Balls (or 'how I broke my favourite knitting toy')

Can you spot the difference between these two ball-winders? I'll give you a clue: the one on the right works, and the one on the left is totally fecked. It took a fatal tumble from its abode on top of my wardrobe, and no amount of pleading or super glue could reattach that handle. Its amputation is perhaps clearer in this photo:

For me, a ball-winder is one of those vital pieces of technology that I don't know how I got by without. It makes the difference between laboriously hand-wound balls of yarn that snaggle up as you knit from them, and elegant, centre-pull yarn cakes that take a fraction of the time to create. Do you have a piece of crafty kit you can't imagine living without? Is there something you long to find beneath the Christmas tree? If anyone was struggling for Christmas/birthday presents for me, I lust after a swift to make the yarn winding process even, well, swifter. Oh, and a sewing machine...

I should soon be able to wind up some stash treasure, as I am a gnat's breath away from finishing my Audrey in Unst cardigan. Just fancy, there may soon be some actual knitting content on this blog! I am also planning a post on achieving a good fit with knitted garments, following on from an interesting comment from Zoe, so if there is anything you'd especially like me to cover, or any tips you would like to share on this subject, do feel free to leave a comment.