"That's what friends are for"

I am really excited to start a new knitting project, one that almost didn't happen. I had purchased hand spun, hand dyed beautiful yarn earlier this month at the knitting festival. It's a soft and warm angora and silk blend (I think if I recall). Beautiful hues of purple, berries, blues and silvers. Really unique.

I was so excited to start knitting with it that I began without the yarn (about 500 yards) being wound into a ball. I figured that it wouldn't matter. ha ha ha ha ha ha. Boy did I learn the hard way! After about 10 rows, the thing became a huge tangled mess. And while I enjoy untangling knots, I found myself really frustrated with this. I tried one end. I tried the other. I tried from the middle. Nothing! It just became a huge mess!!!

I almost threw it away - $30 down the drain and a hard lesson learned. Well, luckily I just threw it into a ziplock bag to revisit one day in the future. Or to offer to anyone who wanted a challenge; they could keep the darn yarn as their prize - I just had to step away! I took it to my friend's party last weekend for any takers...

Well, my friend Michelle took up the challenge and said it was like her Zen project - she sat with it in her lap last weekend and some how, lord only knows, got it all untangled! I told her that she needed to keep the yarn, but she refused. She gave the yarn back on Tuesday in the sweetest fashion - it literally brought tears to my eyes. Note the sweet message on the bag.

I know just the project I'm going to make with it. It is a bit more challenging than I'm used to (considering I'm a square / baby blanket making kind of girl) but I am up to the challenge.