Sunday, November 11, 2012

Facing the Worst Part...

It Kept Going...
I came head to head with the worst problem yet, fixable, but one I NEVER want to encounter again. As I was continuing my project, I reached a point where my skein of yarn became tangled. It literally took me several hours to untangle the mess. Once I was able to straighten out one section another part became even more tangled, no matter how much I tried to create some type of organization.  A cycle I thought would never end.


...And Going...

I had to try different ways to stop the straightened yarn from tangling and I tried EVERYTHING! Wrapping the yarn around my forearm (my elbow and the palm of my hand), between the handles of an armoire, and across the entire floor of my bedroom. There were no successes with these ideas until I found a video that allowed me to roll the yarn into a ball. My frustration was skyrocket high at this point but with an ounce of patience, I was able to carefully take out the knots and tangles.



...And Going.
Although this was a setback in my progress, I think it is a necessary issue for any beginner to come across. For future projects, it is best to be aware of possible tangling issues when yarn begins to come out in clumps or becomes stuck while pulling from the skein. My fellow ravelers provided some tips to prevent yarn tangling:
  1. Wind the yarn into a cake or ball before starting a project.
  2. Pull the yarn from the middle of the skein.
  3. Keeping the yarn in a vase for a rowdy skein
  4. Put slippery skeins into a ziplock bag with a hole in the corner
My tip, if you do face yarn tangling, is to stay calm, be patient, and be careful. I am glad to share this woe with my fellow beginners. Learn from my mistakes!
 
 
[Stay calm, cool, and collected. Keep knitting!]


6 comments:

  1. I know exactly how frustrating this can be. Usually when this happens to me I try and fix it and if I can't within 20 min I cut it and tie it off or just quit all together. Good for you for having the patience to get all the knots out!

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    1. It was the absolute worst! I was on the verge of cutting it but I loved the yarn and I really wanted to finish my first project. But thank you, it was truly worth it.

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  2. This happens to my fishing line all the time. I will find myslef chest deep in the water, laughing at the sear stupidity of the situation. Just like you spent hours, I will do the same thing sometimes. Getting lost in knots, twists, and tangles losing my sanity in the one thing that is supposed to help me find my Zen moment.

    Just this weekend I was got all tangled up on an oyster bar and missed an hours worth of good fishing. If I would have tugged to hard one time, an oyster could have cut my line and set me back 60 bucks and good bit of anger management.

    Congratulations on figuring out a trick. The tricks make the Zen come a little easier.

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    1. You know exactly what it was like to deal with the chaos. The Zen was there the first 30 minutes and close to the end, but I cannot account fo the time in between. I am glad your tangle disaster did not end in tragedy. Lol. Find your Zen. And thank you! It does.

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  3. I really enjoyed this post. Highlighting some of the low points in any beginner task helps others realize they're not alone in overcoming frustrating obstacles. I've never done any knitting but I could definitely imagine this problem occurring. The pictures you included really intensified your point. If it were me I'd be so frustrated that I'd probably just make more of a tangle. I commend you for your patience!

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    1. Thank you. I appreciate you visiting my blog. That is precisely the goal of this blog and I am glad you noticed it. The whole problem was a little intense but patience truly goes a long way. Lol. At one point I did get so frustrated that I was making more tangles than before. And thank you!

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