5 fantastic reasons why you need to use yarn ball winder

/ Crochet / By natashaj

What is a yarn ball winder?

Yarn ball winder

A yarn ball winder is a tool used by crocheters and knitters to wind the hanks and skeins of yarn into neat balls or cakes of yarn. It can be both automatic or manual. Manual hand operated ones are more common with knitters and crocheters. The yarn ball winders can be made with different materials plastic or wood. You can choose yours based on your personal preference.

Yarn ball winders also come in different sizes depending upon the type of crochet work that you do and the size of yarn you work with choose the most suitable size.

Yarn ball winder and yarn swift

Now that you know what a yarn ball winder is let me introduce you to another tool called as yarn swift or yarn swift umbrella. This is a support tool with yarn ball winder that rotates and hold the yarn skein for you while to make a ball out of it. The yarn that I use usually comes in skeins or hanks. So I use this a lot. You cannot crochet directly from a skein or hank of yarn. You have to make yarn balls first. This is where a yarn swift comes in handy. If you do not buy skeins or hanks of yarn only a yarn ball winder would be sufficient for you. If you are confused about the skeins hanks and other yarn winds i have done a detailed blog on it previously. You can read it here.

You can buy the yarn ball winder and yarn swift that I have from here:

For India (Affiliate links)

Wooden winder

Wooden swift Plastic winder

Metal and plastic yarn swift

Suggestions for other countries

Buy here

Forms of yarn (yarn winds)

There are more than 10 different types of yarn wind that you get in the market. I will quickly breeze through a few most common ones.

• Ball of yarn
• Yarn cake
• Yarn hank
• Yarn skein
• Bullet skein
• Doughnut skein

The loose skein and the hanks are the types that need to be rolled in balls before you can work with it. The rest can be converted from one form to another depending on how you feel comfortable working with it.

Like I prefer to use the central pull ball or cake of yarn almost every time. So I convert each of these yarn winds into central pull ball with me yarn winder. There a number of benefits of using the winder. Let us now see the 5 top benefits of using a yarn ball winder..

5 benefits of using a yarn ball winder

Now let us one by one go through why you should use a yarn ball winder. Other than it is fun to have it in your collection.

1. Time saving

The first benefit is that it save a lot of time. I really got irritated with hours that I had to spend on winding my yarn skeins into balls so that I could start on a project. It takes minutes to make a yarn ball with a winder. It is really quick and convenient. Setting the yarn swift clamping the winder on any surface is all that i do. And one by one put the hanks on the swift and wind each one in under 10 minutes for medium weight yarns to heavy yarns. The superfine ones and the cotton threads take longer but still it is way faster then making the ball by hand.

Spend your time crocheting and creating rather than making yarn balls. So have a yarn winder and use your time wisely.

2. Yarn ball winders are convenient

If you have made yarn yarn ball by hand you will know what I am talking about. The pain in the hands, fingers and shoulder after hours of hard work creating those balls from the skeins. Using a yarn ball winder is very easy and convenient. Other than being fast it makes the task super easy. The additional benefit is that most of the ball winders can be taken apart and easily assembled again. You can store the ball winder easily without taking up the precious space of your craft room.

3. Maintains elasticity of yarn

It is very easy to maintain the tension on the yarn when you are using a winder. By hand if you do not follow the proper technique of winding it over your fingers every time, the ball will not be loose and the yarn will stretch and loose its elasticity and many times become thin and stiff.

When using the yarn immediately it can work even if you make tight yarn balls. As you will be using it before it stretches permanently and looses elasticity. But if you are a yarn hoarder like me. The yarn ball will go in storage to not see the light of day for months or years in many cases. So it is a good idea to have loosely made balls so that the elasticity is maintained and the yarn stays fluffy.

4. Yarn ball winder gives center pull balls

5. Flat rolls for easy storage and use

Another benefit of a winder is that t gives flat balls which are easier to store and use. It takes less spacr to store flat ball then it would take to store the round ones. Also they are convenient to use because they do not roll here and there. As these are also canter pull you can just place it next to you in a yarn bowl or a tray and easily work. There would be no worries of it falling out and getting dirty.

These were a few of the benefits of using the yarn ball winder that I see. I hope it was useful. Thank you for reading till the end.

Happy crocheting!!