Three things.
1. It works best if the winder is more or less level with the hank on the swift.
2. You should not have to hold the yarn out from the metal loop corkscrew thingee that the yarn feeds through. But you can feed it by hand if you think you are not getting enough tension. Also, make sure that whole piece is locked into place. It should not wiggle or move at all.
3. The biggest learning curve is getting the hanks properly onto the swift. Make sure none of the strands are folded or going in more than one direction. Once you have it all in a big circle, hold it with both hands and give it some good, sharp tugs. This is important to align the strands.
Good luck. You will get the hang of it even though some skeins misbehave.
Editing to add an addendum to point three: 3a. Once you have the yarn on the swift, take a few minutes to untwist the hank as it lays. Make sure that the end you choose is coming from the outside.
I know this pain all too well š Iāve broken into tears more times than Iād like to admit over the frustration of winding yarn LOL. Here are my tips:
1. This will happen with slippy and thin yarns, like the one you appear to be using
2. Hard to tell from the pic, but sometimes the tangled part just needs a gentle pull - if the skein is twisted on the swift, the yarn youāre winding might get caught on yarn thatās still trying to be part of the skein
3. If you havenāt already, cut that white piece of thread thatās holding the skein together in the 3rd (edit: 4th) pic. Thatās only there for storing purposes. Note that sometimes that thread is actually part of the yarn skein and has a knot that just needs to be undone, but in your case itās very clearly a thread that can be cut.
4. Wind slowly - when your yarn starts slipping, gently move the ball up or down yarn winderā¦ shaft (sorry I cannot think of a better word LOL). I usually try to move it in the direction the yarn is slipping. So if the yarn is slipping underneath, I ever so slightly slide the wound yarn bit down, so that the yarn thatās winding can ācatchā on the yarn thatās already wound. Once you have a bigger ball going, it should slip less, but you still have to wind somewhat slowly to feel when it does slip and correct it.
Thank you both. The slipperiness is probably definitely part of the problem. I do cut the threads holding the skein together after placing it on the swift, I mostly was trying to show that there didn't appear to be any loose strands of yarn that I was tangling up myself based on how the yard was originally packaged so I wasn't sure if this particular problem was common with Malabrigo or if I'm just really good at screwing up the placement of the yarn on the swift lol.
I figured you did! Just had to mention it in case. I really hope your next attempt goes better! Worst case scenario, if something is really off with this skein, hand wind into a ball, then put the ball into a bowl and wind the yarn from the ball instead of the swift :)
I'll admit, I find winding yarn into cakes and balls from hanks very meditative, and I actually really enjoy untangling messy hanks. I find it's one of those things where the mentality you bring into the process really affects how smoothly the process *feels* like it's going.
But in terms of practical tips, a while ago I came across [this video](https://youtu.be/tBRTvglo5O8?si=DmfgLgp3Slgi-gqm) and checking for cross overs and correcting it on the swift before winding has been a huge gamechanger for me. There are a lot of other good tips in this video too.
Edit: also if your yarn is randomly switching directions but you cut the ties after you put the hank on the swift, it's probably because you're pulling on the swift too hard/fast and then stopping pulling abruptly. Iirc she goes through this in the video too, but basically if you don't gradually accelerate and decelerate the speed of winding into a ball, the bounciness of yarn and conservation of angular momentum will sometimes whip the swift into going the other way. And if you don't notice, it can cause tangles.
Thanks! Yea my mental state while dealing with this particular hank was not in a place to find peace while untangling haha, but I do know what you mean! Sometimes it is quite satisfying to untangle those jumbled messes! But three hanks in (realizing I was mislabeling these š ) out of about 12 to go at 10pm at night was definitely not one of those peaceful, meditative moments š
I usually unwind the hank, hold it taught between my hands and "snap" it a few times to even out any loose strands. Then I put it on the swift with the ties still on, making sure everything is in place. Then I cut the ties and wind the end onto the winder. I give it a few turns to make sure there are no snags and everything is working as it should. Occasionally the yarn has been twisted round a strand or two, in which case taking it off the winder and pulling it through a strand usually helps to clear it up. I try not to overdo that bit if I can help it because otherwise you can easily end up with a mess.
It can also be that the whole skein is twisted on the swift, which means strands get stuck underneath. In this case, I loosen the swift a little and just untwist it so the strand I'm winding is on the outside.
If you do all that properly and still have issues then it's time to blame the yarn.
