Continuing to Learn the Hard Way

I sometimes feel that there is a chance that I am missing some sort of essential crafters' DNA which means that I never manage to do things the easy way if I can find a more difficult way to accomplish my aims. Honestly, I amaze myself with my ineptitude at times. (You just know I am going to tell you why now, don't you?)

Last night I decided it was time to start another crochet project. And I already had the yarn ready and waiting. I gave you a peak at it before. It is from Chili, hand dyed and 100% cotton. And it comes in skeins.

Now, I had some sort of vague awareness that I needed to take those skeins and turn them into balls before I started my project. (Please, someone set me right if this incorrect because you may save me from a lot of future mental pain and anguish.)

All I had to do was turn one of these -

- into one of these -

Oh, I know, you can see exactly where this is going. Yes, it took me two and a half hours to accomplish this simple feat. Am I the world's biggest dork? Or is there some secret that no one has let me in on - mostly due to the fact that I never asked up until now? The way things are headed it will take me longer to prepare the yarn than to actually crochet it.

I was ever so careful, really I was. I untied the little offcuts that held the skein together. I laid it out on the sofa beside me. And there were two ends - as there should be, I know! I wasn't sure which end was which, I had a look, decided which was the most logical to start rolling my ball with and it all went downhill from there. Within minutes I had a minute ball of yarn in my hand and beside me lay something akin to the yarn equivalent of dreadlocks. It was ugly and it took a lot of sorting. Hence the unseemly length of time it took me to accomplish this simple task.

I have eight more skeins to do. Someone with more knowledge and/or commonsense than me please comment and tell me what on earth the secret to this is. I will think of some way to repay you. I will.

Meanwhile, there has been more success on the quilting front. Late yesterday afternoon, after a healthy glass of red wine, I decided to have another go at my Sherbet Pips fat quarters - or what remains after the first quilt. I am doing something a little simpler this time and I managed to get all the fabric cut for the blocks which I plan on having twelve of in this pattern. This photo in no way indicates what the quilt will look like. It is just how I kept track of my cut pieces.

And my fussy cuts quilt top is ready for pinning so I hopped on over to the quilt shop this morning to select the backing  and to get more of the red spotty fabric that I used to bind the first Sherbet Pips quilt. To my dismay there was no more of that red spotty left. What?! But there wasn't another fabric which was appropriate for binding the Sherbet Pips. I know because I spent a long time in the quilt shop last time until I stumbled upon my dotty fabric hidden behind a quilt that was hung for display. I understand ordering online is often cheaper but when you need instant gratification only the quilt shop will do.

Fortunately one of the lovely sales people came to my rescue. She found 0.7m behind the counter which was the remains of the last bolt. Yippee! Happy again. So I have what I need to proceed to complete one quilt and bind another, when I get to that stage. Life is good once again. We shall ignore the yarn episode.

As much as I would like to cuddle up to the sewing machine right now I am afraid I have cupcakes to ice and then an Egg Hunt to set up. I think it will be tomorrow before me and my machine talk again. Meanwhile, someone take pity on me so this evening is not spent entirely on rolling up one more skein of yarn. Please.

Susan