a swift is what holds the yarn while you are using the ball winder. it is in lieu of a chair back, someone else’s hands, a lamp shade, or whatever you use to hold the yarn when you are winding a hank.
Joann.com has one that is wonderful i think. people have successfully made their own too.
It makes them into nice, flat, compact cylinders that are less likely to roll out of the closet or out from under the bed at inopportune moments, like when someone is berating your for your increasing amounts of fluffy sheep love.
:teehee: stop saying fluffy sheep love!
I love winding wool on mine… cheap off our version of ebay.
I wind from a hank without a swift or someone to hold the wool, I hold the hank in one hand, hanging down toward the floor, and wind carefully with the other hand. When the wool getting pulled out of the hank reaches my hand, I’m extra slow, and careful to keep my fingers out of the way. I rewind once or twice after that(but I’d do that anyway, for fun and for getting the wool wound as loosely as possible).
But it might be too slow or miserable for anyone who doesn’t enjoy winding, or winds a lot of wool, or winds very very thin wool (3 km per hank anyone?).
Sarah
Dear God, we have the EXACT SOME BALL WINDER! O_o
I would post a picture, but I can’t find my camera. But, seriously, it looks exatly like that one! Am I the only one who finds that really cool?
Kblue,
I’m so glad you posted a picture of your yarnwinder. I have never paid much attention to the things as I either have my yarn wound at the yarn store or my kids help (isn’t that what they are there for?? :teehee: )
Anyway, it brought back a memory for me of my mom bringing home her first yarn winder (it looks just like your, I think she still may have it) and us winding every skein of yarn we could get our hands on. She was so tickled with her yarn winder --I remember she got it when she was experimenting with machine knitting. This was more than 20 years ago, I’m sure.
Well into her 70s and with Parkinson tremors and arthritis, my mom is still knitting(quilting and crocheting,too!)
Now I have to call her and ask if she still has that thing!
Well, running late again and time to get the kids out of bed.
Have a happy day, all!
Susan
It was definatly one of those things i kept going back and forth about (i’ll buy it …no i won’t i don’t really need it…yes i will buy it…) Finally i decided to buy it because winding the yarn into a ball by hand takes FOREVER and since i have small hands sometimes it’s hard to hold the ball once it gets to a certain size…I’m actually clawing into the ball to hold it. I don’t have any helpers to hold the yarn I just pull it right from the hank/skein <—is that what it’s called i get confused…my kids are too young to help hold it and my hubby is still weirded out that i’ve taken up knitting. He’s one of those people who thought/think knitting it for “old” people :tap: . Well i showed him!!! 
<—that’s what i felt like doing ha ha ha ha j/k. I think he’s over it now that he’s seen some of the things i’ve made.
I used it this morning! It was awesome! It took a minute to get the hang of (I kept letting the yarn wind under the platform, argh), but then I couldn’t stop. My husband said, “I’m walking out the door now, don’t you want to come with me?” Nooooo, I just want to wind yarn 