A traditional, hand-held cylindrical tool, often tapered and featuring a handle at one end. A knitter or spinner wraps yarn around the shaft in a specific diagonal pattern to build a structured, self-supporting ball. Once slipped off the tool, the resulting ball allows yarn to be drawn smoothly from the center without rolling around the floor.
Heard on the job
I prefer winding my handspun on a nostepinne because it doesn't stretch the fibers as much as a mechanical ball winder.