Sorry guys, I seem to have lost track of the week. Despite this lapse in coverage, the world keeps on turning, much like this week's Cool Knitting Stuff item: the Swift.
I'll admit, I may have posted a few weeks ago saying that yarn swifts aren't absolutely necessary. You know what? I totally lied. Watching your skein spin wildly is super-fun and a great way to start any project. It also comes in handy if you want to dye or reset your yarn after frogging, making neat, even skeins to work with.
You have more options when looking for swifts than ball winders. Along with the popular umbrella version that has captivated all of us at our LYS's, there are other types, such as the one below:
Instead of utilizing a clamp and expanding out like an umbrella, this table swift screws together in the middle and uses the round-peg in the round-hole method to stretch the skein out.
Swifts range by size, type, and material; prices range accordingly. Ebay is a good source of cheap plastic umbrella swifts, premium woods and higher quality start around $60. I picked mine up at The KnitStore on Etsy.com for $34 with shipping. A lot of indie dyers sell their yarn in the skein; it's worth the investment to easily transform these pieces or art into usable balls to transform into your own pieces or art.
1 comment:
Nice price on the swift. My husband bought me an umbrella swift after the first time he had to help me untangle I skein I screwed up. LOL.
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