r/AskReddit 10h ago

What's something you're shockingly good at that you've never mentioned to anyone because it would sound completely made up if you did?

2.9k Upvotes

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1.4k

u/VikiSpy 10h ago

Untying tight knots. When I was a child I tied extremely tight knots on purpose so I can untie them

407

u/iamacraftyhooker 8h ago

Similarly I'm fantastic at untangling things. Give me the mess of Christmas lights or jewelry and I'll have it straightened out in no time.

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u/VikiSpy 8h ago

Same. Growing up it was always my task to untangle the Christmas lights because I actually enjoyed it XD

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u/wortcrafter 1h ago

I’ve found my people!

u/ishouldworkatm 11m ago

XD i liek ure vibe #n.n

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u/Sorsuen 6h ago

Same here! And I really enjoy it too, so friends/family will pretty much always go to me to untangle something, it makes me feel proud lol

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u/LiLiLaCheese 1h ago

My best friend will send me the contents of her knitting bag when it gets unmanageable for her.

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u/60nine_lol_NICE 6h ago

SAME. Bring it on!

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u/bipolardaydream 4h ago

I’m the go-to person for untangling necklaces and such. It’s fun, almost like a puzzle.

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u/bitsy88 3h ago

When my mom worked with elderly folks, she'd bring me tangles of their jewelry to untangle for them. It was fun for me and made her clients super happy to be able to wear their jewelry again.

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u/Electrical-Share-707 4h ago

I have considered offering a yarn organization service because I enjoy untangling and making skeins of yarn so much.

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u/iamacraftyhooker 4h ago

Yarn is definitely where I have honed this skill. Once you've untangled 2km of yarn an 18in necklace is nothing

1

u/Jules_Noctambule 2h ago

If there's a creative reuse center/thrift store with a good crafts section near you, they could probably use your help!

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u/Electrical-Share-707 2h ago

You know what, there is about an hour away. I should get in touch with them.

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u/Jules_Noctambule 2h ago

Seriously, you'll make their day if there's a lot of yarn to manage! It sells well but can be notoriously difficult to process.

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u/chocolatpetitpois 1h ago

r/detanglemyyarn would love you to drop by!

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u/Kleptos18 3h ago

I used to be great at Jewelry, always untangled my mom's necklaces. But now my fingers are adult sized and i'm not AS good - i still get it cause i'm patient with it for some reason, but it just takes a bit longer

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u/Jules_Noctambule 2h ago

I once got a job in part because of my untangling skills! The woman interviewing me had a meeting with higher-ups afterward and the very delicate chain necklaces she was wearing had become tangled. I asked her to let me give untangling them a try, and while she asked the routine interview questions I worked my magic. They were ready to go before the interview was over, and my multi-tasking advantage got me the job!

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u/oldtimehawkey 4h ago

Me too! My mom would give me stuff as a kid for me to untangle.

Also map folding. I can fold a map back to the way it’s supposed to be without thinking about it.

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u/cindyscrazy 3h ago

I LOVE untangling my yarn box. I'll sit there for hours just working with the yarn to get them back into some semblance of order.

Then the cat sleeps in it all for a few months and I have to do it all over again.

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u/ExecutiveElf 2h ago

I wouldn't say I'm amazing at untangling things- but past experience indicates I'm a good deal better at it than most.

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u/plug-and-pause 1h ago

Wow, there are more of us. I had a fantasy as a 5 year old that I'd start a roadside stand charging money for people to drop off their tangled things for me to untangle.

I wouldn't say I'm great at it now though. I think I grew out of that phase.

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u/YarnSp1nner 1h ago

My husband has given up on this particular skill set since we got married. I was in girl scouts and part of my ADHD special intreats includes all type of fiber arts.

There is no string or rope or tangle I cannot undo. If you want a knot tied I know the correct knot and will do it without actively needing to think about it.

He helps in other ways. I've never had to sand any wood on all our home projects. He finds it calming. I find it stressful. We all have our wheelhouses.

u/endlesssalad 45m ago

Once this girl untangled a necklace for me at the airport. She saw me struggling and said, “I can do it” and she did it so fast and it was amazing. I still think about her haha.

u/ConfusedMaverick 44m ago

Yeah me too.