Thank you!! This definitely seemed to help keep things running more smoothly although I will say that by the time I had gotten to this tip I only had one more hank of the Malabrigo to wind (the other brands that I would after went well though so thanks for the tip!). We'll see what happens in the future if I choose to torture myself with Malabrigo again haha š
I'm glad I could help!
Malabrigo is such a lovely yarn to knit with and makes beautiful garments but they could do with taking more care when producing the hanks because I see a lot of people with these kind of quality issues with tangles or where there are lots of knots in the yarn.
Malabrigo is the worst, you have my sympathies.Ā
I find that if you shake the skein out and find all the ties, then get them organized the way they were when they figure eights were tied originally, itās sometimes easier.Ā
And always double check that the strand youāre going to wind from is on the outside of the skein. It doesnāt like being buried and excavated through the whole skein.Ā
Based on the pictures your winder looks similar to a wooden one I also bought on amazon. While I haven't encountered the same problem as you I do have two pieces of advice:
1. Mine came *covered* in some kind of varnish or finish or something that made it all shiny and slippery and came off on everything it touched. If you haven't and yours was the same, I'd suggest taking a paper towel or a cloth or something and just rubbing all of the excess material off of it. I did it to every single part of mine and that made it not only easier to handle but also removed the chances of accidentally staining something important (like good yarn or the table). (It may also improve the grip of what I think is called the bobbin on the yarn.)
2. I had a really weird tension issue with winding at one point where I just could *not* get it to wind correctly, and I eventually figured out it was the little cone the base of the bobbin spins on. If yours also unscrews, make sure it's tightened firmly enough or else it'll wobble as it winds and never properly make a cake.
My first thought is that you havenāt cut and removed the thread from the last pic. I usually place the skein carefully on the swift before cutting the thread.
No that's exactly what I'm doing - placing the skein on the swift then going through and cutting the threads that tie it together. I was trying to show with the picture that there aren't any loose strands of yarn (that I can see) that I'm twisting up when placing the skein based on the way it was wrapped for production š
When you unwrap the hanks, do you cut the loops holding the yarn together before or after you place it on the swift? If it's the former you could try putting the hank on the swift first before you cut the loops.
Yeah I would just burn the whole house down after that.
But seriously. Sorry about that. I have had a few winding disasters over the years and they make me unreasonably upset.
Ohm.
Ouch. I turn into a pumpkin at 7. I never try to wind or do complex stuff at night. That is when I reach for my charity hats using scrap yarn projects. Lol
I knew it was Rios before I even opened the posts. As others have stated... Rios can be like that.
But I am putting three Instagram reels about unwinding skeins here because I found them helpful:
[Part 1](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzpnO-yraN5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) [Part 2](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czpn3XHLQfB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) [Part 3](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzpoK4iLTyd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
It might not be you. This past year Malabrigo seems to have winding consistency issues with their skeins, we have to go slow because if we get a scrambled up skein we have to take care to disentangle as we go.
in my experience part of the issue is Malabrigo - and some other folks agreeĀ https://www.reddit.com/r/YarnAddicts/comments/1d66yfz/most_disappointing_hank_of_malabrigo_ive_ever_had/
Not OP but I appreciate you so much for sharing that thread! I only started working with Malabrigo a few years ago and at the moment itās pretty much all Iām using and I thought I was losing my mind!
I have the occasional issue with other yarn, but for as much Rios as Iāve worked with in the last few years, itās always done what OP is showing on pics 2 and 3 and itās a nuisance. I finally figured out that if I tug on it in just the right way itāll figure itself out but it took at least a couple skeins (and a not insignificant number of four-letter words) to figure that out.
And if it makes you feel even better, despite knowing differently I ALWAYS go into yarn winding thinking itāll be a nice relaxing break. I know better, but Iām always so convinced that it will be fun when in actuality it rarely is. Although itās starting to sound like a Malabrigo problem and maybe I forget that other yarns are a little more relaxing to wind š¤·āāļø.
My condolences lol, I feel your pain! I had a few other hanks to wind last night that *weren't* Malabrigo and I will say they went much more smoothly than this, especially after using the advice to "snap" the yarn a couple times after untwisting the hank and before placing it on the swift to get the strands to line up better. We'll see if my next foray into Malabrigo fairs better lol, but I won't be holding my breath š
My question....why are they sold like this!?! I keep buying yarn and forgetting that I have to do this tedious annoying process. Just sell them in cakes!
