When the yarn is wound off of the bobbin into a skein, it is in a neat package which can be wet finished, dyed or stored. However a skein is not a suitable package for using the yarn as it can easily become tangled and knotted up if the skein is not being held under a bit of tension. The best way to prepare skeined yarn for use in a project is to wind it into a ball.

Before ball winders were invented, some type of swift was needed to hold the skein under a bit of tension so a ball could be wound in an orderly manner, Often the “swift” was a spouse, a child, or a friend who was willing to sit patently and hold the skein while the ball of yarn was wound.
Inattention to the unwinding skein made a mess of it, though not as bad of a mess as can be made if one tries to hold a skein with their feet.

Fortunately for us spinners, swifts or mechanical skein unwinders have been invented! Owning a good swift is as essential to the handspinner as is owning a niddy-noddy or a skein winder to wind the skeins.

Swifts come in three basic types: Umbrella, lantern, and squirrel cage. All of these types will serve to unwind a skein and all are adjustable to accommodate different sizes of skeins to at least some degree.

Umbrella swifts have arms which expand out from a central shaft. How far out the arms will expand is controlled by a tension device that slides up and down the central shaft. Tension screw at the bottom of the shaft and the swift is closed; move it all the way up the shaft and the swift is expanded to its full potential. Most skeins only require the swift to be opened about halfway. The arms of this type of swift are jointed in the center so when it’s open the central point of the arms is the place where the skein will fit. The arm expansions above and below the skein serve to hold the skein in place for unwinding. Most umbrellas swifts are seen mounted in an upright position but there is no reason why this must be so - they will hold the skein perfectly well and unwind easily if they are mounted horizontally instead. Horizontal mounting will also keep the loose end of the skein from wrapping itself around the shaft and fouling the swift. Be sure to leave plenty of space around the swift when operating it. As the skein unwinds, the tension loosens, and near the very end of the skein the arms will expand outward as far as possible and could knock thing over.

Lantern swifts are shaped sort of like square lampshade with a broad base and narrow top which revolves around a central shaft. The skein is simply placed over the swift and settles to the proper place for unwinding. Because it is not adjustable, a skein that is too large will fall right off while a skein that is too small will not fit on the swift which may limit its usefulness.

Squirrel cage swifts have two, sometimes three, small round “cages” mounted on a support post. The cages are movable, rotating to unwind the skein and sliding up and down the support post for tensioning. To use one of these, place the yarn over the upper cage then slide the lower cage down to a position where it will put tension on the lower portion fo the skein. The tension needs to be set so the cages will rotate as the yarn is wound off from the swift.

Squirrel cage swifts allow for one operation that other swifts do not. They allow the skein to be “rounded” before winding off. Rounding is a technique that is used when the skein being unwound is unevenly wound or needs to be straightened out before it can be wound off without problems. Set the swift so it has a bit less tension than will be needed for winding off. Brace the swift well with your feet (these are floor model swifts), and tug the yarn. Tug towards the side and, while tugging hard, also move the skein so it revolves around the cages. Adjust the tension, and repeat the tugging operation until the skein rest smoothly and evenly on the swift. Then tighten the tension for winding off.

Unskeining is an easy operation with the tools we have today, provided the skein was well wound in the first place. A badly wound skein will always be difficult to unwind.