I'm new at this but have lots of yarn in hanks. Do I need a yarn swift & ball winder or just one of them ? It seems the yarn shops just use the swift (that I can see) ? Thanks for your suggestions & help.

HI,

A swift and ball winder would be best---not a must but they would then free you up to KNIT!

You can get away with a ball winder if you have someone to hold your yarn or a chair to place your hank on.

If you are on abuget I would get a ball winder first.

Good luck---Nancy

Yes, they work best together as a team: the swift to hold the yarn and let it spin out freely, and the ball-winder to take it up just as quickly and form it into a nice, even, not-too-tight, center-pull ball.

If you must get only one first, as KnitSki recommends, I agree: first get the ball-winder. It can be used for new skeins as well as for tidying up sloppy leftovers. Someone/-thing has to hold the yarn for you, in place of the swift.
If you do it the other way 'round, you wind the ball yourself while the swift holds the yarn and spins. That can be handy, too. Kinda depends on how you feel about hand-winding your yarn-balls. I know some knitters who seem to prefer it. . . .

Here's a neat trick if you don't have a swift: find a lamp whose shade is larger in circumference than the skein you wish to wind. It has to be a shade whose bottom is larger than top (sides can't be vertical). Loosen the finial on the top, drop the skein onto the shade, and wind away!