On the subject of swifts

[pensnest]

My birthday is approaching, and my Beast is looking into buying me a swift, for he is a good Beast. However, he doesn't know anything about swifts, and I don't know much more, so I wonder if anyone here might have some advice?

I'm more of a dk/aran knitter than a lace knitter, so presumably I'll need something reasonably sturdy. Beyond that, we neither of us really know what to look for. Are there any recommended brands or styles? Any that we should avoid? Is having the arms tied together with string a good thing or a bad one?

We're in the UK, and it would seem sensible to order one in this country rather than on the other side of the Atlantic, but even so, examples of the ideal would at least give us something to look at!

Comments

[squirelawrence]

I've had the metal and wooden umbrella swifts, an oak tabletop swift, a squirrel cage swift, and a Goku Japanese swift. About the only one I wouldn't recommend is the Goku - just couldn't get it to work. After trying all the others, I keep coming back to my Schacht wooden umbrella swift. I like the tabletop swift fine, but because it's heavier it was slightly more inconvenient to deal with when the yarn tangles. Of course, your mileage may vary.

If I had an unlimited budget and more space, though, I'd probably splurge on the Struach floor swift, which is just a lovely piece of work.

http://strauchfiber.com/swifts.php

[pensnest]

Oh, that Struach swift is a beautiful object in itself, isn't it! It sounds as though if we stick with any of the usual options, I should be fine. Thanks!