It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I don't have much for progress to show on my knitting this week, as I am STILL attempting to unravel the huge entanglement that is currently the bane of my existence. I did, however, decide to let you see the awful knot and also ask a couple of questions. So here we go:
On the right is a second skein of the same yarn that I am afraid
of undoing in case I cause another knot!
So the knot comes between the cast on hat and the round ball that I have managed to untangle and make sense of. I think that my inexperience with this type of skein may have caused this horrendous beast, and so I would like to ask for some advice. Is there a trick to undoing this type of skein without causing a giant entanglement? What did I do? Part of me wants to just cut off both ends of the knot and start fresh with the already untangled yarn, but the other (stubborn) part of me just wants to get it untangled and then get going on the hat. I really just want to knit though and not have to stress about untangling it.
And then the second part of this Yarn Along is the book. Or should I say books? You see, after the last Yarn Along, I finished my book in 2 days. And then I hit a book slump. I have this problem with going from book to book, you see. I can't seem to get the old characters and story out of my head. I am constantly in angst over which will be my next book, and it is especially hard to pick a new one after an exceptionally good book, which is what the last book really was. So what do I do to get out of this slump? I randomly pick up unread (or sometimes read) books off of my shelf, and I start reading. I then decided that it is not that book's "time" yet, and move on to the next. By the end of the week, I have started any number of books and have not committed to a single one of them. I am a literary floozy. So I have started 3 so far, and no such luck finding the one. So any help on this would also be appreciated. Shall it be Jane Eyre, The Hours, or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? Put in your vote, and I will choose the one that is the most popular and stick with it. I promise.
Hope you are all having a lovely week knitting and reading!
Brenna
Oh those skeins of yarn are a bit tricky aren't they! I usually have one of my kids hold it open stetched out in a loop between their hands and then I wind a ball up with it right away by hand or it does tend to become quite tangled if you try and work off of it they way it is purchased. I hope that you will be able to finish unraveling the knot!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love what you say about books. I have a terrible time picking and committing but then, even if it is terrible I usually force myself to finish it. I vote for Jane Eyre!! One of my very favourites!
ReplyDeleteAbout the tangle...I'm curiouswhat more experienced knitters have to say. I have had the same problem too many times. That type of skein needs to be rolled into a ball before you knit with it but since you are where you are...well, you could attempt an unravel - my husband and mom are great at that but I am terrible. I have spent too many hours trying to unravel messes only to decide I have to cut it. You may save yourself some pain and aggravation if you just cut it. Hopefully someone will have a better answer for you....?
Don't read the girl with the dragon tattoo - you don't need all that violence in your head!
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's a trick to undoing a big knot like that, except to not make it in the first place :) You need two extra hands (or a swift) to hold the skein while you make it into a ball before you start knitting from it. You can find second-hand ball winders pretty cheaply, and they make centre-pull balls of yarn, which are great because they don't roll around while you're knitting from them.
Good luck! but if it was me I'd just cut it off and use it for scrap yarn.
I go with Rosina on what to do with this kind of skein. And it is a nightmare. But oh so worth it, as I'm sure you've found, even with the big tangle!
ReplyDeleteAnd I vote for Jane Eyre. It is one of my favourite books and worth reading again and again. Of course, I haven't read the other two.... ;-)
Jafion
Hmmm, I go with Jane Eyre too :)!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with house full of jays and vote for Jane Eyre, goodluck with the yarn!
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with my first skein of yarn like that. The whole time I was untangling it I was thinking "I should be knitting!"
ReplyDeleteI've just asked the ladies at the yarn store near me to ball it up on their spinning contraption before I leave now. I'm their often enough that they'll ball up yarn I've bought elsewhere too.
It took me a while to figure out how to get started with those skeins. Most of the time I don't have a second set of hands (hubby or kids) around, so I started by stretching it around my knees and then winding it into a ball.
ReplyDeleteI vote for the girl with the dragon tattoo. I just finished it myself and now I'm looking at getting the other two books in the series.
Good luck untangling...
Oh, I just love a good tangle!! I don't know what's wrong with me, but I find it so calming to undo a big mess like that! LOL And I hear you on the books. Each book certainly has a "time". I haven't read any of the ones you've listed, but am interested to hear about the violence in "The Girl". It was recommended by a friend, but now I'm thinking no.
ReplyDeleteHold out the big loop over your knees, or your feet, and don't stop winding until the whole thing is wound.
ReplyDeleteLet the phone ring, let the kettle boil away. Don't. Stop.
Also, I have to vote for Jane Eyre too.
Beautiful book.
Oh what a tangle! When you untwist the skein you should have a big loop. You somehow need to hold the loop open and wind the yarn into a ball. When I began knitting i would have one of my children hold it or I would place it around the back of my todders two chairs. Now I have a swift which is awesome (thanks to my inlaws). I also second a ball winder. Center pull balls are wonderful. Good luck with the tangle.
ReplyDeleteAnd I vote for Jane Eyre as well.
Blessings, Elizabeth
I usually put the skein over a chair back to wind it Into a ball without getting tangled...i do enjoy the satisfaction of untangling a knot, but that one looks like a doozy....
ReplyDeleteWow, are you sure your feline friends had nothing to do with that tangle?!:-) Be brave - cut it & start anew . . . By the way, love your blog. For purely selfish reasons, I vote for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" because I can borrow it from you when you're done! Oh, I also have 2 books started and just finished a 3rd - so you're in good company.
ReplyDeletego with Jane Eyre and those tangles are such a pain!! I use my dd's two hands, she's very patient while I wind, a chair back is a second but be careful as they can cause tangles before you know it :)
ReplyDelete