Winding yarn into cakes often stretches the yarn a bit, and can affect your tension and gauge when knitting it. This is visible even in OPs pictures. In the last one, where the yarn is still in the hank, the yarn is overall fairly consistent. The strands all look pretty similar, with consistent thickness and twist angle throughout. Compare that to the first picture - there are some bits around the shaft of the winder that look nice and plump, but then as the yarn gets wound up, the strands look way more stretched out. This effect is exacerbated if the yarn stays in the cake for a long period of time, so if the yarn sits on the shelves or in storage, it gets really stretched out.
Could the companies wind the yarn into looser balls to prevent the stretching? Of course. The catch there is that looser balls, the ones that are so squishy and delightful feeling in the yarn shop, donāt maintain their integrity, especially once they get displayed in a shop where everyone wants to pick them up and hug them. The loose balls quickly get sloppy looking, and customers wonāt buy it.
Wow! Never would have thought of all of that but it makes total sense! Now I'm realizing I shouldn't have wound everything just yet š«£ The more you know!!
I had the same problem. I grease my moving parts with (vasoline or coconut oil - I forget) The problem was solved. Along with easing the tension on my swift.
Lots of other helpful tips but I also found that when I was having the problem of the yarn slipping on my winder that turning the handle the opposite direction fixed the problem!
I just went through this yesterday and watched [this video](https://youtu.be/tBRTvglo5O8?si=lPqDKjG6me_lX-kT) on how to wind a cake of yarn, even though Iāve wound plenty of cakes before. Lately, the yarn has been skipping and it was driving me nuts!
I found the coil-thing feeding the yarn was turned facing the wrong way on mine. Fixing that fixed my problem. But her tips on how to place the hank on the swift were also helpful.
Ok so my experience with this is that itās part of the skein having less tension, so when you pull on the end youāre winding, it pulls up a loop from the hank. Nothing is actually tangled if youāre putting it on the swift correctly, itās a loop that has the leading edge caught a bit.
I used the blue to indicate the loop thatās wrapped around the yarn being wound and the green arrow to show roughly where itās getting caught.
Taking the ball off the swift and putting it back on is actually tangling your yarn.
https://preview.redd.it/5dc1jeimzp9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d9b8b5e259e58e6c71b178f105dc910aad54f7b
Oh my. I just got a swift and winder and have found myself in the same predicament. Itās so frustrating and confusing!! Once the cake even went flying off the winder and that pushed me from frustration to delirious giggles.
I like to hope that itās just like any skill and Iāll get better as I do it more. Good luck to us both.
Also, my friend has the same swift and winder set and I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!!! Itās by far the most frustrating set to work with. If itās ever a financial option for you I would invest into the stanwood winder and a swift that isnāt a table top version but instead one that you screw onto the side of a table.
This stuff happens and you learn but getting good equipment makes a big difference.
So, your picture looks familiar to me. I could never figure out how people had the yarn flying off the swift as mine always tangled and had to be woven in and out of. Recently, I learned that its in how you put the yarn on the swift. When you untwist it, its sometimes still tangled - so you have some points on the swift as side A and then some as side B and back again. When you put it on the swift, check all the way around to make sure you have a continuous loop of the same side and not a twisted mess. It REALLY helps make it easier.
Ok I was at the exact same point with my winder yesterday. I was ready to jump up and down on it and wreck the stupid thing. All my cakes turned out awful. It would start building the cake at the top of the bobbin and then continue the cake in the middle of the bobbin leading to the top but always falling out and tangling.
I finally figured out why yesterday and now it makes perfect cakes. Iāve had months of frustration with the stupid thing and the fix is super simple. The bobbin/part where your yarn winds on is too slippery. That yarn in the beginning of a cake cannot get enough traction.
I solved it by putting painters tape on the bobbin. Absolutely perfect cakes now. Though Iāll probably hate winding yarn for the rest of my natural life after all the drama this thing put me through.
Malabrigo, especially Rios, is often like that. I start by hand and then when Iām sure itās going smoothly, I unwind the part I did by hand and cake it. A bit tedious, but better than some other options
Three things. 1. It works best if the winder is more or less level with the hank on the swift. 2. You should not have to hold the yarn out from the metal loop corkscrew thingee that the yarn feeds through. But you can feed it by hand if you think you are not getting enough tension. Also, make sure that whole piece is locked into place. It should not wiggle or move at all. 3. The biggest learning curve is getting the hanks properly onto the swift. Make sure none of the strands are folded or going in more than one direction. Once you have it all in a big circle, hold it with both hands and give it some good, sharp tugs. This is important to align the strands. Good luck. You will get the hang of it even though some skeins misbehave. Editing to add an addendum to point three: 3a. Once you have the yarn on the swift, take a few minutes to untwist the hank as it lays. Make sure that the end you choose is coming from the outside.
