# Cone Yarn Winder



## colly (Apr 29, 2013)

I have been looking for a Cone Yarn Winder and haven't been able to find one. Do they exist? I have a ball winder and the yarn doesn't pull off of it smoothly. Do any of you have a this problem? If so what did you do to solve it?


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## pfarley4106 (Feb 20, 2011)

I use my paper towel older. It works well for me and it's something I already own.


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## sross512004 (Mar 4, 2011)

pfarley4106 said:


> I use my paper towel older. It works well for me and it's something I already own.


Do you mean you wind the yarn on paper towel tubes?

I was wondering if I could attach a paper towel holder to my KM table. Then I'd wind my slinky, can't keep it straight yarn on a paper towel tube and then put the tube on the holder (horizontally) and just let it feed from that. Is that what you do? If so, how well does it work?


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## pfarley4106 (Feb 20, 2011)

sross512004 said:


> Do you mean you wind the yarn on paper towel tubes?
> 
> I was wondering if I could attach a paper towel holder to my KM table. Then I'd wind my slinky, can't keep it straight yarn on a paper towel tube and then put the tube on the holder (horizontally) and just let it feed from that. Is that what you do? If so, how well does it work?


No I keep the yarn on the cone and knit with it from the cone directly. I should note that I have a paper towel dispenser that stand up right not horizontal.


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## sross512004 (Mar 4, 2011)

pfarley4106 said:


> No I keep the yarn on the cone and knit with it from the cone directly. I should note that I have a paper towel dispenser that stand up right not horizontal.


So do you wind your own yarn onto the cones? If so, do you do it by hand?


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## pfarley4106 (Feb 20, 2011)

No I don't wind yarn onto cones. I'm knitting a reversible top in Habu silk yarn from Japan. It came on cones. That's the first time I've knitted yarn on a cone. It is so fine I double it and use two cones simultaneously. I prefer my yarn winded the traditional way.


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## Entity (Sep 13, 2011)

This is the one I have. It's a _High Speed Jumbo_ model yarn winder. There are 2 similar model. The High Speed would have 2 sections of crank units. 1 crank will turn 13 times, it's super fast. I chose this model because the moving parts are mostly metal and should last quite awhile.



I've seen them sold at Amazon and eBay (both US and UK). Although, with eBay, make sure that the seller is selling the High Speed model. I've encountered a seller posted the photo of the high speed but was selling the regular speed. She didn't know the difference and just posted a photo from the manufacturer. Here's a listing from Amazon (US):
http://www.amazon.com/U-nitt-Metal-winder-operated-capacity/dp/B002N4B2AI/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1380596481&sr=8-3&keywords=jumbo+yarn+winder

I too use toilet paper rolls. The photo below can show better how I do this. I use it like a cone yarn.


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## GrammaAnn (Dec 16, 2011)

Thanks for the idea of the toilet paper rolls on the winder and the photos - i'm going to begin saving mine! :thumbup:
Ann


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## TapestryArtist (Sep 4, 2013)

I still have a cone winder from when I had my weaving loom. Are you interested in buying it? I'd have to come up with a fair price to us both.
Best to you, Elaine Deyo
[email protected]


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## Rita in Raleigh (Aug 20, 2011)

I have used a Silver Needles Cone Winder for years. You can buy it at Allbrands.com or see it used at 




That shows the older style which winds on cardboard cones and that is what I have had for years. The newer versions have plastic cones.


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## irishfour (Jul 23, 2011)

I also have the silver needles cone winder and it works well. It does cost SSS though!!!!!


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## irishfour (Jul 23, 2011)

Meant to say $$$, about 200 I think


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## wurzel (Aug 6, 2012)

My husband made me a stand for cones. A flat piece of wood, about one & a half inches thick and 20 inches long. He drilled four holes and inserted pieces of dowling rod, about six inches tall. That stands in the bottom of my knitting cabinet, and on the floor behind when using my chunky machine. 
Hope this helps.


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## euvid (Apr 2, 2011)

There are many types for sale on eBay. I bought from Hague one that they sell in 2 styles. Smaller and larger cones and extra cones. It costs about as much as the SIlver at Allbrands with these one being shipped from the UK. THey put on the right plug for the U.S. when shipping here. It has a stronger motor than the Silver.


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## SteveD (Aug 14, 2012)

irishfour said:


> I also have the silver needles cone winder and it works well. It does cost SSS though!!!!!


I have the Silver Needles cone winder and it is absolutely the best winder I have ever used. It makes cones just like the ones you would purchase for machine knitting. There is no snagging or tightening or clumps of yarn as with a center pull ball or cone. One of the best additions to my knitting room.


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## randiejg (Oct 29, 2011)

Have you tried pulling the yarn from the center of the ball you wind on your yarn winder? Most of the MK instructions for using balls wound on the ball winders say to pull from the center, not the outside of the ball.

Also, are you putting just a small amount of tension on the yarn as you are winding it with the ball winder? If you pull too tight, you stretch the yarn, and also make it more difficult to pull smoothly from the center of the ball. 

Some yarn just doesn't like to pull smoothly, and the ball jumps all over the place no matter what you do. In this case, I usually put the ball in the bottom of a large round plastic wastepaper basket I got at Joanns, and I set a round cake rack into the basket on top of one, or several balls of yarn if I'm knitting multi color, and it keeps the balls from flipping over and jumping around. In the wastebasket I have, the rack sits about an inch above the balls, and I just pull the yarn up through the rack. You could probably come up with something similar just by poking around your house to see what you have to use.

I do have the older Silver electric winder that uses cardboard cones, but rarely use it unless I have to wind off a large quantity of yarn from another cone. Most of the time I just use my Jumbo XL ball winder.


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## leanne17 (Aug 21, 2013)

Yes you can get the cone winder. I have one, bought from Bedford Sewing and Knitting (BSK) in the UK. But other places must sell them. They look similar to the ball winders, but they have plastic 'hats' that sit on the winder, and hold loads of yarn. they work in the same way as the ball winder.
Hope this helps.
Lesley


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## blumbergsrus (May 13, 2011)

This is what I use, and it is a fatastic price.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RED-Hand-Operated-Knitting-Yarn-Fiber-Wool-String-Ball-Skein-Winder-Machine-Tool-/171110585050#ht_2837wt_986


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

I have yarn winders and the silver needles cone winder. Depends on yarn which I use.


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## Lee Pettit (Dec 9, 2012)

I have one I brought at a thrift store for $17.00 it sales new for $200 to $300. I like how it winds onto a cone shape insert.


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## showperson (Mar 7, 2012)

colly said:


> I have been looking for a Cone Yarn Winder and haven't been able to find one. Do they exist? I have a ball winder and the yarn doesn't pull off of it smoothly. Do any of you have a this problem? If so what did you do to solve it?


I found a manual ball winder will wind a looser ball if you wind a slowly and make sure there is only slight tension on the yarn. If you wind rapidly and the yarn is tight coming out of the skein, the ball will be much tighter.


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