When I buy hanks of yarn I have to convert them from a measured amount of yarn wrapped together, bound with string and twisted into a small rectangular shape into a ball from which to knit. A typical hank of yarn you purchase at the LYS A hank of unwrapped and unwound yarn As you can see from the photo just above, I would not be able to knit with this yarn because it will get incredibly tangled. So this hank needs to be converted into a ball. This can be done by simply slipping the unwrapped hank over your knees or the back of a chair and winding the yarn into a spherical shape rocking back and forth so the yarn doesn't twirl around and tangle itself . There are two problems with this technique. First, if you are doing a large project you can spend a good deal of time winding the yarn before you start knitting. (Delayed gratification is generally not a strong suit for most knitters) ...
Getting it together one stitch at a time.