Did you ever think there could be Zen associated with untangling yarn? Well, pull up a cup of coffee/tea and take some notes. If you work with Yarn chances are you’ve run into the dreaded tangled yarn mess we cannot escape.
Tangled yarn can be a source of stress for anyone working on completing a project only to be stopped by the need to untangle yarn. However, tangled yarn doesn’t have to be a stressful situation. I hope this post will help you find the Zen in untangling your yarn.
Not all yarns are created equal
Before you begin the task of untangling yarn it’s important to note that not all yarns are created equal. What I mean by that is it may not be the best use of your time to untangle some yarns especially if you are in business. Can you answer yes to any of these questions?:
- Did the skein/ball of yarn cost less than $5?
- Have you already spent about 30 minutes trying to untangle the yarn with little success?
- Is the yarn tangled with other items?
Not all tangles are created equal
Now that you’ve determined that the yarn is worth saving, you may want to consider how the yarn got tangled so you’re ready for the time commitment it may take to untangle the yarn.
If the yarn was tangled by a child or pet, it may be riddled with knots that may not come out easily. It may also be tangled with other items making it a double task. If it was tangled by movement while working then you’ve only got a series of loops to work with so it should be easier to untangle.
Options for staying Zen
- Consider watching a movie while in the process
- Consider listening to an audio book while in the process
- Now may be a good time to call and talk to a friend to catch up
- Consider cutting out any knots you find and tying the yarn together leaving long tails for easy weaving once the project you’re using the yarn for is complete.
- As you untangle the yarn, begin rolling the untangled part into a ball so you can keep track of the yarn and so it’s more difficult for the yarn to get tangled again once you’ve done the work.
- When you start using a skein of yarn, be sure to pull the end from the middle of the skein to keep it from bouncing around.
- Create an easy yarn holder from soda bottles with this tutorial, to help keep yarns untangled especially when working with many colors together.
- Use the plastic bags that come with comforters or other linens to hold all the colors of your project, then punch the needed holes in the bag pulling one color through each hole. That will keep the yarns clean, untangled and stored until the end of the project
Untangling yarn doesn’t have to be stressful. Determine the value of untangling a ball of yarn and go from there. Do you have any tips, tricks or ideas to share on how to easily untangle or keep yarn from getting tangled? Leave your ideas below, we’d love to get any help we can.
The post The Zen of untangling yarn: how to make it a calming experience appeared first on Yarn Obsession.
