Using an Umbrella Swift to Wind Yarn
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2016
- A large percentage of yarn comes in hanks that need to be wound into balls in order to knit from them. One great tool to help you accomplish this is an umbrella swift! Learn how to use it. Thank you to commenter Fay Salkus for suggesting this subject. To check out my knitting patterns visit my Ravelry page at: www.ravelry.com/designers/barb...
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You can find Strauch Fiber Equipment online at: www.strauchfiber.com/index.php and at many fine local yarn stores.
The yarn I am winding is Malabrigo Mecha in the color Teal Feather. More on Malabrigo at: www.malabrigoyarn.com/
Watch for a new pattern coming soon using this yarn! - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I like the way you have explained how to use an umbrella swift
I am glad you enjoyed the video!
Barbara, fantastic video! You're such a great educator!
Thank you so much!
i set up my 1st Swift and Winder set and was so scared to use them. clicked one of the top recommended videos and the themesong put me at ease! I know any of your tutorials are clear and easy to follow! Thanks for helping me wind my 1st cake
Yay! I hope you've been happily knitting/crocheting/weaving away ... whatever the yarn was for.
So informative! THANK YOU!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing this Barbara. I loved the tip about the rubber gasket or rubber band on the yarn swift. Mine is now securely fitted with its own rubber band. BTW, I'm Sherlyn from SSK Yarners.
Hi Sherlyn! The rubber band was my solution to one too many painful episodes with a previous swift I had. The subsequent creative language at a high volume might be what inspired my husband to purchase me the lovely swift I have now. The only thing keeping the yarn on is tension and when the swift slips the yarn falls down in a tangled mess. Avoid at all costs. ;)
Loooove your hair cut! I also use the tip you shared about putting the yarn card in the center after caking it!
Thanks! The person who taught me how to use a swift/ball winder told me about the tag trick. I think it is pretty common, it is easy to forget the little details are not common knowledge so I tend to overkill on details. ;)
Never overkill on details! That's how we learned how to do it, by someone telling us! I think we tend to think it's common practice so we "don't" think to share the small details. :-) K
I’m new to your TH-cam channel. Your presentations are soooo much easier for me to comprehend than other knitting instructors. I guess we speak the same yarn 🧶 language! LOL
My question is what is the name of your yarn baller? I’m in the process of ordering a Strauch swift for myself! They now have one that you can either have it on the floor OR clamp into the table! Special pricing on that one. Your hubby loves you very much.
Looking forward to viewing your next video. I’ve also purchased your book on Amazon. Jumping in with both feet!😂
I'm so glad that my teaching style clicks with your learning style! Honestly, this video is so old I don't know what that winder was LOL.
Thank you for this video. I haven't seen a demo on this before.
I try to think of things that are maybe taken for granted.
That was great!!!!!
Thanks!
I have a question. (new to knitting) I got a swift and ball winder. My yarn appears to be all knotted up in the middle. I have had to cut the yarn to avoid the awful mess I found. I know it must be due to the winding, but I have no idea what I did wrong! I was very careful to get the hank on the swift evenly and it still made a mess. HELP!!
Love your videos. Always learned something new. Like the trick with the rubber band. Can you explain why you don’t center pull? You mentioned not knitting from center also in your stash storage video.
Thank you for your kind words! I don't center pull because it never ends well for me LOL. Every time I've tried center pull I've had that moment where a yarn barf pile of tangled yarn pops out. Also, I rarely use up an entire cake of yarn because of how I design. If I am center pulling I end up with this weird doughnut of about 10 grams of yarn that I have to rewind into a smaller ball. I'd rather just pull from the outside and be able to put the leftover in stash with no extra effort.
Also, yarn barf.
WatchBarbaraKnit Thanks for the quick response! Argh on yarn barf. Do you have a preference on which direction the yarn is coming off the swift and which direction to wind on the yarn winder? Reason for my question: Sometimes as I am knitting from the cake, I am adding twist to the yarn which then twists around itself. Do you have any tips to prevent this?
Hey Barbara, thx for the wonderful tutorial, can you do one showing how to wind the skein without the swift. I have a ball winder but not a swift and I've already had to untangle and hand wind 437 yds of fingering weight yarn, because I ended up with a massive mess while trying to wind the yarn without the swift.
I honestly don't know if there is a way to accomplish what you want to do short of having a second person standing there holding the yarn on their arms (in classic helper ball winding pose) while you crank the ball winder.
I have managed to hand wind a ball without a swift by sitting on the ground and putting the yarn around my feet, but that involved a motion that was almost like doing vertical sit-ups.
I know people hand wind balls with the skein wrapped around the back of a chair but to do that you stand up and move the ball around.
The issue is you have to have one thing in motion and one thing stationary for it to work. If your skein is static then the ball being wound has to move. If the ball is static (as in a ball winder) then the skein has to move.
I know that this doesn't help you because you already have the winder, but if I were to choose to have either a winder or a swift I would go with the swift. The winder without the swift isn't particularly useful. I will do a little research to see if I can prove myself wrong tho!
Thx Barbara, hopefully I can get one someday soon. By the way, I realized that I bought the Sunseeker yarn at Little Knits not Cast on Cottage, and they are on sale currently for $3.99, here's a link if you are interested in some...littleknits.com/new-products/cascade-sunseeker.html
Ijeoma Iheke
Cool! I will check it out.
Hi why do knitters not ball their hanks until they are readg to work it up?
For an entire year all my knit crate packages and and extra purchases have all been wound, except tye bix I git yedterday. A couple I wound twice once off the hank and then once off the ball. The off the ball was much loser and didn't stretch the yarn. I'm concerned thats maybe why knitters wait. Should I unwind them back into hanks do you think? Or just rewind them all a second time to make sure they aren't too tight? Your guideance here is much appreciated. Or of course orjust leave them? I'm assumming I can use the crank on top of unbrella to rewind the yarn back into hanks.
It is about stretch. When you wind it into a ball you are putting it under tension - as you discovered. If you feel your ball is loose enough then you should be fine, but you are right, you can totally wind them back into hanks with the swift.
It’s time to invest in a swift! I’ve been eyeing the flat “Amish” style ones. Any thoughts on those? And putting the winder on a chair arm…. Great idea! My table is too big so I use the bookcase but that’s super tight too. 😅
A lot of people love Amish style swifts. I've never use one but not for any good reason LOL.
Awesome. Thanks. You are wonderful. What is the name of the shawl on your silent partner
That is In Uffish Thought! www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/in-uffish-thought
Hi Barbara which ball winder do you recommend?
I haven't used enough to recommend one. I have the plastic one that you see here, but I don't think that they make them anymore, it's a Royal ball winder.
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Back atcha!
I like your shorter hair style.
Thank you! I am still getting used to it and figuring out how to "do" it!