Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

If you’re someone who likes to knit or crochet maybe you’ve heard of the umbrella swift or swift yarn winder! This wooden tool was used in the 1960s and functions by holding your skeins, loosely coiled thread or yarn, as you wind your yarn into neat, easy-to-use balls. This model clamps to your table and spins.  The swift will not only wind your skein, but also hold your skein as you work your yarn into balls. You can adjust the diameter and attach it to your table at a variety of angles, making it a clever, functional system. The umbrella swift was developed and marketed in the United States during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although knitted artifacts have reportedly been dated back to eleventh century Egypt in the form of socks. Some umbrella swifts were made of bone or whale ivory. Fanatics of wool and yarn are welcome to come by the Heritage Museum downtown and check out the wool shop where one can find fibre, yarn, and loom, spinning wheel, and felting supplies and accessories.