Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by KM-nerd

The Boye electric yarn winder is a cute and good-looking device to assist crafters and hobbyists in winding yarn into balls/cakes.

Over my crafting career, I have owned several of these and have quite a good idea about the pros and cons of this yarn winder.

Pros:

+ It is compact, easy to thread and can be purchased in decent shape on the used market;

+ It is easier on joints than manual yarn winders;

+ it offers fast and affordable solutions;

+ makes pretty cakes

CONS:

– it is kind of noisy, and the noise is like a UFO is about to land or a sound we imagine picturing Martians messing up with our brains… My dogs always hide under the table when I use this yarn winder

– motor is easy to burn; DO NOT LEAVE it unattended

– the capacity is somewhat limited; even a regular 3.5 oz skein is sometimes a bit too much for this winder

– no option to add a cardboard cone

I personally give it 3.5 stars out of 5 but it does the trick. So if you are knitting (or winding the yarn) once in a while, it will be good for you. I do not recommend this if you need to wind several skeins per week/month.