The picks
Best Yarn Swifts
A winder without a swift is a two-person job, and the second person gets bored.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 4, 2026
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The short answer
A swift holds a hank of yarn open and spinning while a winder pulls from it. If you buy hand-dyed or wool-shop yarn, which comes in twisted hanks rather than balls, you need one - or a patient friend with their arms out. The Stanwood umbrella swift plus the matching ball winder is the standard pair.
| # | Product | Best for | Type | Capacity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photoStanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift (Medium)Solid birch, clamps to a table, opens to hold a 6ft skein without help. | Anyone who buys yarn in hanks | Umbrella swift | Skeins up to 6ft | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 2 | No photoStanwood Needlecraft YBW-A Yarn Ball WinderA metal-bodied hand winder with sealed gears - the swift's counterpart, not its alternative. | Turning the hank into a center-pull cake | Ball winder | About 4oz per cake | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 3 | No photoStanwood Needlecraft YBW-B Yarn Ball WinderThe sibling model at the same capacity with the gears fully enclosed. | A winder that lives in a bag | Ball winder | About 4oz per cake | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 4 | No photoArtBin Yarn DrumAn excellent yarn container that does nothing a swift does. | Storing and dispensing yarn, not winding it | Storage | Balls and cakes | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
Stanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift (Medium)
Stanwood Needlecraft · Best for anyone who buys yarn in hanks
A solid birch umbrella swift that holds a skein open while a winder pulls from it - the half of the pair people forget to buy.
- Capacity
- Skeins up to 6ft in circumference
- Material
- Solid birch, fine sanded, no varnish
- Mounting
- Clamp, fits edges up to 1.75in thick
- Sizes
- Medium (6ft) and large (8.5ft)
Who it suits
Anyone who has bought a hank of hand-dyed yarn and discovered it is not a ball.
Why it is here
Solid birch, fine sanded and unvarnished, holding skeins up to 6ft in circumference, on a clamp that fits table edges up to 1.75in thick. Made in medium (6ft) and large (8.5ft). The umbrella mechanism adjusts to the skein rather than the skein having to match the tool.
What you give up
It clamps to a table edge, so you need a suitable edge - a thick worktop or a table with a lip underneath will not take it. Unvarnished birch can also catch a very fine yarn if it is not kept smooth.
Specifications from Stanwood Brands - wooden umbrella swift specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Stanwood Needlecraft YBW-A Yarn Ball Winder
Stanwood Needlecraft · Best for turning the hank into a center-pull cake
A metal-bodied hand winder that makes center-pull cakes up to about 4oz, with the gears fully enclosed.
- Capacity
- About 4oz per cake, center-pull
- Body
- Metal, 1lb, 11.5in tall
- Mounting
- Clamp base, table up to about 1.5in thick
- Gears
- Fully sealed
- Drive
- Hand crank
Who it suits
Anyone buying a swift. They are two halves of one operation and neither works well alone.
Why it is here
Metal body, 1lb, 11.5in tall, making center-pull cakes of about 4oz, with fully sealed gears and a clamp base for tables up to about 1.5in thick. A center-pull cake does not roll away, which is the practical reason to wind at all.
What you give up
4oz per cake means a 100g skein is right at the limit and a 150g skein needs two. The clamp also wants a thinner table edge than the swift does.
Specifications from Stanwood Brands product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Stanwood Needlecraft YBW-B Yarn Ball Winder
Stanwood Needlecraft · Best for a winder that lives in a bag
The sibling model to the YBW-A, at the same 4oz capacity with the gears fully enclosed.
- Capacity
- About 4oz per cake, center-pull
- Mounting
- Clamp base, up to about 1.75in thick
- Drive
- Hand crank
- Gears
- Fully sealed
Who it suits
Anyone choosing between the two Stanwood winders, or anyone who wants a winder that travels.
Why it is here
Same 4oz center-pull capacity, hand crank, clamp base up to about 1.75in thick, gears fully sealed. Sealed gears matter because loose fiber is what kills a winder.
What you give up
Functionally close enough to the YBW-A that the choice is availability and price rather than performance. Neither is a motorized winder.
Specifications from Stanwood Brands product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ArtBin Yarn Drum
ArtBin · Best for storing and dispensing yarn, not winding it
A 12-inch canvas drum with a slot in the lid, so the working yarn feeds out while the skeins stay put and stay clean.
