DIY Ball Winder For Yarn

I am in the process of crocheting a hat. I have four skeins of yarn that I wanted to wind into a ball, but it takes longer than I would like so I started looking for a ball winder online and was surprised at how expensive or bulky they were. I didn't want to spend any "real" money on an instrument that would save me some time so I started thinking of what I could do to make one myself.

I have been doing a lot of home maintenance and I own the tools that I need to do the work. I have always believed that you need the right tool for the job to be efficient. I remembered seeing online somewhere a woman who used a whisk in a cordless drill to wind yarn. I started off with an old whisk that I used for household chores other than food.

I was able to stick it in the chuck of a cordless drill. I then inserted a cardboard paper towel roll over the whisk. I turned on the drill and the paper towel tube spun around. I added my yarn around the tube and then guided the yarn the way that thread winds around a bobbin.

Whisk method with paper towel tube

It worked! I had one skein wound around a paper towel tube. When I was almost ready for another ball of yarn, I didn't have another empty paper towel tube. My son suggested that I use the cardboard insert in a coat hanger. I didn't think that it would work as well, but I tried it out.

Coat hanger insert method

It worked very well and I have plenty of those available. I used a 20V Dewalt cordless drill to make my second ball of yarn.

The cardboard insert was cut down about 4 inches before I began. I videotaped about 30 seconds just so that you can see how fast it spins.

The yarn on the cardboard hanger will now flow easily out of a bucket or in my case a pot strainer. I use what I have available to solve the problem.

After I finished making my second ball of yarn, I started looking for a photo of a ball winder for my post. I was surprised to find an actual product that is sold online with an adapter and a spool that can be used in a cordless drill. There is even a video of how the product works.

https://woolery.com/speed-winder-insert.html?

I showed it to my son and told him "There is nothing new under the sun." Even when we think that we have been novel in our approach to solving a problem, someone else has thought about it, done it, and may be selling a product to end users.

I am still satisfied with my methodology however, because it didn't cost me anything but a little time that will save me a lot of time in the long run.

Do it yourself and save money that can be used for something else, like flying instead of driving. :)