I have to have four swatches ready for Saturday. So, I figured I need to swatch up the Berroco Cotton Twist for the dresses for C and S, so I might as well do one of the swatches in that. And there was that Chunky Cable Purse from Knit Picks(in Wild Rose), that I ordered yarn for a bazillion years ago, so let's wind that up and swatch that (more on the winding later). And then there's some of my Brooklyn Handspun that I want to see knit up so that will be on the list and finally, I need to re-swatch (re-gauge) the yarn for the boxers from Knit Wit
. I managed (in between two of the fussiest children ever; C has had three early dismissals this week and I swear the change in schedule has made her like a hibernating bear that woke up hungry and pissed off) to get half of the Cotton Twist swatch finished and two balls of yarn wound.
The winding from hell that was my swift/ball winder experience today. I'm sure it wasn't the yarn's fault. Really, is it ever? I got the Knit Picks yarn wound no problem. Managed to even get it done while I was on the phone with my mother but before the children noticed I was no longer in the room with them.
And then I got to my fab sock yarn from Brooklyn (and, again, not the yarn's fault) and all hell broke loose. I think I picked the wrong end to lead from the swift to the ball winder (not exactly un uncommon occurrence, but usually less frustrating). I realize this as I am beginning to wind, so I take the yarn off the winder, ball it up without making any knots, and try to tuck it into the yarn on the swift for safe keeping, thinking, of course, it's not going to go anywhere. I put the other end on the ball winder and we're off. That is until all of a sudden I realize (because by now the kids have walked in and everyone wants to be so helpful by winding themselves) that crap, the reason it's gotten so tight is because the yarn is stuck up under the bottom part of the swift's pole (this ends up happening several times, which I wasn't going to mention because of how incredibly daft it makes me look, but there it is). Come on people, there aren't that many working parts right? So I manage to get it reasonably situated with both my hands working (STOP winding, I can't fix my mistakes while you are winding sweetheart) , one holding one end and the other trying to wind and the part of the winder that holds the yarn just pops off. Yes, I know you are supposed to twist it down and lock it, which I did, but again, my helpful children seemed to loosen it just enough for it to pop off. At this point, I don't have very much yarn wound so no big deal, I stick it back on lock it in place and I'm off again.
Wrong. Because now, the little doohickey on the ball winder (the metal curlicue) that holds the yarn, well, it's no longer holding the yarn (phone rings, my mother again; C on computer, needs help; S still trying to wind as I am trying to get the yarn back into the curlicue). Kill me now.
All in all, a great afternoon of fun with the swift. Now, I think I may have misinterpreted the comment of the women at the yarn store when I bought it. Her, "Why would you buy a yarn swift (and yes, I sometimes call it a swifter, because the domestic goddess in me can't keep straight the swiffer and the swift) when they wind it for you at the store?" Me, "Because so much yarn comes in hanks, and I order some from the Internet and I can't exactly ask my LYS to wind yarn I didn't buy there. Oh, and by the way, Jodi at the yarn store is awesome and often offers to wind it, but with the amount of yarn I buy I don't think it's fair for her to end up with one arm looking like Ahhhhnold."
What I really think she meant to say was, "Why in the hell would you ever want to tackle winding your own yarn? You look like a reasonably sane person who would like to keep her sanity . . . do not complete your purchase and don't ever wind your own yarn."
Back to my swatches (and no more parentheses).
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