Modern yarn generally comes already wound into skeins. If you have seen one unravel, you will know how difficult it can be to wind it up again by hand. This is when a yarn winder can be a useful tool.
Yarn Winders and Yarn Swifts
A yarn winder can work with a yarn swift to help wind your yarn. The winder may be wooden or plastic. The exact shape and structure may vary, but there will generally be a metal feeder to direct the yarn, a notch to attach it, a handle for you to turn, and some kind of clamp to fix the winder to the edge of a table or other surface.
A yarn swift may also vary slightly in shape, but an umbrella swift consists of a central spindle and then an opening network of slats. Modern swifts are usually made of wood, but antique models from the 1800s, before the damage caused by the whaling industry was fully realised, may have been crafted from whalebone or ivory.
How do they work?
If you visit The Wool Couture Company, you will see some very neat balls of DK yarn. If one comes unraveled, you could try to rewind it by hand, with or without a yarn swift, but this can be a lengthy and frustrating process that often creates additional tangles. For the quickest and neatest way to wind your yarn, use both the yarn winder and the yarn swift together.
First, twist your yarn around the yarn swiftly. This can then be used to feed your yarn onto the winder. Turning the winder handle causes the yarn to collect back into a ball or skein. You can store the yarn until it is needed, or prepare it for your next knitting or crocheting project.
Yarn winders and yarn swifts are not essential pieces of equipment. You can wind yarn by hand if the need arises. They may, however, be a way to simplify your life and allow you to focus more on the creative aspects of yarn usage.
