Swift

Tonight after work I met some knitting friends in Anoka and we traveled the icy roads to a yarn store in Osseo. The store is called Yarn Appeal. We oohed and aahed over all the beautiful skeins of yarn. They had yarns in every color. Many yarns were imported and some were hand dyed. I saw one skein alone for $38. I was good and didn't buy anything. I have to discipline myself to one knitting project at a time so I don't go overboard. It doesn't hurt to look and get inspired though. A friend was looking for some 100% yarn so she could felt (knit first then wash in hot water to shrink)some flowers onto a baby sweater. The walls and shelves of the store display items already knitted for ideas - felt bags, felt slippers, felt mittens and hats, even felt clogs. Knitted scarves, shawls, sweaters, jackets, hats, purses, mittens and socks. They had knitting needles in all shapes and sizes. Some needles were made of metal, others wood, others glass, and some needles had jeweled tips. They had awesome buttons in all shapes and sizes and colors. What caught me eye though, is when when they used the swift. A yarn swift is a wooden mechanism designed to hold the skein of yarn while it is unrolled and made into a ball. The arms of the swift go up and down as the swift is cranked around and around by pulling the yarn off of it. The faster you crank the higher the arms go up. You can collapse the swift inward to put the yarn on it and then pull it outward to hold the yarn steady. I watched enthralled as they wound up four skeins of white wool yarn. I can picture a swift like this being used in a yarn shop back in the 1700's by women wearing bonnets and bustles.