Argh! Perhaps Ye Be a Pirate Parrot!

Charles Dickens to the contrary, why is it that the beautiful ones often are the most ornery?

My lovely skein of Araucania Lonco Multy fingering weight cotton yarn came in 440-yard hank that needed to be wound into a ball before it could be used. Eager to get started with turning my Parrot colored hank into a multi-hued lacy shawl, I began what I thought would be an hour-long process. Lacking a yarn swift and choosing not to use my ball winder (okay, I admit, my winder is somewhere to be found), I put the hank over the back of a tall chair and started the wind up Friday evening. The process was slow and then grew laborious as realization dawned that the skein was twisted upon itself. It appears the hank had been tied in a way different from other skeins I had wound in the past. Five hours later, I, and approximately 50 yards, was undone and I needed my bed. Saturday afternoon, I drafted the able hands and neck of my eldest and took up the chore anew. Two hours later, I excused my human yarn swift to work the the last 25 yards alone. I wanted so much to find a short cut but refused to cut the yarn. Another two hours passed before I wrapped the final length of strand around the ball.

Damn! Nine hours in total to produce the lovely ball above. I probably will spend less time crocheting the shawl than I did in making the ball! But isn't it georgous! The sheen, the strength of color. Can't wait to get started.