Winding Yarn With a Swift and Ball Winder

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In order to use a hank of yarn, you will need to wind the yarn into a ball or cake. Attempting to work with yarn directly from the hank will typically result in a tangled mess and lots of frustration.

Create a tidy, center pull cake from your hank of yarn quickly with a ball winder and swift. With this step-by-step tutorial, you will be on your way to winding all of your hanks into cakes in no time, ready to start your next crochet project.

How To Use A Swift

Attach the swift to the table edge, using the screw at the bottom to tighten.
Partially open the swift by lifting from the base of the table edge and tightening the top screw to keep it in place.
Untwist your hank of yarn and loop it around the swift.
Open the swift until the yarn is supported and not sagging.
Cut any ties around the hank of yarn and identify the yarn ends.

How To Use A Ball Winder

Attach the ball winder to the table, using the screw at the bottom to tighten.
Connect the cylinder to the top of the ball winder, turn to tighten.
Thread the yarn from the swift through the metal loop.
Attach the yarn to the top of the cylinder.
Turn the ball winder crank in the indicated direction to wind yarn from the hank on the swift into a yarn cake on the ball winder.
Finished yarn cake.

When all the yarn is wound, simply slide the yarn cake off of the ball winder.

Bonus Tip! When you’re removing the cake, hold on to the yarn in the center so that it doesn’t get lost.

Supplies Used

Yarn Swift Birch Yarn Swift »
Ball Winder Ball Winder »
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