Stanwood NeedlecraftWooden Umbrella Swift - Medium

I like the construction. It’s made of wood, which I prefer, not plastic, and it has a nice, sturdy feel. It’s easy to assemble, and easy to use. The wooden staves are smoothly finished so yarn will not snag, and they move and spin freely on the spindle. It’s a good quality item.

Why oh why did I wait to get this? When I think of the days spent untangling hanks of yarn, this is worth every penny. It holds securely to my kitchen table (which happens to have a decorative edge). Works perfectly with the Stanwood ball winder.

Wonderful. Best swift I’ve ever owned. And that is saying something. Very high quality.

I am new to fiber craft and this was an item recommended by texts and other crafts women. It arrived well packaged, in perfect condition, right on time and with instructions. There were others, less expensive, but this one had excellent reviews. Mercifully, this swift came assembled. It is easy to set up and worked very well on my first attempt, even with no experience. I've used it now to make half a dozen "cakes". They became more compact with each skein, probably because I maintained a steady winding speed with the ball winder. I've been winding 3.5 oz. skeins of wool which does not require the "umbrella" structure to be fully extended. It is stable, does not squeak or wobble. The wood is unfinished, sanded smooth and all the moving parts turn swiftly and smoothly. It is an efficient, labor saving and an utterly brilliant little contraption! You deserve this!

I have used the Stanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift Yarn Winder (Medium size) to wind thousands of yards of yarn! I haven't had any problems with this swift. The wood is smooth and hasn't caught even the special yarns (such as alpaca, merino wool, silk & wool blend, 'economy wool', et al). The swift is very easy to use and collapses to allow for storage (like when am I really going to store it? But that's beside the point.).I use the swift w/ my ball winder on a wood t.v. tray stand-- no problems; has remained steady & securely fastened to the stand.I am very pleased with this product, and definitely recommend it.**UPDATE**28 March 2015Thousands and thousands of yards later, and this swift is still working great. The strings holding some parts together are finally wearing down a bit, which I expected to happen considerably sooner. I am very pleased with purchase, and definitely recommend this product.

Update 1: [2019-05-04]After receiving a comment from the seller about the knob issue, I tried using the swift again, making sure that the knob was really, actually, tight. And I haven't had a problem in the years and months since. So, apparently I was having a bad arthritis day when I tried to tighten it before, and I just couldn't summon the strength or something. I'm upgrading my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. It's still squeaky, sometimes even loud, and sounds like a duck as it turns, which I didn't mention previously as I was more focused on the tightening knob. But, I'm hesitant to give it 5 stars because of the "honking". I specifically purchased a winder with nylon gears so that it would be more quiet when I'm knitting in the wee morning hours while the normal people are sleeping, but when I am winding from the swift, it sort of defeats the point.------- End of update 1 -----The product seems sturdy enough, and attaches to the table quickly and easily. There is some squeaking while winding yarn from the swift to the winder, but personally I don't find that annoying. What I do find annoying (and more than that really) is when the knob holding the swift open -- a wooden knob that is difficult to really tighten down -- decides to loosen while using the swift. The ribs slam closed, and that gorgeous hank of luxury yarn falls off the swift as I'm winding it. Getting it back onto the swift is more difficult than it should be, and by the time it's done, there's at least one huge knot in the yarn. While I love Stanwood's nylon-geared winder, I will be replacing this swift with a different one.If you found my review useful or interesting, please be sure to click Helpful below. Thanks!

I love my new, smaller swift! It works better than its larger, lumbering predecessor. Well-made product!

I didn’t think I needed this until I needed this. I have nothing to compare it to but can say after seeing the ease and quality to which it works, I wish I’d splurged on standwood for my yarn winder as well. No regrets on this purchase.