· Marguerite Aubin
Wooden vs Metal Yarn Swift: A Comparison
One point of housekeeping first. The Skeinwright swift is not made of wood. Its skeleton is iron with plastic bushings at the pivots, and the blue you see in our photographs is a finish on metal. That iron skeleton is what lets the frame fold flat to a slim bundle and open again to a full 21.65 in (55 cm), which is the trade this article sets out.
What an Amish or wooden swift actually is
The phrase Amish yarn swift describes a design more than a certificate of origin. It is a hardwood frame, usually birch, maple or another close grained wood, built from slats that pivot open in a lattice like a pair of scissors. Pegs sit along the arms and the skein rests on those pegs, so the diameter is adjusted by hooking the loop onto a different set. Some clamp to a table edge, some mount to a wall, and some sit on a weighted base as a tabletop model.
The appeal is real and it is not only aesthetic. A well made hardwood swift is quiet, it is heavy enough to feel planted, the peg system gives you very positive diameter steps, and it is repairable. A cracked slat can be replaced by anyone with a workshop. Many of these frames pass to the next knitter in the family still working perfectly.
The cost of that is money and space. Turned hardwood built in small workshops is priced like turned hardwood built in small workshops, typically at a multiple of what a mass produced folding frame costs. It also stores as a flat lattice rather than as a slim stick, and the good ones are heavy enough that you will not casually move them between rooms.
What a folding metal swift actually is
An umbrella swift works the way its name suggests. Arms radiate from a central post, a sliding collar pushes them open or lets them close, and the whole thing collapses to a narrow bundle. Our frame is iron with plastic bushings where the arms pivot, it stands 16.54 in (42 cm) tall and it opens to 21.65 in (55 cm) across at full spread.
The advantages are storage, adjustment and price. It closes to a stick you can slide into a drawer or a project bag. The diameter is continuous rather than stepped, so you can dial in a snug fit for any skein up to full spread. It costs $39.95.
Two things are worth knowing before you set it up. The clamp is a pressed metal part, finished for grip rather than for show, and several of our buyers describe it that way. It grips a table edge from above and below, so a glass top or a thick rounded rim needs a board or a strip of rubber underneath to give it something to bite on.
Height of the Skeinwright umbrella swift frame (42 cm)
— Skeinwright published specification sheet, 2026
Side by side
| Point | Wooden or Amish swift | Folding metal swift (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Turned hardwood slats with pegs | Iron skeleton with plastic bushings |
| Diameter adjustment | Stepped, by moving the loop between pegs | Continuous, up to 21.65 in (55 cm) |
| Storage | Folds to a flat lattice, still fairly bulky | Folds flat to a slim bundle |
| Price | Typically several times higher | $39.95 |
| Expected life | Decades, repairable in a workshop | Years of normal home use, parts not individually replaceable |
| Feel | Quiet, heavy, planted | Light, quick to set up, more utilitarian |
| Best suited to | A permanent craft space where the frame can live out on a table | Shared tables and drawers, any home where the tool goes away after use |
Which one is right for you
A hardwood lattice is built around a permanent craft space: it stays out on a table, it is the heavier of the two designs, and the pegs set the diameter in fixed steps.
The folding metal swift is built for the other setup. It clamps to the dining table, spins the skein while you wind, then closes to a stick and goes back in the drawer. The diameter is continuous rather than stepped, so it snugs onto any skein up to 21.65 in (55 cm), and it is open and clamped again in under a minute the next time a hank arrives.
How the frame compares with a chair back or a pair of chairs, strand by strand, is set out in yarn swift alternatives compared.
Questions people ask before choosing
Does wood grip yarn better than metal? Bare hardwood has a little more friction than a painted metal arm, which some knitters like with slippery silk. It is a small effect. Setting the diameter correctly matters far more than the material under the loop.
Will a metal frame snag delicate yarn? Not if the arms are smooth. Run a finger along any swift, wood or metal, before you load laceweight or mohair. Rough spots are worth catching early on any frame.
Is an Amish swift always handmade? No. The name has become a style label, and plenty of factory made hardwood swifts are sold under it.
Why does your specification give a tolerance? Because the frame is measured by hand, with a stated allowance of 1 to 3 cm. We publish that rather than quoting a false precision.
Average across 26 verified buyer ratings of the umbrella swift
— Skeinwright verified buyer ratings, 2026
The swift page has every published figure, the reviews page has the buyer comments, and the swift and winder set covers the whole skein to cake job. Newer to this? Read what a yarn swift is, then how to use one. There is also a ball winder buying guide, a walkthrough of winding a skein, our full guides index and the Skeinwright home page.