The best $15 I've spent in a long time.

I am obsessed with my new ball winder.

 

A ball winder is one of those tools that isn't necessary. For the longest time, I thought, why would I want one? I do like winding yarn by hand. Besides, they normally cost at least $30-40, which seems like a lot. Then I saw that KnitPicks had one for $20. I thought...that might actually be a neat thing to have. So I added it to my wishlist but wasn't planning on ordering anything from them anytime soon.

 

A few weeks ago I got an email saying that for one week, the ball winders were on sale for $15. So guess what?

 

I love this thing. It takes my handspun or hanks of store bought yarn and turns them into adorable little crisscrossed cakes of yarn. Yes, cakes! I'm all for anything that is named after a dessert. :)

And the cakes are center pull, so your ball of yarn doesn't move around and roll off into the floor while you're knitting. The ball winder comes with a handle, but it also comes with a clamp and that's what I use. I clamp it onto my desk and hold the hank of yarn looped over my arm, because I even though I might pay $15 for a ball winder, there is no way I'm paying $50-60 for a yarn swift.

This is my favorite handspun. It looked pretty enough in a hank, but like this it's irresistible. I just cast on a cowl using this yarn, and I just keep squishing it and holding the cake of yarn up to my face because it's so stinking soft.

And suddenly I've become one of those crazy fiber people who rubs yarn against her face. (And who devotes a whole blog post to her new ball winder.) When did this happen?