you’ll want to check out Nancy’s Knit Knacks Heavy Duty Ball Winder. This bad
boy is made from maple wood with Swiss metal gears, it can be set up to be used
both manually and electrically. What the heck does that mean? Well, you can
attach a power base to your yarn baller, and with the press of a button, you can
walk away and your yarn be wound for you! This yarn winder has the capacity to
wind up to a pound of yarn so pretty much any size of commercially produced
yarn. There are an assortment of handy accessories that you can add to the
Nancy’s Knit Knacks Heavy Duty Winder. This wool winder will definitely be an
investment, but if you’re someone who continuously winds larger skeins of yarn
it’s a must-have. This one can be a little tricky to use and does require some
maintenance.
Another option that falls somewhere in the middle is the Stanwood Needlecraft
Large Metal Yarn Winder. This wool winder is made of plastic and sturdy
engineered metal, and it has about 2.5 times the capacity of the standard
plastic winders. The base of the frame has rubber feet to prevent slipping. This
is a great choice if you need to wind larger skeins of yarn but are on a
budget. This one has a couple of cons, it can be kind of hard to figure out and
also finicky to use.
U-nitt ML702 Metal Jumbo Large Wool Winder is a little different. It has two
metal swing arms. One of them is to hold the yarn, while the other one keeps
the tension. This has a smooth winding experience and will wind up to 10 ounces
of yarn at a time. There are some flaws to this winder. It can be noisy as it
spins creating a squeaky sound. Another thing to keep in mind, is that you
can't control the tension if you go wind too fast.
The Boye Electric Yarn Winder uses 120v a/c electricity. This machine takes care
of all of the work and is especially handy if you have wrist problems. There are
a couple of drawbacks to this one. You’ll need to have it set up in a place
where it can be plugged in. The motor is also not very powerful on this model.
Another heavy-duty option is the Strauch Jumbo Yarn Winder. This can wind up to
one pound of yarn into balls. This wooden yarn winder is made in the USA and
thanks to its ball bearing drive it doesn’t require oiling or adjusting. It has
extra-long table clamps which give you more options with where to secure it to.
BEST YARN SWIFTS
There are several different styles of yarn swifts. The most popular option is
the Lacis Classic Umbrella Swift. This wooden yarn swift has a base that clamps
down on your table while the top opens like an umbrella. You’ll place your
skein around the yarn swift and then expand it out until your skein is taut.
This umbrella swift accommodates skeins up to 60 inches. An umbrella swift
is great for people with limited space because when you’re not using it, you can
collapse it down and store it.
The Ashford Wooden Umbrella Swift is an attractive option for those needing to
wind larger skeins. This umbrella swift will accommodate up to 75” skeins. The
smooth and quick rotation makes this a solid option. This swift clamps onto your
table and expands out like an umbrella.
The Lacis Fixed Peg Swift has a unique tabletop design that's different than
most yarn swifts. It’s adjustable up to a 72” skein and can collapse into a
compact configuration for storage or travel. You clamp it to the table for
security.
BALL WINDER AND SWIFT COMBINATIONS
You can technically use any of these ball winders and yarn swifts in
combination with each other. However, if you’re using one of the heavy-duty ball
winders to wind larger skeins you’ll want to use it in combination with a larger
capacity swift like the Ashford Umbrella Swift. For most at home users, the
smaller wool winders and swifts will be sufficient and make a huge difference in
the speed in which you can start your new project.
FAQ
WHAT'S THE POINT OF A BALL WINDER?
A ball winder will wind your yarn into a neat center-pull ball simply by turning
the handle. This makes it so you don't have to roll your yarn by hand and is
much faster and easier. These yarn cakes are a much more convenient shape since
they are flat on the bottom they can't roll around.
CAN YOU USE A YARN BALL WINDER WITHOUT A SWIFT?
Yes you can! However, it will be much more difficult. You'll need to position
your yarn skein over something to prevent it from becoming tangled as you use
your ball winder. You can use a chair back or have a friend hold it. Keep in
mind this will be much more time consuming and using a yarn swift makes it a
super smooth process.
WHAT IS A YARN WINDER CALLED?
It has several commonly used names- yarn winder, ball winder, yarn roller, yarn
baller, and wool winder. Any of these will be referring to the same tool.
HOW DO YOU WIND YARN WITHOUT A BALL WINDER?
You will need to loop your skein of yarn over something to prevent tangling.
Then you will slowly start rolling the yarn into a ball, taking care not to drop
it.
WHY IS MY YARN WINDER NOT WORKING?
This could be caused by a few things happening. Check the following:
* You have secured the end of your yarn in the slot of your winder
* It's securely clamped to your table
* Your yarn swift is spinning freely to allow the yarn to be pulled by the ball
winder
* You can help adjust the tension of your yarn by guiding it into the yarn
guide (This may be necessary with slippery yarns)
* Make sure your metal arm guide is adjusted to the correct place
IS A YARN WINDER WORTH IT?
YES! You won't know how you lived without it! A ball winder will save you so
much time and frustration. I love being able to start my projects so much more
quickly than when I had to wind it by hand.
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