If you remember a little while ago I talked about how I acquired my yarn swift, and how long I waited to find the perfect one. I didn't want to buy a plastic umbrella that would have been made in China, so I waited and waited for a very long time until one day I had the courage to ask my little local yarn shop if they happened to have some old ones for sale. I was very lucky that day and the lady that worked there told me that she actually wanted to get rid off one that she had at home. That was my lucky day.
Ever since I got the umbrella, I've been wanting to make the beautiful yarn cakes that I could see everywhere on the web. Now that I had an umbrella, I needed a ball winder. The hunt started again. I visited thrift shops and second hand markets, spent hours on Ebay US, UK, and France searching for a wooden one that would go hand in hand with my old swift. No luck.
I knew that wooden swifts were available on the market but I had no idea that ball winders were still handmade until that day when stumbled upon this Jumbo ball winder.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness.
That's the way I could describe this tool the best! The reason why I waited for so long before getting a ball winder is that I wanted to get a piece that would last for my whole life and could be passed down to the next generations. I spend so much of my time knitting and playing with yarn everyday that I don't really see the point to invest money in tools that might break after some time and need to be fixed/ changed/ trashed. Oh, and I don't like the look of things made out of plastic either (there's enough plastic in my life already).
I just love to select yarns that are very special whether because someone has spent the time to forage the material to dye the skeins, or the yarn is made out of the fleece of a specific sheep. So why wouldn't I apply the same philosophy to the tools that I use for my craft?
The ball winder is a thing of beauty and a joy to use. I use the ball winder with my yarn swift and it takes a couple of minutes only to make the most pleasing for the eye yarn cake. The day I received it, I went through my stash and caked all the yarn leftovers that I had, just to practice a little bit, but mostly out of pleasure and contentment (caution, the motion is quite addictive). I honestly thought for a second to cake all my stash, but came back to reason just in time. I will have plenty of opportunity to cake yarn for the shop!
This post is a collaboration between Mandarine's and The Woolery. If you purchase this item through the affiliate link I will receive a small commission. These opinions are my own, and I only promote content that I genuinely love.
