Gift #762: Winding yarn

I wasn’t planning to blog tonight (it’s been a long day) but something miraculous just happened and I felt I must share or burst.  I successfully wound 2 skeins of silk mohair, 650 yards, without a single incident!

(And just ignore the yarn in the background – it’s not part of this story).  Now before you think I’m certifiably insane for being excited about this, let me just tell you.  I have used that swift and ball winder many, many times and have never successfully wound a ball of yarn on the first go.  Invariably there are problems – the yarn gets snarled, the tension on the swift slackens – you get the idea.  And the worst part has been with the “cakes” of yarn it produces.  As I wind the yarn, it starts skipping off the top and gets wrapped around the base instead of laying nicely on top of the previous strands.  Every time I try to wind yarn, I end up in hysterics, a massive meltdown, with inward cursings and groanings and tirades.  The rest of the yarn in stash trembles in fear of my wrath and hopes that I can’t find the scissors to shred yarn in my frustration.  The last time I wound yarn, I ended up with 400 yards of tangled mess all over the kitchen that I had to wind into a ball by hand.  So, when I say that I wound two balls without incident, without my blood pressure rising, without a single tangle…. this is a miracle.  I’m beyond thrilled!  I’m happy and calm and I have 2 perfect cakes of yarn.  This is even more incredible because the yarn in question is a lacy, cobweb mohair – which means if anything is at risk of getting snarled or tangled, this is it.

Isn’t it lovely?  Sky blue and silver mist; and incredible halo – look at the top of the cake – it’s all fuzzy.   I’m going to do some gauge swatches to help with pattern decisions.  This is for a very special project…  more to come.

Blessings to you,

Sarah