- Dimensions
- 12in diameter x 12.75in high
- Capacity
- Up to 8 standard skeins
- Feed
- Slot in the top of the lid
- Material
- 600D poly-canvas with a textured PVC base
- 8 x 3in front pocket
- Carry
- Adjustable shoulder strap and top handle
Who it suits
Not people looking for a swift. It is a good storage answer and it is frequently recommended as though it were a winding one.
Why it is here
A lidded drum with grommets that feed yarn out while the ball stays contained, keeping it clean and stopping it rolling across the floor.
What you give up
It cannot hold a hank open under tension, which is the entire job of a swift. If your yarn arrives as a twisted hank, this does not help you unwind it.
Specifications from ArtBin Yarn Drum specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Hanks, skeins and balls are not the same thing
This is the confusion the whole product category rests on, and nobody explains it at the point of sale.
- A ball or cake is wound and ready to knit from. Supermarket and craft-shop yarn arrives this way.
- A pull skein is the oblong shape most big-brand yarn comes in, with a strand you pull from the middle. Also ready to use.
- A hank is a large loop of yarn twisted into a compact shape for shipping. It is not ready to use, and if you knit straight from it you will produce a knot the size of a cat.
Almost all hand-dyed yarn, and most yarn from independent mills, ships as a hank. That is the moment people discover they need a swift.
What the swift actually does
You untwist the hank into its full loop and spread it over the swift's arms, then open the umbrella until the loop is under gentle tension. As the winder pulls, the swift rotates and pays out yarn at exactly the rate it is being taken.
Capacity: which size to buy
Swifts are rated by the circumference of the loop they can hold. Get this wrong in the small direction and the hank will not fit at all.
| Capacity | Handles | Buy it if |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6ft (medium) | Almost all commercial and hand-dyed hanks | You buy normal sock, DK and worsted hanks |
| Up to 8.5ft (large) | Large lace and blanket-quantity hanks | You buy 200g+ hanks or mill ends |
Medium covers the overwhelming majority of what is sold. Buy large only if you already know you buy oversized hanks.
Mounting: check your table before you order
Both the swift and the winder attach with a screw clamp, and the clamp has a maximum thickness. The Stanwood swift takes edges up to 1.75in; its winders take up to about 1.5in and 1.75in respectively.
Modern kitchen worktops are frequently thicker than that, and many dining tables have an apron underneath that leaves no clean edge. Measure before ordering - it is the single most common reason a swift gets returned.
The honest alternatives
A swift is not the only way to hold a hank, and we would rather say which substitutes work than pretend otherwise.
- Two chair backs. Place the loop over the backs of two dining chairs set apart. It works, it is free, and it needs you to shuffle the loop round by hand as it tightens.
- Someone's arms. The traditional method. Effective and socially expensive.
- Your own knees. Sit, loop it over your knees, wind by hand. Slow but genuinely fine for one hank.
- Wind by hand into a center-pull ball. No equipment at all. Takes about fifteen minutes per 100g.
The threshold is roughly this: below about six hanks a year, use a chair. Above that, the swift pays for itself in patience.
The pair, and why we list both halves
A swift without a winder means winding by hand off a spinning frame, which is possible and slow. A winder without a swift means the hank tangles as it collapses, which is the problem you were trying to solve.
They are one tool sold as two objects. Our best yarn winders page covers the winder half in full, including the capacity limits that catch people out with larger skeins.
What we would buy
- The swift: the Stanwood umbrella swift in medium, after measuring your table edge.
- The winder: the Stanwood YBW-A, or the YBW-B if it is the one in stock.
- Neither, if you buy one hank a year: two dining chairs and fifteen minutes.
- For the wound cakes afterwards: an ArtBin Yarn Drum, which is a storage answer rather than a winding one.
Questions people actually ask
What is a yarn swift used for?
Holding a hank of yarn open and spinning while a ball winder pulls from it. Hand-dyed and independent-mill yarn ships as twisted hanks that cannot be knitted from directly.
Do I need a swift and a winder, or just one?
Both, if you buy hanks. A winder without a swift lets the hank collapse and tangle; a swift without a winder means winding by hand. They are two halves of one operation.
What size yarn swift do I need?
A 6ft capacity covers almost every commercial and hand-dyed hank. Buy the 8.5ft size only if you already know you buy 200g or larger hanks.
Can you use a chair instead of a yarn swift?
Yes. Spread the loop over the backs of two dining chairs set apart, and shuffle it round as it tightens. It works fine for occasional use and is tedious past about six hanks a year.
Will a yarn swift clamp to my table?
Check the thickness first. The common clamps take edges up to about 1.75in, and many kitchen worktops and aproned dining tables exceed that or leave no clean edge. It is the most common reason a swift is returned.