When Good Yarn Goes Bad

I heard this yarn calling my from deep within a bin in my craft room. I don’t remember its origins and it had no tag, which leads me to believe I dyed it. I’m pretty good about keeping yarn with its tag, but I’m not good about tagging yarn I created.

I could, of course, be entirely wrong. It’s really pretty, and dyed in muted grays and browns, which I don’t usually play with.

I knew exactly what this yarn wanted to be when it grew up, and got out the ball winder to turn it into a nice tidy cake so I could begin a pleasant evening of knitting. Here’s where things started going south. It was knotted beyond all belief, and also in several pieces. I’ve never noticed moths, but apparently they nommed hard on this skein. 

I spent two and a half hours fiddling with this thing. It was the knot monster from the black lagoon. It had been cozy in its bin and didn’t appreciate my disturbing it. It fought back. It called upon its wooly ancestors to curse me and thwart my knitty wishes. 

Nevertheless, I persisted. I was rewarded with an array of oddly shaped balls, and I began my project, an Old Shale scarf. What with having nothing but time on my hands (thanks, quarantine!) I finished it the next day. This should be regarded as a minor miracle. I never finish knitting projects, unless it’s Christmas, and even then they’re usually late. 

Old Shale underway

In the end, I played Yarn Chicken and won. I get all the knitting points! Well, not really. I didn’t block it. I get half points. But hey! Finished project! I’m super proud of myself.