Umbrella Swift – Your Guide to the Best Models Available

Sick of using chairs to hold your yarn hank while winding it into a ball?

There’s a solution! Umbrella yarn swifts. 

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

I cover what one of these is, how to use it, and the best ones available on the market.

Table Of Contents

• Stanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift
• Knit Picks Onyx Yarn Swift
• Schacht Swift
• Knit Picks Birch Yarn Swift
• Knitters Pride Yarn Swift
• Nagina International Umbrella Yarn Swift
• What Is An Umbrella Swift?
• How Do You Use An Umbrella Yarn Swift?

Stanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift

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Manufactured with premium polished birch wood and a lovely texture.

Pros

• Accommodates yarn hank circumferences up to 6 feet 
• Rotates without grinding
• Clamps onto surface edges
• Looks nice
• Base clamp sits onto surfaces up to 1 3/4″ thick
• Solid
• Collapses for storage

Cons

• Wooden screws may be hard to tighten and unscrew
• After a few years, parts of the swift become damaged

Knit Picks Onyx Yarn Swift

This is the same as the other model in this post from Knit Picks. Except it’s polished with a black surface. Stylish and functional.

Note: They sell a case to put it in. Available in teal, silver and rose gold.

Features

• Gold brass screws with a plastic stopper on the end
• Clamps onto tables up to 1 1/2″ thick

Pros

• Fast, quiet, winding
• Elegant black looks attractive
• Easy to set up and use
• Sturdy

Cons

• The screws may be damaged/broken

Schacht Swift

This swift is versatile. Winding from bobbins, vertically, and other angles. It has many useful features.

Prose

• Changes from horizontal to vertical and back using a release pin
• Durable
• Solid wood
• Easy winding

Cons

• Expensive
• Complicated assembly

Knit Picks Birch Yarn Swift

This is the classic yarn swift from Knit Picks.

They have a lovely natural color showcasing the varied woodgrains of the birch. This swift features effortless spinning. 

Note: They sell a case to put it in. Available in teal, silver and rose gold.

Features

• Smooth birch wood
• Wooden clamp

Pros

• Spins quietly
• High quality
• Sturdy
• Collapsible
• Easy to set up
• Excellent customer service
• If the swift breaks, Knit Picks replaces it
• Looks pretty

Cons

• Sometimes parts are damaged

Knitters Pride Yarn Swift

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This swift combines dyed, laminated birch strips with natural birch wood. It has a smooth rotation.

Features

• Laminated and natural birch wood
• 28″ high
• Skein winds
• Winding handle at the top

Pros

• Quick spinning
• Smooth wood
• Pretty stripes

Cons

• Snags yarn

Nagina International Umbrella Yarn Swift

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Available in beech and rosewood. An excellent tool to hold the yarn.

Sturdy and withstands lots of winding.

Features

• Tabletop style
• Natural beechwood or rosewood
• Four arms (collapsible and extendable)

Pros

• Attractive
• Rotates quickly
• Quick replacements if yarn swift is damaged

Cons

• The swift moves (put non-stick pads on the bottom)

What Is An Umbrella Swift?

These have expandable ‘ribs.’ This is where you wrap the yarn. It has a center rod with a screw which slides up and down.

When collapsed, the screw is loose and at the bottom. When expanded, the screw is tight and around the middle.

The base has a wooden clamp to a bench, a table, or any flat surface.

What Makes Umbrella Swifts Different From Other Swifts?

An umbrella swift has a rack like a wine rack. Amish swifts have arms. 

What is the easiest yarn to crochet with? You’ll be an expert in no time with my guide.

Why Are Umbrella Swifts Called Umbrella Swifts? 

It expands and collapses like an umbrella.

How Do You Use An Umbrella Swift?

Here is the Schacht swift demonstration.

Here is how to use a Knitpicks umbrella swift with a ball winder.

These instructions are for the Stanwood Needlecraft umbrella swift. 

Step 1 – Fastening

• Slide the notch onto the edge of a sturdy surface
• Push the swift until the table sits inside, and there are no gaps 
• Tighten the screw on the bottom until the swift doesn’t wobble

Step 2 – Placing The Hank On The Swift

• Untwist your hank
• Drape it over the closed swift
• Expand the rack with the hank looped over it by pushing upwards below the start of the ribs
• Do this until the yarn is wrapped tight around the swift.
• Push the tightening screw until it sits below the base of the ribs
• Holding the position in one hand, tighten the screw with the other

Step 3: Start winding!

• Winding by hand? You’re ready to go
• Using a ball winder? here is a video tutorial by VeryPink Knits

Although wooden ones last a lifetime, cheaper metal and plastic ones are good too. Which do you prefer? Let me know.

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