I bought this yarn winder because I have a job lot of cheap yarn which continually knots up into yarn squids which makes crocheting (and more importantly, keeping an even tension) really difficult.
So far, I have wound a yarn-end with success, and subsequently a full ball too. Both (problematic yarn balls) required me to sort out the yarn squids as I was winding, but it had minimal impact on the yarn cake that the winder produced.
Having crocheted with the small yarn-end cake, I have found that it makes working the yarn much smoother and a great deal easier.
The winder arrived in a very neat box and was well packaged to protect its contents. It includes an instruction leaflet which is simple and easy to follow in assembling, setting up and using the winder. It also includes some trouble shooting guidance for adjustment of the winder, if required.
Once assembled and attached to an appropriate surface, the winder is used by threading the yarn and attaching it to the bobbin before winding a new cake.
First thread from outside to inside on the yarn guide, then thread downwards on the eye of the flyer and finally attach the thread to the top of the bobbin.
Slowly start to turn the crank, building up speed as the cake takes shape.
Keep an eye on the yarn as it travels from the original ball through the eyelets and onto the bobbin to avoid tangles or crashes.
Notice that the yarn cake sits on a thick-stemmed bobbin on the winder (see the picture of the bobbin with the winder in the background) and be aware that once removed from the bobbin, this core will close up under tension (see image of the yarn with its ball band back on it). Be sure to leave a long enough tail of yarn to find it again when you want to start working with a centre-pull yarn cake.
There are 4 options when buying this winder: extra small, small, large and 'L'.
I bought the 'L' version as I couldn't work out any difference between the 'L' and Large versions other than the clamp shape, (however the Large version was more expensive) and both can wind 10oz (283 grams). I can confirm that the full ball that I wound was 100 grams and I think that the winder would happily accommodate 200g if needed.
I found that it is important to follow the instructions provided as not doing so could cause damage to furniture, I will explain why! Another factor in my choice between the L and Large versions was the shape of the clamp based on the images in the listing. The 'L' version had a longer 'tongue' to the G shape of the clamp, meaning it would extend further beneath the surface it was clamped to. I had hoped it would fit my dining table, but in the end the depth of the clamp was too shallow as there is a deep lip on my table and I could not fit the clamp under it.
Turns out it is a good thing I didn't use my precious table, because when connecting the yarn guide to the winder it is necessary to screw down a butterfly nut to hold it in place. This butterfly nut screws down onto a thread that protrudes beneath the winder and leaves a little gouged-in circle on the surface that it is clamped to. In this instance I am not concerned, as I ended up using an old fold-up stool (the last remnant of a complete set) to mount the winder onto and the circles don't bother me, though I will put a piece of board underneath the base of the winder (as advised in the instructions) in future to prolong the life of the stool, now that I have a use for it.
My overall score for the winder based on initial use is 5/5, due to its time saving and the neater cakes of yarn it produces than when hand-winding.
I hope that you found this review helpful, if you have any questions, let me know and I will update the information where I know the answers.
