Amish Yarn Swift – My Complete Honest Review Of The Best Models

I explain what Amish swifts are, how to use them, and the best models. 

They’ll make your crocheting easier!

I reviewed and updated this post on July 13, 2022.

Table Of Contents

• Stanwood Needlecraft Tabletop Amish Style
• CHIAOGOO Amish Wooden Yarn Swift
• Large Hard Maple Yarn Swift
• Beka Yarn Swift
• What Are Amish Yarn Swifts?
• How To Use An Amish Style Swift

Best Amish Yarn Swifts

Stanwood Needlecraft Tabletop Amish Style

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This Stanwood Amish swift is functional, small, and portable. Useful for many sized hanks. Excellent if you have limited space.

Features

• Solid wood
• Holds skeins between 2 1/2 – 6 ft. in circumference

Pros

• Holds various sizes of yarn hanks
• Straightforward to put together
• Four non-slip pads on the bottom
• Pegs go in and out of slots
• Smooth
• No splinters in the wood
• The manufacturer provides instructions
• Fits flat in its box when taken apart
• Spins without squeaking
• Takes up less room compared to an umbrella swift
• Gets the job done

Cons

• When you pick up the yarn swift, it falls apart
• Over time, the arms don’t spin as smoothly, which makes friction

CHIAOGOO Amish Wooden Yarn Swift

The CHIAOGOO Amish style swift has a smooth wooden surface, doesn’t slide, and holds various sizes of hanks.

Its small size makes it excellent if you don’t have space for a full yarn winding setup.

Features

• Measurement guide on arms for different sizes of hanks
• Four non-stick pads to prevent sliding
• Solid wood
• Four adjustable pegs

Pros

• Affordable
• Simple design
• Sturdy
• Easier to handle than a clamp based swift
• Disassembles easily
• Lightweight
• Portable 
• Doesn’t slide on surfaces

Cons

• Difficult to store

Beka Yarn Swift

The Beka Yarn Swift is excellent if you have a yarn winding setup.

Although bulky, it looks lovely displayed in your yarn winding station. This swift holds many hank sizes.

Features

• Hard maple wood
• Holds skeins up to 72″
• Weighs 3 pounds
• Instructions included

Pros

• Looks attractive
• Tangle-free winding
• Sturdy
• Ball bearings make the swift spin smoothly
• Easy to assemble with no tools 

Cons

• Not collapsible
• Sometimes snags yarn

What Are Amish Yarn Swifts?

This type of swift has a table-top design.

It sits on a table instead of being clamped on like an umbrella swift.

The main yarn swifts are Amish-style yarn swifts and umbrella-style yarn swifts.

An Amish swift has a base of two short wooden pieces fitting together in the center. The bottom sits on the table without a clamp.

It also has two long pieces of wood on top, set diagonally across. Those have multiple holes where pegs fit. You wrap the yarn around the pins.

Can you use any yarn for crochet? Find out with my post.

How To Use An Amish Style Swift

Assembly

These instructions are for the Stanwood and ChiaoGoo yarn swifts.

Here are video instructions for the Beka Yarn Swift.

Here is a tutorial by Tamara from Moogly.

Parts

• Short wooden pieces x2
• Long wooden plank pieces with multiple holes x2
• Longer pegs x4
• Shorter peg x1

Step 1

• Take the two shorter pieces (the base)
• They have a notch in the center
• One with a gap facing up and the other facing down
• The latter has a hole at the top
• Fit them together

Step 2

• Take the short peg
• Place it into the hole at the top of the base.

Step 3

• Get the long pieces, with the holes facing up
• Put them together like the base
• They’ll look like a cross.
• Place them over the peg in the base
• (There’s a hole for the peg in the two arms)

Step 4

• Take the four pegs
• Slot them into the holes in the arms in the same position on each
• The pegs hold the hank in place while you wind

There are multiple holes to fit different circumferences of rings of yarn.

Now you’re sorted for a swift, try it with sock yarns!

Using The Tabletop Yarn Swift

Once you untwist your yarn hank, you’re ready to put it on your swift.

• Place your untwisted hank onto the pegs
• Adjust how tight the yarn is by moving the pegs
• Cut off the ties keeping the hank together. 
• If using a yarn winder, attach the end into the two holes
• Then into the little notches on top of the winder’s cylinder
• Start winding!

Hopefully, this post helped you learn the best models available.

Any products I haven’t covered? Let me know. What do you like about this style of swift?

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