Reddit reviews Stanwood Needlecraft Large Metal Yarn/Fiber/Wool/String Ball Winder - 10 oz

If she doesn't already have one, a ball winder is extremely useful. Also maybe a gift card, if she buys patterns online?

I have a Stanwood. Considerably more expensive but very heavy duty and well made plus it will do really big skeins. Stanwood

I just recently "upgraded" my yarn winder as my last one was complete shite. This is my new and greatly improved 10 oz. Yarn Winder

How is it better than my old 4 oz you ask? Well let me tell you my friend :-P

1.) It's so QUIET

2.) It's such a joy to "crank" the handle I can't explain how pleasurable it is to wind on this machine. It's just so smooth. Also, it has never jammed or made a terribly grinding sound like my last plastic one.

3.) It has 2 guiding arms. One is adjustable and the other, and this is the best part, it moves around the cone at the same time as the cone is spinning while you crank. This is such a cool design! It creates the most perfect tension!

4.) Huge skeins into mega-cakes in only a few minutes.

5.) I have wound a bunch of skeins and unlike my old one, I have never had a problem with the yarn wrapping around or slipping down around the gear portion. I think it's due to the extra "guide arm."

In sum, I should have just bought this one to begin with! Oh, and this is my yarn swift which I also love and it is a fine piece of equipment.

Hooks:

If you want to go high-end the Furls hooks are an insanely gorgeous treat, though they're well above the $20 recommended amount

For a cheaper alternative, consider Clover Soft Touch or Clover Amour hooks. The sets aren't as crazy expensive, but if they're still outside your budget you can always buy an individual hook or two from Amazon, Michaels, AC Moore, or JoAnn. Just be aware that many of us hookers already have some of these.

The Addi swing hooks are supposed to be very good as well, though I can't vouch for them personally. Chances are your giftee doesn't have these.

I'm obsessed with crochet and I love Secret Santa, so if you have any questions I can help with that you don't want to post here, feel free to shoot me a PM!

Patterns:

See a gorgeous scarf, beanie, glove, or jacket you think your giftee would love? Consider getting them a pattern for it instead of the item itself. Etsy has a ton, these dolls are hugely popular and with good reason! You can also get books of patterns - both ebooks and traditional books are available.

Notions and Add Ons:

Yarn swift/winder - there's quite a few in a very decent price range. They're invaluable for making pretty cakes of yarn that are super easy to work with.

Lace blocking wires - an excellent choice if your giftee prefers to make longer items like scarves or blankets.

You certainly don't need a yarn winder. There's nothing wrong with winding by hand. But a yarn winder is one of those luxury items that, once you have, you can't imagine ever going back to living without one. At least I can't. The benefits are, of course, that you can wind a skein of Red Heart Super Saver (using this example as a source of familiarity) in about three or four minutes, or even faster, depending on the speed of your guns (arms, ha). If you've got a project that's about to use multiple skeins, being able to wind everything up into easily manageable yarn cakes in a matter of minutes is indispensable if you're as impatient as I am. And there are multiple benefits to having the cakes. Storage purposes ranks pretty high on my list. Ease of use is also big - no more having to deal with an incredibly stubborn knot rearing its ugly head out of a center pull skein when I've got a project hot on the hooks. And there can't be enough said about pre-winding your yarn, in the first place. It's like a getting acquainted period - between you and your yarn. I don't know how many times I've been working on a project with yarn I haven't fully gone through and right in the worst spot possible there's an ugly as hell join and now I've got to figure out how to deal with it mid-WIP. If you wind everything up before hand, you're actually touching the entire skein before you work with it, and you can use this opportunity to check for knots or problem areas - allowing you to plan way ahead, before you've even started working. I'm sure they're other awesome benefits to a winder, but these are my big three.

The first winder I bought was this one off of Amazon for around $30. It arrived damaged - the spindle was cracked right out of the box. I know lots of people have this winder and have great things to say about it, but I figured if I was going to spend the money, I may as well get something that was going to last. So I saved up for a few months and ended up buying this Stanwood Needlecraft and I freaking.love.it. It's... a beast. Just a beast. I can wind an entire skein of RHSS on it without having to split it in two. And there's no plastic, so it's incredibly smooth and quiet. I've had it for almost a year now, and I use it at least every other day. I've had zero problems with it. I would recommend this winder to anyone, no matter how long you have to save. It's worth the pennies, even though there's a lot of them.

