But I'm not here to talk about the boys today. I've been getting crafty! Well...craftier, I suppose. I've really enjoyed getting more into knitting. I've crocheted since I was in my early teens (maybe even 11 or 12, I can't quite remember) and finally took the dive and learned how to knit. My wonderful knitty-friends on Twitter have been such a huge help!
And with my love of knitting, my love of nicer yarn has grown. For those of you not into needle crafts, typically nicer (pricier) yarn comes in a hank, which is basically a big loop of yarn. When you buy it, it's usually twisted into a pretzel type shape. It's really not a lot of fun to roll it into a ball by hand, so I got a ball winder for Christmas last year. Yippee!!!! I've had so much fun with it!!!
Unfortunately I was still having a difficult time due to the hanks of yarn getting tangled. For the record, Tim does not make a good helper when trying to keep a hank from getting knotted. I realized I really needed a swift. I looked all over the net and decided I really just didn't want to fork out the money for one. I found a few tutorials, but didn't really love most of them.
Then I found a tutorial I could deal with! I wasn't 100% in love with it, but with Tim's help, we changed a few things.
And here it is:
Here's the tutorial I found. And here are the changes I made:
For "A" I used two 1x36" poplar dowel squares
For "B" I used one 2x2x36" poplar square
My neighbor was kind enough to use his radial saw to make the dado joints for me, negating my need for a rasp or chisel. My other neighbor was kind enough to let me use her drill press, negating my need for a cordless drill.
I used a 5/16 3" hex bolt and 5/16 nut, three 13/32-in x 1-in Nylon Standard (SAE) Flat Washer, and two Nylon Spacers 1/2 x .328 x 1 (each cut in half with a hack saw). I also used a 1/2" spade bit, a 5/8" spade bit (to counter sink the bolt), and a 3/8" spade bit.
I did not use a block of wood or cd or wing nut as a spacer. This is where two of the washers come into play.
Procedure-wise I used the 5/8" spade bit to drill my center holes then took the Xs apart and used a soft hammer to insert the spacers into the holes. Then I put it all together in this order: bolt - B X - two washers - A X - one washer - nut.
I am sooooo happy with my new baby!!! It spins so nicely! I can't wait to need to wind my first ball of yarn...which should be either tonight or tomorrow morning. :-)