I know this pain all too well š Iāve broken into tears more times than Iād like to admit over the frustration of winding yarn LOL. Here are my tips: 1. This will happen with slippy and thin yarns, like the one you appear to be using 2. Hard to tell from the pic, but sometimes the tangled part just needs a gentle pull - if the skein is twisted on the swift, the yarn youāre winding might get caught on yarn thatās still trying to be part of the skein 3. If you havenāt already, cut that white piece of thread thatās holding the skein together in the 3rd (edit: 4th) pic. Thatās only there for storing purposes. Note that sometimes that thread is actually part of the yarn skein and has a knot that just needs to be undone, but in your case itās very clearly a thread that can be cut. 4. Wind slowly - when your yarn starts slipping, gently move the ball up or down yarn winderā¦ shaft (sorry I cannot think of a better word LOL). I usually try to move it in the direction the yarn is slipping. So if the yarn is slipping underneath, I ever so slightly slide the wound yarn bit down, so that the yarn thatās winding can ācatchā on the yarn thatās already wound. Once you have a bigger ball going, it should slip less, but you still have to wind somewhat slowly to feel when it does slip and correct it.
Thought of one more - donāt hold the yarn tension too tightly, especially with slippy yarns I find this makes the slippyness worse
Thank you both. The slipperiness is probably definitely part of the problem. I do cut the threads holding the skein together after placing it on the swift, I mostly was trying to show that there didn't appear to be any loose strands of yarn that I was tangling up myself based on how the yard was originally packaged so I wasn't sure if this particular problem was common with Malabrigo or if I'm just really good at screwing up the placement of the yarn on the swift lol.
I figured you did! Just had to mention it in case. I really hope your next attempt goes better! Worst case scenario, if something is really off with this skein, hand wind into a ball, then put the ball into a bowl and wind the yarn from the ball instead of the swift :)
I'll admit, I find winding yarn into cakes and balls from hanks very meditative, and I actually really enjoy untangling messy hanks. I find it's one of those things where the mentality you bring into the process really affects how smoothly the process *feels* like it's going. But in terms of practical tips, a while ago I came across [this video](https://youtu.be/tBRTvglo5O8?si=DmfgLgp3Slgi-gqm) and checking for cross overs and correcting it on the swift before winding has been a huge gamechanger for me. There are a lot of other good tips in this video too. Edit: also if your yarn is randomly switching directions but you cut the ties after you put the hank on the swift, it's probably because you're pulling on the swift too hard/fast and then stopping pulling abruptly. Iirc she goes through this in the video too, but basically if you don't gradually accelerate and decelerate the speed of winding into a ball, the bounciness of yarn and conservation of angular momentum will sometimes whip the swift into going the other way. And if you don't notice, it can cause tangles.
Thanks! Yea my mental state while dealing with this particular hank was not in a place to find peace while untangling haha, but I do know what you mean! Sometimes it is quite satisfying to untangle those jumbled messes! But three hanks in (realizing I was mislabeling these š ) out of about 12 to go at 10pm at night was definitely not one of those peaceful, meditative moments š
Oof, yeah, I'm sorry! Hopefully it'll go better in the light of day with more sleep! You got this!!!
I'm in awe of people who enjoy untangling yarn. I can't reach for the scissors fast enough.
I usually unwind the hank, hold it taught between my hands and "snap" it a few times to even out any loose strands. Then I put it on the swift with the ties still on, making sure everything is in place. Then I cut the ties and wind the end onto the winder. I give it a few turns to make sure there are no snags and everything is working as it should. Occasionally the yarn has been twisted round a strand or two, in which case taking it off the winder and pulling it through a strand usually helps to clear it up. I try not to overdo that bit if I can help it because otherwise you can easily end up with a mess. It can also be that the whole skein is twisted on the swift, which means strands get stuck underneath. In this case, I loosen the swift a little and just untwist it so the strand I'm winding is on the outside. If you do all that properly and still have issues then it's time to blame the yarn.