You might want to look into a swift, in addition to your winder. You use a swift in conjunction with your winder to cake up those gorgeous hanks. I purchased this one from Amazon and it's been wonderful.

Here's a quick little video showing you how to use a yarn winder and a swift.

Hope this helps!

Such sad circumstances that bring about this lovely stash, but this yarn will go to good use now and will be used and loved!
I HIGHLY recommend investing in a yarn wonder, and I don’t care for the smaller ones. The small ones don’t do well with the size of most of the skeins I see on that picture (like the size of a skein of red heart yarn for example). The smaller ones do smaller skeins better. I have this one from Stanwood Needlecraft and it’s the most magical thing I own. I can not recommend it enough! I have had it for years and my whole stashes is caked center pull balls and it’s heavenly yarn winder link you can get it a little cheaper off of their website but I don’t know how much there shipping is so amazon might be easier!

I adore my Stanwood https://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538077707&sr=8-3&keywords=stanwood+yarn+winder
I've had it for a while and havent had any problems with it.
If you don't already have a swift you'll probably want one.

I had bought 4 different small plastic winders that all broke within weeks of purchase, then I got this winder. I can definitely say it is worth every penny and I have not had any problems with it since purchase 2 years ago. I love this beast.

Yes! And it’s fabulous!! The one that he got for me has a 10 oz capacity. I use mostly bulky yarn. Yarn Winder on Amazon

Do they actually help the "balling" process? Yes. I attempted doing it by hand for a while and gave up because the balls I created were usually more tangled and messed up than the original skein. A ball winder does it more quickly, and much more neatly.

Are they worth the expense and the space? In my opinion, yes. I had recently purchased a computer desk when I got my winder, so I conveniently had a nice little spot for it. If you can find a space and just let it stay there, it's worth it. And for expenses, I think it was worth it. Mine cost about $60 and it's bigger. It's hard to quantify, but it definitely saves me a lot of time and frustration, and I think that was worth the money.

Do you have any recommendations on a manufacturer or style? This was the one I bought. It holds a lot. I had some pretty large skeins of unknown origin (my grandma sent it to my mom, who never used it and sent it to me...), and as I was winding I was realizing just how much freaking yarn it was. But the winder took it like a beast. The same company has a 4 oz. size, but it seems sold out on Amazon. I love this brand, though.

Non-mobile: this to arrive

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

I bought my mom a jumbo capacity winder with nylon* teeth because I never, ever, wanted to get a phone call about her needing help de tangling a skien gone wrong.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452559628&sr=8-1&keywords=stanwood+ball+winder

They haven’t changed it then. That looks exactly like the one I got from Amazon.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=stanwood+ball+winder&qid=1551028890&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Most of the redheart stuff has center pull anyway, if you can avoid the effort Id go with it.

I also have a large ball winder http://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY which while it only holds 11oz, its seriously cool

Standwood

I have had mine 3 years now and it is still winding great. I dislike the plastic ones they break in under 3 months and its cheaper to get a Standwood then it is to keep replacing it ever 3-6 months.

I had the knit picks one, but now I am waiting on this to arrive.

The knit pick one is not made for heavy use and has a smaller capacity. I have a knitting machine so I needed one that could keep up with me.

Sorry for the nightmare fuel, oops. :)

I'd love to try out different winders, to see if the problem is indeed me or the machine, but that's unlikely. Have you any in particular you'd suggest looking at?

I was hoping to save up for the Cadillac of ball winders (Nancy's Knit Knacks Heavy Duty Ball Winder) but the exchange rate is currently atrocious for Canadians.

I've read decent things about Stanford Needlecraft's Large Metal Winder, as kind of a middle price pointed winder.

This one
http://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY

Stanwood big ball winder. Will wind up to 10 oz balls. I've had mine for many years. I had one of the plastic ones from Joann's for about 3 months before it broke. I think I paid about $60.00 for my Stanwood. You can get them on Amazon, or they do have a website. Don't think I've ever seen one in the stores. https://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=stanwood+ball+winder&qid=1557604983&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Console yourself by searching for and buying a new wonder. I got this one and it has been working very nicely.

