A Tale of New Yarn!!! And what to do with HANKS of Yarn!

A little over three years ago I was given the opportunity to teach my oldest sons new Bride how to crochet!  It was such a joy to share something so much a part of my life (other than my son that she married!! lol)  She took to it SO quickly and now puts up with my CONSTANT text messages containing pictures and links to new patterns and pretty yarn that is on sale!!! 

Just last week we were discussing a new pattern I had come across.....I can't tell you what it is in this entry because we are both working on Christmas gifts using said pattern, but if you private message me I might be convinced to share :D......and she was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her yarn so she could start working said pattern. A few days later I received the below picture

  HER YARN HAD ARRIVED....and she was sooooooo excited!!!  You can just see it on her face!!  Such a wonderful fiber and beautiful color she had chosen.  I told her she would need to utilize her newly acquired ball winder to make it into nice and tidy yarn cakes. She was prepared......so she thought!!  A few days later I was talking to my son on the phone and he told me she was having a little trouble with the yarn....it was, as she put it, "the knot from hell" lol  

 If you have ever been in her shoes, I am sure you understand her frustration.  I had not even considered that she had never rolled up yarn from a hank.........MY BAD!!!

This was the picture she sent to show me how far she had come after THREE HOURS of detangling! 

  I knew I needed to intervene with some sort of assistance or she may just give up on her project all together.  So I took a series of pictures.....which I will share at the bottom of the page for any of you who might be wondering, as the title of this post suggests, "What to do with Hanks of Fiber"

Soon I received this picture.  Her hard work had paid off and she had her first yarn cake completed!!!

Right now is the time to CHEER!!!!  WAY TO GO EMILY!!!!!!!

What to do with Hanks of Yarn

When you first take out your hank of yarn it will look something like this. It is a large loop of yarn that has been twisted onto itself and then tucked neatly together.

Carefully untwist the hank and lay it on a flat surface in a big loop like this.

The hank will be tied in at least two places like the picture above.  CAREFULLY remove this tie.  It is usually a fiber different than the yarn it is containing. Try to slip it out without disturbing the flow of the yarn.

If you do not have a swift....you will need someone to hold your yarn like this as you wind.  If you are not lucky enough to have a second set of hands...or you just prefer to do it yourself you can drape it over your bent knees, removing just a few rounds of yarn at a time, rolling it up before removing any more.  This will help you keep from having the "knot from hell".

I hope that you have found this post entertaining and informative.  If you can relate I would love to hear about your "knot from hell" experiences in the comments section.  Or maybe you just want to offer a word of encouragement to my WONDERFUL daughter in law.  We'd love to hear from you!!

Blessings!!

Amy and Emily B