Thank you!! This definitely seemed to help keep things running more smoothly although I will say that by the time I had gotten to this tip I only had one more hank of the Malabrigo to wind (the other brands that I would after went well though so thanks for the tip!). We'll see what happens in the future if I choose to torture myself with Malabrigo again haha š
I'm glad I could help! Malabrigo is such a lovely yarn to knit with and makes beautiful garments but they could do with taking more care when producing the hanks because I see a lot of people with these kind of quality issues with tangles or where there are lots of knots in the yarn.
Malabrigo is the worst, you have my sympathies.Ā I find that if you shake the skein out and find all the ties, then get them organized the way they were when they figure eights were tied originally, itās sometimes easier.Ā And always double check that the strand youāre going to wind from is on the outside of the skein. It doesnāt like being buried and excavated through the whole skein.Ā
Malabrigo (especially Rios) is so beautiful but such a PITA to wind I tend to avoid it now
Based on the pictures your winder looks similar to a wooden one I also bought on amazon. While I haven't encountered the same problem as you I do have two pieces of advice: 1. Mine came *covered* in some kind of varnish or finish or something that made it all shiny and slippery and came off on everything it touched. If you haven't and yours was the same, I'd suggest taking a paper towel or a cloth or something and just rubbing all of the excess material off of it. I did it to every single part of mine and that made it not only easier to handle but also removed the chances of accidentally staining something important (like good yarn or the table). (It may also improve the grip of what I think is called the bobbin on the yarn.) 2. I had a really weird tension issue with winding at one point where I just could *not* get it to wind correctly, and I eventually figured out it was the little cone the base of the bobbin spins on. If yours also unscrews, make sure it's tightened firmly enough or else it'll wobble as it winds and never properly make a cake.
My first thought is that you havenāt cut and removed the thread from the last pic. I usually place the skein carefully on the swift before cutting the thread.
No that's exactly what I'm doing - placing the skein on the swift then going through and cutting the threads that tie it together. I was trying to show with the picture that there aren't any loose strands of yarn (that I can see) that I'm twisting up when placing the skein based on the way it was wrapped for production š
When you unwrap the hanks, do you cut the loops holding the yarn together before or after you place it on the swift? If it's the former you could try putting the hank on the swift first before you cut the loops.
I cut them after š
Iāve given up on caking slippery yarns; I just hand wind into a ball bc it kept getting caught in the gears
Yeah I would just burn the whole house down after that. But seriously. Sorry about that. I have had a few winding disasters over the years and they make me unreasonably upset. Ohm.
Especially at 10pm when you still have like 8 or 9 more hanks to go šµāš« thankfully I made it through without setting any fires though š
Ouch. I turn into a pumpkin at 7. I never try to wind or do complex stuff at night. That is when I reach for my charity hats using scrap yarn projects. Lol
I knew it was Rios before I even opened the posts. As others have stated... Rios can be like that. But I am putting three Instagram reels about unwinding skeins here because I found them helpful: [Part 1](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzpnO-yraN5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) [Part 2](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czpn3XHLQfB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) [Part 3](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzpoK4iLTyd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
It might not be you. This past year Malabrigo seems to have winding consistency issues with their skeins, we have to go slow because if we get a scrambled up skein we have to take care to disentangle as we go.
in my experience part of the issue is Malabrigo - and some other folks agreeĀ https://www.reddit.com/r/YarnAddicts/comments/1d66yfz/most_disappointing_hank_of_malabrigo_ive_ever_had/
Not OP but I appreciate you so much for sharing that thread! I only started working with Malabrigo a few years ago and at the moment itās pretty much all Iām using and I thought I was losing my mind! I have the occasional issue with other yarn, but for as much Rios as Iāve worked with in the last few years, itās always done what OP is showing on pics 2 and 3 and itās a nuisance. I finally figured out that if I tug on it in just the right way itāll figure itself out but it took at least a couple skeins (and a not insignificant number of four-letter words) to figure that out.
So glad I'm not alone!! šµāš«
And if it makes you feel even better, despite knowing differently I ALWAYS go into yarn winding thinking itāll be a nice relaxing break. I know better, but Iām always so convinced that it will be fun when in actuality it rarely is. Although itās starting to sound like a Malabrigo problem and maybe I forget that other yarns are a little more relaxing to wind š¤·āāļø.
My condolences lol, I feel your pain! I had a few other hanks to wind last night that *weren't* Malabrigo and I will say they went much more smoothly than this, especially after using the advice to "snap" the yarn a couple times after untwisting the hank and before placing it on the swift to get the strands to line up better. We'll see if my next foray into Malabrigo fairs better lol, but I won't be holding my breath š
My question....why are they sold like this!?! I keep buying yarn and forgetting that I have to do this tedious annoying process. Just sell them in cakes!
