I’ve raved about this jumbo ball-winder before, but it’s still my favorite knitting tool. By far!  I just finished winding 660 yards of fingering weight yarn.  I didn’t have to stop and rest once.

Other Benefits – Favorite Knitting Tool

Honestly, with the small little plastic handles on the cheap, plastic ball-winders, I would have had to stop at least three times whilst winding this yarn.

In case you’re new to QueerJoe, this is the Maple Jumbo Yarn Ball Winder made by Fiber Artist Supply Co., Inc.  Unlike the cheap, poorly-made plastic ball-winders, this jumbo ball-winder is:

• Finely crafted
• Made with good materials
• Smooth and effortless to operate
• Doesn’t allow yarn balls to fly off the winder column
• Doesn’t allow yarn to get mangled in the gears below

Yes, the ball-winder costs about five times as much as the cheap, plastic versions.  But if you wind yarn as much as I do, it’s worth it.  You’ll not on their web site that the ball-winder goes for about $120 and with shipping, the total cost was about $135.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my Lykke Interchangeable Driftwood needle set.

And as for double-pointed needles, I will always love my Karbonz needles.

I also have tons of great project bags, and needle gauges, and most every tool a knitter could want or need.  But the one item I would HATE to be without more than anything else, it would be my Fiber Artist Supply Jumbo Maple Ball-Winder.

What’s your most precious tool?

Current Knitting

Worked more on the black and blue garter striped stole that I started prior to the Craft Show in Flemington.

While it looks like most of my fine-gauge garter-striped wide scarves/stoles, it has a little bit of interest on one end.

I’m doing a single mitered corner to give it some interest…interest for knitting and hopefully interest for someone buying it.  It also lets me know that the final stole width with be about 15″ since that part is pre-determined by the mitered edge!