Review on LAMXD 10Oz Winder Umbrella Swift by Kristen Reid

It was a game changer! I've been crocheting for a while and I keep coming back to the need to skein wrap - I usually just wrap the leftover yarn around my arm and try to make a tight little skein out of it or toss it aside at the end to save it to use as an amigurumi. Filler. This method didn't bother me too much as the rest of the yarn is minimal for most projects. However, lately I've had requests from family and friends to make hair ties and this only uses a small fraction of the yarn in my 100gram skeins. So I left myself in my hiding place with strands curled up and dirty. I then joined Revain's Vine program and received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. If I tell you I'm sooo mad at myself for waiting so long to get my hands on one of these. I am serious! Keep in mind that I don't have another winder to compare this to, but I've used it a dozen times and this is my experience: I'm a big fan of the metal back. I can attach it to almost any corner/edge of any table I have and it's very durable. The fact that it is metal adds weight. Even if you want to get ninja speed with this thing, it won't move as long as you tighten it properly. I want to keep in mind that the base has a screw at the bottom that rests on the table and could potentially scratch/dent it. It was my fault the first time I put it on the table in the living room to check. Not only did I not tighten it properly because the table leg was in the way, but I also didn't put protective layers on it. I didn't deduct a star for this as I would consider it more of a ME issue than a product issue. - Very easy to set up - it comes with instructions but I didn't even have to pull them out. There are only three things you need to take care of; a blue metal base that will be used as the base of the whole piece, a white plastic mount that the sphere will be created in (this is the part that you put on the blue metal base and twist to fix it), and a metal arm that used as a needle threader. Gear and crank are already pre-assembled and tightened. Easy to use, smooth, fast, does what it's supposed to, fun, gives me back valuable time and saves a lot. Space in my yarn stash! This allowed me to combine several unfinished skeins into one large ball and now has room in my stash for more yarn. I've tried worsted, bulky and velvet yarns - all threaded easily through and made the perfect little ball of yarn. I was afraid that weaving too fast would ruin the velvet yarn, but that didn't happen. Also, the largest ball it forms before the needle threader hits and stops spinning is about 7" x 5" (black thread shown) - if I could guess I'd say it's a good 200-250g of thread . - As for the umbrella. Unfortunately I haven't used it yet. When I first opened the box and saw them I thought it was silly that they would do anything with a metal clasp so close to the main bar mechanism. (see photo) The two pieces hit each other and it seemed I couldn't remove the key from the rod. Luckily I don't have Hanks, so I didn't think anything of it. However, after playing around with this prior to writing my review, I found that I CAN loosen the screw and add space between the two pieces, which then gave me the opportunity to actually mount it to a table and see if it works is working. When attaching it to the table the whole metal part fell off the rod and I realized I could attach it upside down so the wrench was under the table and not on top (where the yarn could potentially be wound) - why did they do it? I can't believe I haven't sent it yet. The instructions didn't say anything about the umbrella part, and I've never had one, so if I hadn't been stubborn about the screws I would have thought it was all a design flaw. I may not need it yet, but I can already appreciate that the umbrella doesn't fold without pressing the "button" (see video). Overall - 10/10 with this product. If you are a thread merchant like me and can't wait to get this product. I say do it, it was really a nice experience. I've included some before and after photos of some skeins, a photo of the umbrella issue mentioned above, a video of the umbrella after adjustment, and photos of the winder with and without yarn threaded as an example of how it's used/set up.