Stanwood Needlecraft Large Metal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078T6KQY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

This is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0078T6KQY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425689600&sr=8-1&keywords=stanwood+yarn+winder&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41LAOteg7DL&ref=plSrch
It's a little pricy but partly because it's a 10oz winder instead of the normal 4oz ones. I had huge skeins of Red Heart SS that it caked nicely. Amazon also sells the 4oz version of this one if you don't need one this big. I know it's expensive but I have to caution you against going cheap on a winder if you can help it. I bought one of those cheap $20 winders off Ebay and it was a piece of junk. It wound loosely and broke after maybe 15 skeins. The one I linked to is a beast - metal parts and very sturdy. You get what you pay for when it comes to winders.

Thank you. I have a small one from knit picks that I like but it is wobbly so the cake is always messed up regardless of the tension I use. I need a large one but I wasn't sure if I was going to spend close a $100 why not buy an electric one with a coupon somewhere for a similar price.

I watched some videos and people liked them but I wanted to ask real people and not depend on youtubers doing it for fame/money.

I will prob end up with the one you suggested. I found it on amazon for about the same price. I will likely order it after the holidays since from now till then every penny goes to the kids lol

Thank you so much for your opinion and advice :D

I have this one and zero complaints. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004B44PYI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XKWVDbMHVMGDM

Now it's not going to handle a huge skein, but I've found it does just fine on most.

The larger winders are more expensive and I wanted to know if I'd even like one before I bought. Now I have this on my wishlist. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nNWVDbGN1NFCX

This one is a bit more steep, but I really like it because it’s super sturdy and can make cakes with the jumbo yarn sizes.

Stanwood Needlecraft Large Metal Yarn/Fiber/Wool/String Ball Winder, 10-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rdyTBb8E347Y3

I tried looking for the one I bought on amazon but it looks like they no longer sell it. But I did some searching and found two:

1. This one looks pretty similar to mine and has good reviews so if it’s anything like mine it’ll be great.
   
   Knit Picks Yarn Ball Winder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O3GHFA0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2WO5BbZCAERFF
   
   
2. If you’re looking for a fancier one, this one is more expensive but the reviews say it’s the best thing ever.
   
   Stanwood Needlecraft Large Metal Yarn/Fiber/Wool/String Ball Winder, 10-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5NO5BbBJGNRE5
   
   The one complaint I have about mine (and I’m not sure there’s really a product that would do any better) is that sometimes when you’ve wound a big cake if you try to wind too much the whole thing will just fly off...so I wish it had some sort of cap that would keep it from doing that. But I mean as long as you slow down once it starts getting big it’s fine. I suppose it wouldn’t be too hard to come up with a quick fix at home, I just haven’t put any effort into that myself.
   
   Good luck!!! 😀

I just bought this one for myself and it's so amazing! It works like a dream and can make a nice big cake.
I had so much fun the day it came in! It took a bit to get used to how to coordinate to make it as smooth a process as possible but it really has made rolling yarn so fun and fast.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0078T6KQY?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_yo_pop_mb_pd_t2

This is the swift I've asked for Xmas. Haven't used it but I found the reviews convincing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IG1I8O/?coliid=I3IASUJR0TQZ93&colid=9OZ9DLU4OTV2&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I have a Stanwood that I absolutely love. It runs smoothly and I don't see how anything on it could break. I'm not sure what price range you're looking at, so this model may be out of your budget.


I don't own a swift, so no recommendations there.




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I have https://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=sr_1_4?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1417462847&sr=1-4 I would recommend this model.

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I love winding yarn too! I wind all of my friends yarn as well! I bought a swift from knitpicks and my favorite winder is https://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img

I love my Stanwood winder...I got tired of fighting slippery yarn on my KnitPicks winder. Yeah, it's pricey, but I've gotten my money's worth from it.

https://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Needlecraft-String-Winder-10-Ounce/dp/B0078T6KQY

I got my wooden umbrella swift for $20 from eBay...it shipped from China and took a month before it finally arrived.