If you’ve ever tried knitting or crocheting directly from a hank of yarn, you already know how quickly it can turn into a tangled disaster. A hank is just a large loop of yarn, and it really needs to be wound into a ball before it’s practical to use for knitting or crocheting. Some yarns come pre‑wound, and skeins can either be worked from the center or the outside. But hanks always need to be wound first, and doing it by hand (or making someone else hold the yarn) isn’t exactly the easiest thing. When Inmaker sent me a yarn swift to try out, I was happy to test it out, and I will never wind another ball of yarn by hand again.
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Do you need a yarn winder or a yarn swift?
You might not need one of these if you only buy yarn that’s already wound into a skein, or yarn that comes already wound in a ball or cake. If you use a lot of natural fiber yarns that come in hanks, though, you should get a yarn swift and a winder to speed the process up.
Read this article to see what supplies a beginning knitter really need, and what you can wait to buy until later: Knitting Supplies
Set the swift up.
You can get the yarn swift here: Inmaker Yarn Swift on Amazon (affiliate link)
Follow the instructions that come with your yarn swift, but the general process is probably going to be the same for all of them.
When you open the box, you’ll notice a small blue net wrapped around the swift. This keeps it closed during shipping, and it’s worth saving so you can store the swift neatly later. The swift opens up like an umbrella to hold the yarn while you wind it.
Start by attaching the long screw with the protective cap to the base. Remove the cap, screw the piece into the bottom of the swift, then replace the cap so it doesn’t damage your table surface.
Tighten the clamp onto your workspace until the swift is firmly in place and secure enough not to move around while spinning.
Next, attach the second screw inside the swift. Tighten it just enough to grip the central pole but still let it slide up and down, because you’ll be tightening it later.
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Put the yarn on the swift.
Once your swift is attached to the table, open your hank of yarn into its big circular loop and place it over the arms of the swift as it’s folded up.
Slide the inner section upward to expand the swift until it gently but securely holds the yarn. You want it snug enough that it won’t slip off, but not so tight that it stretches the yarn.
Tighten the center screw to keep the open swift in place. The swift’s triangular shape helps position the yarn correctly so it unwinds smoothly as it spins.
Before you begin winding, find the ties securing the hank. Carefully undo them so the strands aren’t caught or twisted. Some ties loop around the yarn multiple times, so double-check that everything moves freely before you start winding the yarn winder.
Using the yarn winder.
Thread the yarn through your yarn winder and start turning the handle.
The swift will rotate as the yarn unwinds, feeding smoothly into the winder. I like to rest a hand on the winder’s little metal arm as it spins to keep it in the correct position. If it drifts too close to the winder body, the yarn can snag. Holding the arm in place helps keep the process smooth.
Once you start winding, you can go surprisingly fast. The swift keeps everything moving evenly, and winding a full hank took me only three or four minutes. Pull the finished cake off the winder, tuck in the loose ends on the bottom, and you’re ready to use it.
This thing is amazing.
I’m genuinely amazed at how much faster and easier this tool makes the winding process. After using the InMaker yarn swift, I don’t know how I ever managed without one. It’s honestly really fun to use. If you regularly buy yarn in hanks, which are generally the natural fiber and higher‑end yarns, you’ll save yourself so much time (and avoid so many knots) by investing in a swift.
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