I did it! I solved the case of my wonky yarn cakes! I imagine others may have the same issue with their ball winders, so I thought I would put together a post on how to fix your yarn ball winder. You can see from the before-and-after images below that something was definitely off!
If your yarn winder isn’t winding correctly, keeps slipping, or is making crooked or uneven yarn cakes, the gears inside the winder may have slipped out of alignment. Luckily, this was a quick fix once I figured out what was causing the problem.
The particular brand I purchased is the Knit Picks Yarn Ball Winder, but I imagine many of them are built the same way. This ball winder is a little workhorse for me and, for the most part, does a great job winding yarn into nice little cakes. The first time I noticed the cakes not winding properly, I called Knit Picks, and they were very good about sending me a new ball winder. But then when it started happening again, I figured it must be something in the internal mechanism that needed adjustment, so I took the winder apart to see.
Keep reading to see how to fix your yarn ball winder.
Why Is My Yarn Winder Not Winding Correctly?
In my case, the problem was caused by the larger plastic gear slipping out of position and sitting on top of the smaller gear instead of meshing with it. Once I repositioned the gears so the teeth fit together properly, the winder worked normally again.
How to Fix Your Yarn Ball Winder
To fix your broken ball winder, you will first need to twist off the cone-shaped bobbin from the main base of the winder.
Next, use a Phillips-head tool to remove the screw from the plate beneath where the bobbin was removed, then remove the plate and set it aside.
Ahhh … here was the issue! You see how in the photo below the larger plastic gear is sitting on top of the small gear? This is why the winder wasn’t winding properly. The gears should mesh so that the teeth fit together properly.
To fix this, gently push the larger gear back away from the smaller one and down until the teeth mesh. It should now look like this.
Now screw the top plate back on and replace the bobbin. All that is left is trying it out. Grab a hank or skein of yarn and wind it up. Perfect!
Have you had this problem? I would love to know if this helped fix it. Let me know in the comments below.
Now that you have your yarn cakes made, read my clever yarn hack for keeping them wound neatly and from turning into a tangled mess while in use or in storage!
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My yarn was winding up even more messed up than your example photo, but this post saved me! Ball winder fixed and winding perfectly again!
This saved the day!! Thank you so much!!
I know this is a 7 year old post but I bought one of these 2 years ago and started having this problem and was so frustrated. Just letting you know this is still helping people out in 2025! Thank you
So thankful to find this fix.
Thank you so much!!!! Was really worried my 1/2 month old spinner needed replaced. I was able to pop it back in, even though it didn’t look out of joint, and I’m back up and running. Superhero!!!!!
I can’t get the plate off after removing the philips head. Please help.
I was ready to toss it and buy another….but not from Knit Picks for fear of this happening again. Your fix, saved me money and time!!!! It works perfectly.
However, I couldn’t force the gears to mesh but noticed another screw on the bottom of the winder. I unscrewed it and was able to lift the gear off and then place it back into the correct position.
I have the same issue to not get the gears re-aligned with each other. I have tried to remove the screw on the bottom to get inside and re-organized the guts. In my case that screw will not loosen. I’ve tried various different grippers to hold the top stationary so the screw can unwind and it is not working. Would love any suggestions. If I can’t get inside to repair then I will need to purchase a new ball winder. If that is the case I will not buy Knit Picks again, Plastic parts are not replaceable when they break or snap.