Yarn Swift

I've been wanting a yarn swift for some time. I have a ball winder, but have always used the back of a chair to hold the skeins. It works, but is very slow.....if I go too fast, I invariably end up with a giant tangled mess, especially if the yarn is custom dyed -- when the yarn strands seem to stick together easily.

Of course, being cheap (hmmmm, I mean frugal), I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Nor did I want something that took a lot of room. With a little bit of research, I found an online tutorial for a DIY swift that appeared to fit the bill.

Step 1. Gather supplies

• 4 identical clothes hangers
• 12 clothes pins
• 1 elastic band
• 1 long twisty
• 1 piece of non-slip shelf liner
• 1 plastic storage container
• 1 lazy susan

Note: We tried a metal industrial strength lazy susan (holds up to 500 pounds), but found that it didn't seem to spin as easily as the cheaper plastic spice rack model in our kitchen.


Step 2. Tie hangers in two locations with elastic band and twisty.


Step 3. Place non-slip liner on lazy susan and top with plastic container and hanger asssembly as shown. Spread out hangers so they're at right angles, then secure in place with clothes pins.


Step 4. Place skein of yarn over hangers -- placing clothes pins above or below skein to keep it from slipping down or riding up, depending on its length (you can tell pretty easily which way it will go).


Step 5. Thread end of yarn into ball winder and start cranking.....just be careful that the yarn isn't winding on too tightly.