Professional Level Ball Winder

The Knit Picks Professional Level Ball Winder makes large, neat, center-pull cakes. It's built for big hanks and long winding sessions, when an ordinary winder might struggle or fill up too quickly.

A center-pull cake is a flat-topped ball you knit from the middle out, so it sits still instead of rolling around as you work. Winding into cakes also makes it easy to see and store your yarn, and to keep hand-dyed hanks from tangling.

It's for knitters and crocheters who buy yarn in hanks, wind a lot, or work with bulkier yarns that fill a small winder fast.

Good for

• Winding large hanks and bulky yarns
• Long winding sessions after a yarn haul
• Pairing with a yarn swift
• Making stable cakes to knit from

Using it

Set the winder up on a sturdy table, thread the yarn as the instructions show, and wind at an even pace, keeping a little tension on the yarn but not stretching it; wool wound too tightly can lose some of its spring. Use a swift to hold the hank. When you're done, slide the cake off gently. See skein vs. hank for when you need to wind.

Looking after it

Keep it clean and dust-free, and wipe off lint from the spindle. Store it where it won't be knocked.