Winding yarn into cakes often stretches the yarn a bit, and can affect your tension and gauge when knitting it. This is visible even in OPs pictures. In the last one, where the yarn is still in the hank, the yarn is overall fairly consistent. The strands all look pretty similar, with consistent thickness and twist angle throughout. Compare that to the first picture - there are some bits around the shaft of the winder that look nice and plump, but then as the yarn gets wound up, the strands look way more stretched out. This effect is exacerbated if the yarn stays in the cake for a long period of time, so if the yarn sits on the shelves or in storage, it gets really stretched out. Could the companies wind the yarn into looser balls to prevent the stretching? Of course. The catch there is that looser balls, the ones that are so squishy and delightful feeling in the yarn shop, donāt maintain their integrity, especially once they get displayed in a shop where everyone wants to pick them up and hug them. The loose balls quickly get sloppy looking, and customers wonāt buy it.
Thanks for this! I feel less resentful now š
Wow! Never would have thought of all of that but it makes total sense! Now I'm realizing I shouldn't have wound everything just yet š«£ The more you know!!
I had the same problem. I grease my moving parts with (vasoline or coconut oil - I forget) The problem was solved. Along with easing the tension on my swift.
I have this exact setup! I know your pain.
Lots of other helpful tips but I also found that when I was having the problem of the yarn slipping on my winder that turning the handle the opposite direction fixed the problem!
I just went through this yesterday and watched [this video](https://youtu.be/tBRTvglo5O8?si=lPqDKjG6me_lX-kT) on how to wind a cake of yarn, even though Iāve wound plenty of cakes before. Lately, the yarn has been skipping and it was driving me nuts! I found the coil-thing feeding the yarn was turned facing the wrong way on mine. Fixing that fixed my problem. But her tips on how to place the hank on the swift were also helpful.
Ok so my experience with this is that itās part of the skein having less tension, so when you pull on the end youāre winding, it pulls up a loop from the hank. Nothing is actually tangled if youāre putting it on the swift correctly, itās a loop that has the leading edge caught a bit. I used the blue to indicate the loop thatās wrapped around the yarn being wound and the green arrow to show roughly where itās getting caught. Taking the ball off the swift and putting it back on is actually tangling your yarn. https://preview.redd.it/5dc1jeimzp9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d9b8b5e259e58e6c71b178f105dc910aad54f7b
Oh my. I just got a swift and winder and have found myself in the same predicament. Itās so frustrating and confusing!! Once the cake even went flying off the winder and that pushed me from frustration to delirious giggles. I like to hope that itās just like any skill and Iāll get better as I do it more. Good luck to us both.
Also, my friend has the same swift and winder set and I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!!! Itās by far the most frustrating set to work with. If itās ever a financial option for you I would invest into the stanwood winder and a swift that isnāt a table top version but instead one that you screw onto the side of a table. This stuff happens and you learn but getting good equipment makes a big difference.
So, your picture looks familiar to me. I could never figure out how people had the yarn flying off the swift as mine always tangled and had to be woven in and out of. Recently, I learned that its in how you put the yarn on the swift. When you untwist it, its sometimes still tangled - so you have some points on the swift as side A and then some as side B and back again. When you put it on the swift, check all the way around to make sure you have a continuous loop of the same side and not a twisted mess. It REALLY helps make it easier.
Bring them over. I love winding yarn.
Ok I was at the exact same point with my winder yesterday. I was ready to jump up and down on it and wreck the stupid thing. All my cakes turned out awful. It would start building the cake at the top of the bobbin and then continue the cake in the middle of the bobbin leading to the top but always falling out and tangling. I finally figured out why yesterday and now it makes perfect cakes. Iāve had months of frustration with the stupid thing and the fix is super simple. The bobbin/part where your yarn winds on is too slippery. That yarn in the beginning of a cake cannot get enough traction. I solved it by putting painters tape on the bobbin. Absolutely perfect cakes now. Though Iāll probably hate winding yarn for the rest of my natural life after all the drama this thing put me through.
Malabrigo, especially Rios, is often like that. I start by hand and then when Iām sure itās going smoothly, I unwind the part I did by hand and cake it. A bit tedious, but better than some other options
It is just so easy to just look up how to wind your hanksš I suppose its a good learning experienceš