rant: yarn swifts are too expensive and i'm not cool enough to make my own

[fyberduck]

I'm not inventive or patient enough to NOT use a swift - but I got two very cheap on Ebay (smaller, handmade antique ones) and a large modern one at Ben Franklin's half off with a coupon - which made my, like, year

[neekie]

Is it common to knit from a swift directly? I don't have a ball winder and am far too impatient to wind a ball by hand..

[clicksticks]

I got a pretty cheap swift on ebay (around $30).  And you can also get them at places like Joanns--so if you just wait for a 40% off coupon, they're also pretty damn cheap.  And SO WORTH IT.

[amey]

Is it common to knit from a swift directly? I don't have a ball winder and am far too impatient to wind a ball by hand..

I suppose you could.  I just wouldn't because it would mean that I could only knit right next to the swift. 
And, well, I have young children.  The swift is a wonderful toys in their mind.  I'd head to the bathroom and come back to a tangle of epic proportions.  I'd keep this in mind also if you have curious pets.

[sherry71]

When I was shopping for a swift I found that their price tage (regardless of where I shopped) outrageous. I did however find one on ebay for $30 that is collapsable with multi peg holes to adjust the size of the skein.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcbgerstner
I love it.

Thanks for this ebay link.  I have been looking for something like that.  I went ahead & bought one.  I have alot of hanks I need to wind.

[Conley]

When I was shopping for a swift I found that their price tage (regardless of where I shopped) outrageous. I did however find one on ebay for $30 that is collapsable with multi peg holes to adjust the size of the skein.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcbgerstner
I love it.

Thanks for this ebay link.  I have been looking for something like that.  I went ahead & bought one.  I have alot of hanks I need to wind.

I own this one and love it, my kids can't keep away from it when it gets whipped out. The only downside is that it doesn't come with a drawstring bag or anything to keep it in, so you can keep it all together and hang it out of the way when not in use- but hey... you're a craftster you can make one!

[discoprincess]

I wanted a swift before I came up with some thing that worked. It really pissed me off when I ask my woodworking father to make one and my mom told me to just buy one or make one using that tutorial thats on the net. (I live in apt and I have no power tools so its beyond me how she thought I could craft one...)

Anyways, i take the dining room chair and put it on its front so that the back is parallel the the floor. then I balance it with something so it doesn't fall forward, unwrap the hank and then hang it off the end. Then I start winding.

Its better than asking the husband to help. He gets this pained look on his face everytime I ask him to stop Wii ing and help out.

[Hippie9]

Hey Meriellyn!

I just mean that, *I* don't wind centre-pull balls, but I imagine it can be done! I just don't like them. I like them wound the conventional way. Then I put the ball into a pottery bowl my husband made a long time ago. It fits just snugly enough to wind off as I'm knitting. It comforts me, somehow!

[emilymildew]

Is it common to knit from a swift directly? I don't have a ball winder and am far too impatient to wind a ball by hand..

You're... too impatient to take five literal minutes to make a ball? My mind, she boggles.

[fyberduck]

Is it common to knit from a swift directly? I don't have a ball winder and am far too impatient to wind a ball by hand..

You're... too impatient to take five literal minutes to make a ball? My mind, she boggles.

Okay, I have to say that in all fairness 5 mins is a bare minimum estimate there.  I work with lace and sock yarns a lot, and it takes me over 5 mins to wind with a ballwinder sometimes (1200 yds +).  I think I'd be a screaming freak by the end of a hand-winding attempt.