Reddit reviews Stanwood Needlecraft Tabletop Amish Style Wooden Yarn Swift, 2.5-6-Feet (YW-3)
We found 14 Reddit comments about Stanwood Needlecraft Tabletop Amish Style Wooden Yarn Swift, 2.5-6-Feet (YW-3). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Super Smooth Finish by Fine SandingTabletop styleMade of solid wood
I'd recommend an Amish swift if your budget allows for one. It was a real game changer for me, and it's really easy to assemble / disassemble and stow away when not in use.
This is the Amish swift I purchased off of Amazon. I use it with the same knitpicks ball winder (I think) I see in your photo.
Yarn Swift. There's two kinds: an Umbrella swift, and an Amish swift. The ubmrella swift has a mechanism that "opens up" like an umbrella, and holds your hank in a loop. They usually attach to a surface like a countertop or tabletop. The Amish swift doesn't attach to a counter or table, but rests upon it, and has little "arms" that holds your hank in an open loop. You stick your hank on the swift, then cut the ties (don't cut the ties before it's on the swift, that's asking for trouble), then use a ball winder or your hands to form your ball/cake/whatever.
As long as you cut the ties AFTER the yarn is on the swift, you should have a relatively easy time. Though, that assumes that the dyer/manufacturer of the hank didn't screw it up when dyeing and or tying the hank. But if the dyer/manufacturer screwed up, there's not much you can do about that, swift or no swift.
Here are my top picks:
Amish swift I have this one. Barring fire, there is nothing that can damage these.
Cheap metal straight knitting needles Susan Bates are vastly superior to Boye. The paint on the Boye has a tendency to scratch and snag the yarn at the tips. Google is failing me here, but I especially like the Susan Bates Quicksilver ones that narrow back down after the initial few inches. Especially with heavy projects, they help to keep the weight balanced.
To add onto your ball winder comment, if someone gets yarn in hank form (one big loop twisted onto itself - this is a good explanation), to get it into a usable ball/cake form, they need both a ball winder and a swift. A swift holds the big loop of yarn and spins freely as the yarn's wound into a ball. Swifts usually come in one of two forms - an Amish swift (~$30 on Amazon) or an umbrella swift (~$50 - Knit Picks also has a popular one here). Which type of swift mostly comes down to personal preference; both types can work well.
This kind is also an option. I got this kind of swift. Instead of the umbrella mechanism to expand and hold the yarn in place, you adjust how far apart the wooden dowels are. There are cheaper versions of this (I think). It's also a version you can make if you have someone in your life who is handy with wood working.
I ordered an Amish swift off Amazon and I love it. No moving parts so I don't feel like it'll break easily plus it comes apart and packs quite small. It's also a bit cheaper too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0067MMCD8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1417140197&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX200_QL40
I have a swift similar to this one: Amish Style Wooden Yarn Swift
It isn't the fanciest thing in the world, and generally I prefer using the upright ones, but it gets the job done, and it's really portable since it breaks down into individual straight pieces and can be kept in a bag.
As for a winder, I would *not* recommend this one or anything similar: Marrywindix Ball Winder
It's extremely unsteady, the yarn feeder needs to be held in place while you're using it, and yarn constantly slips and winds up wrapping around the top/bottom, and generally becoming a tangled mess.
My mom got me an amish swift which is cheaper than an umbrella swift. I think she got one on ebay for $20!
I actually prefer that one to the umbrella swift for storage purposes - it folds right up.
Every time I see your Snaps of clay stuff, I think, "That's turtley awesome!" No really, you're really good at making adorable clay things, and I'd love a turtle or llama or sheep or dragon or kitty or... :)
This is the swift I have. It's super handy when paired with my ball winder to turn hanks of yarn into center-pull balls for knitting. I can't find the picture I took of my current WIP, but this is a drop-stitch scarf I did a little while back. The yarn was handspun by a friend of a friend, and the color is called "DOUBLE RAINBOW".
I have an amish swift. I find it's incredibly sturdy, and most of the amish style swifts are cheaper than umbrella style swifts. (Plus I'm always afraid the umbrella style ones will collapse on me...)
Huh. Weirdly lucky that it fit over several of the feet without being too loose/tight.
After having some bad luck with a cheap umbrella swift, I finally spent a little bit extra to get myself an Amish-style swift. I have this one (which I highly recommend- it's great quality) but you can get cheaper ones or even build your own!
Probably not the exact model, but mine is similar to this one
I got this one Stanwood Needlecraft Tabletop Amish Style Wooden Yarn Swift, 2.5-6-Feet (YW-3) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0067MMCD8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PwjkDb2MRQVK9
Is it similar to this?
Stanwood Needlecraft Tabletop Amish Style Wooden Yarn Swift, 2.5-6-Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0067MMCD8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4ci6xbGMK8E5T