I think yarn is sold in hanks because the standard process for hand-spun yarn is to make it into a big loop (with a tool called a Niddy-Noddy, don't ask me why it is called that), so that it can be soaked in water (kind of the yarn equivalent to blocking) and having the yarn like that enables the water to soak in evenly without tangling it all up. A hank is just that big loop twisted onto itself for compactness. Likewise, hand-dyed yarn also needs to be in that big loop in order for the dye to soak in evenly.

To then convert the hank into a ball is an additional step, which they often don't bother with. Also, the fact that the yarn is in a hank attests to its being hand-spun or hand-dyed "yes, we have the real handmade stuff here, look, it's in a hank!"

@Sobtanian #crochet #knitting #yarn #textilearts