Stanwood Needlecraft Yarn/Fiber/Wool/String Ball Winder, Metal, White, Large, 10 oz

I bought this for my wife, to help with storage of the massive collection of wool that she has accumulated. Well... She pretty much hasn't used this since it arrived, and I've been happily converting her healthy obsession into an organised mountain of cakes!! I don't buy cheap tools, and this certainly isn't the cheapest compared to other options on here, but like others have said, it's quality that just works. Making the cake twice is essential to ensure correct (relaxed) tension. The first cake made from a skein will naturally be too tight, the second cake made from the first cake will be larger and looser so no stretching. Be sure to keep the wool you want to wrap to the right of the winder, this will prevent the yarn guide slipping and loosening. I'd buy another in a heartbeat, if you're on the fence, just go for it, this will keep you busy for hours!!

I love this wool winder and the fact that it can wind really big cakes. It is expensive, but very good quality and much better than the cheaper knock-offs.

Not the cheapest but definitely worth it. Quiet, smooth and makes very neat yarn cakes that are pleasing to look at (I’m odd like that!) and allows the yarn to run easily for my knitting machine.

Looks like a sturdy product - have decided to return. The photos show why.

I bought a cheap £3 yarn winder from China and this expensive winder is the exact copy carbon identical. These are are comming from the same factory in China.. there is no Stanwood Factory anywhere. there is no design and development team in Stanwood...just a rebadging marketing company

Great yarn winder. Sturdy and fixed to the table surface. No wobbly arms or pieces coming loose while you wind yarn, unlike other brands. Great buy.

This yarn winder is "top shelf" so to speak. It does cost a lot, but for that what you get is a wonderfully crafted product. I wound all the cakes (except the rainbow cake) in the photo without a single issue once I got it started. Another reviewer complained about a lack of customer service so I want to remind people to keep your documentation because there is a phone number and other contact information in there. I did not need to call it so I can't speak to their service there. Why would you need a yarn winder? That's what I asked myself over and over. What I was dealing with was half-used skeins (centre-pull) that began to get messy in storage. Some of these I balled up, and as we know this takes a lot of time and then even in a nice yarn bowl the ball would wobble about and really become both distracting and a problem for my tension. Another issue I had was that the centre-pull skein had its own tension issues. Sometimes it knotted up, sometimes it initially comes out in a huge clump of yarn that I had to deal with, and sometimes the tension would suddenly slow as I worked. The cakes this winder makes stop all of these issues. The yarn is not only easier to stack and store without it becoming a mess, but it's very easy to use. The difference between a cake created with this yarn winder and the centre-pull skein (or ball in the yarn bowl) is astounding. Not a single time did my yarn get stuck and knotted up, making me pause my work (sometimes then forgetting where I was in my pattern) and fix the issue. Now it just works, perfect tension, no stopping and starting. It's just one less thing to worry about so you can just do your project and focus on that. Tested with crochet and knitting. Once you properly set it up, it takes only a few minutes to spin the yarn into a cake, which is another benefit. Watch out that you actually have a table that will work with this. A lot of tables now have a decorative little rim (unsure of real name) under the tabletop. You need a table where either there's no rim or the rim is back enough that this will be able to clamp down. It's not just the clamp, though, there's an allen-wrench type of mechanism that needs room to spin under the table. This wrench is what clamps it down. I would guess that if your table has a rim, you'll need about 3 inches of space between the bottom of the tabletop and the rim for this winder to properly attach and work.

What an excellent ball winder. I love everything about it. From ordering to delivery was a breeze. I will definitely recommend

I have had no experience with yarn winders and hesitated to spend top-of-the-line dollars without experience. I am so glad I did. This is a sturdy, heavy-duty winder, and it is so easy to use. Right out of the box, I successfully assembled it in just a few moments. I immediately wound a semi-used skein about to be a major tangle problem, and it wound smooth as silk. I am feeling an addiction coming on. Great product!

Caked up yarn is probably the best thing ever for yarn crafts, it's easy to store and convenient to use. The stanwood does an amazing job of caking up yarn. It feels extremely well-built and cakes wound using it are practically perfect. It might be a lot pricier than other smaller yarn winders but the quality you get from this far exceed the competition at equivalent or lower price points.