Kromski Vivo Skein Winder and Swift

The Vivo does both halves of the job. Wind yarn onto it and you get a finished skein. Turn it the other way and it feeds a shop skein into your ball winder like a swift. That's one tool on one axle instead of two of them taking up bench space.

Set the size once

The four pegs slide along slots in the arms and lock down with the brass knobs, anywhere from a 24 inch circumference up to 72 inches. Seventy-two inches is a full two yard skein. Twenty-four gets you a mini skein or a sample. Once the pegs are set, every skein after that comes off the same length.

For yardage, measure one full round with a tape before you start, then multiply that by the number of rounds you wound.

Wet skeins go right back on

The pegs are powder-coated steel rather than bare wood, so a washed skein can go straight back onto the arms and dry under its own weight. Squeeze it out in a towel first so it's damp rather than dripping, and let it hang.

What's in the box

Two arms, the base, the axle and brass nut, the crank handle, four pegs with their brass holders, four non-slip feet, a hex key, and a table clamp. The clamp drops into its own hole in the base and grips a table edge, which is what you want once you're cranking a full skein.

It ships flat and goes together with the hex key. The rubber feet glue onto the base, so keep wood glue or superglue on the bench. Put a drop of oil into the metal sleeve in the base before the first use and every so often after that, and the arms stay free.

Specs

Do you need one

If all you ever do is wind a shop skein into a ball, a swift and a ball winder cover that for less. The Vivo earns the difference when you're the one making the skein, off a wheel, off a cone, or re-skeining to dye or to block.

Call us

We spin and dye here, so if you want to talk through skein sizes or how this fits with the gear you already have, call the shop and we'll walk you through it.