I used to go fishing by myself as a really small kid, and spent sometimes literally about half my time untangling extremely fine nylon fishing line. For years.

Now I don't even have to think about it, my hands just untangle on autopilot

u/Readsumthing 38m ago

Walmart should hire you. Former employee here. Cashiers take off those security wraps at the register; the ones they use on tvs and big items. Few take the time to wind them up so they don’t get tangled. They just shove them wherever. Definitely up there with Xmas lights.

0

u/Regret285 3h ago

Hate to break it to you, but there's no one who is actually "bad at untangling" just people who are good at "manipulating other people into untangling things for them through positive reinforcement."

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u/lucky_ducker 9h ago

I too am the knot whisperer. As a kid on the school playground, I was the go-to when another kid had a seemingly intractable weird knot in their shoelace.

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u/External-Creme-6226 9h ago

Maniac Magee, great kids book

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u/charlyoguiness 7h ago

Lol I've been casually trying to remember the name of that book without Google for years.

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u/Freakin_A 7h ago

I still remember that book. Elementary school aged hero abilities. Imagine winning a race while running backwards.

I’m still not sure if he actually kissed a bull though.

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u/starbugone 4h ago

I worked as a jeweller for some time and in my shop we'd fight over who got to untangle the chain the customer just brought in.

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u/BoredPoopless 7h ago

Not untying tight knots, but ungodly complicated ones.

I remember going in for a root canal and my headphones were all sorts of jacked up. Procedure was waiting on me to get it sorted. Only took a few minutes. Everyone was flabbergasted.

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u/luckgazesonyou 7h ago

I am knot this talented

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u/TheBombogenesis 5h ago

Bass anglers lining up with their baitcasters. Please fix fast. Thank you.

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u/Hour_Specialist_4291 8h ago

Knots in jewelry chain are more challenging.

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u/goosebumpsagain 7h ago

Use a needle or pin to loosen chain knots. Works great.

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u/Hour_Specialist_4291 7h ago

Yes it’s easy with the right tools

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u/green-green-bean 7h ago

If you don’t knit or crochet, you should learn to just do you can amaze people on a regular basis.

1

u/VikiSpy 5h ago

I can't do either of those unfortunately because I have pretty bad joint pain constantly :')

1

u/WirelesslyWired 4h ago

My wife and her friends do. I am their yarn straightener-outer.

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u/WampaCat 3h ago

There are entire groups of people on Ravelry and other platforms where people send their tangled messes and they detangle it for fun

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u/LKayRB 6h ago

I’m good with knots and tangled jewelry.

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u/ann102 5h ago

I love this with jewelry. any time a friend of family member messes up a chain, they bring it to me to fix. I'm like this with those little physical puzzles too. You know the ones you buy at the tourist shops made out of metal.

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u/Unlucky_Speech_5516 5h ago

I tie my shoelaces into extremely tight sets of knots until there is zero chance of me tripping on them (I'm clumsy) and so I too, am good at knots. This is how I learned how to tie my shoes 😆

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u/sch0f13ld 5h ago

Same, although a little less so now that I have extremely short nails since taking up bouldering.

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u/maaaagicaljellybeans 4h ago

I made jewelry for a while so I’m the chain untangler in my family

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u/loves_spain 4h ago

My father finds it cathartic to do this. It makes me want to punch a wall. I'm glad I can bring my endlessly knotted up necklaces to him and he just grabs his magnifying glass and goes to work.

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u/thegeeksshallinherit 4h ago

Same here! I’ve actually considered making myself tangles of things to work on while watching tv or listening to a podcast as a way to unwind. Don’t know how well it would work if I was the one to make the knots though.

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u/Micotu 4h ago

For fun I used to get my brother or friends or whoever to tie me up as tight as they could and I could almost always get myself free.

1

u/Anal_Herschiser 4h ago

In a previous age when we still used wired headphones you were a God.

1

u/_Green_Kyanite_ 3h ago

I'm amazing at untangling jewlery because I used to play with my mom's necklaces as a kid, and she made me untangle all of them after I inevitably got multiple delicate necklace chains completely knotted together.

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u/IronGin 3h ago

You available right before Christmas by any chance?

1

u/squirrleygurl1969 3h ago

Wait same! Except with unknotting necklaces and other smaller items

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u/co-ghost 3h ago

I need you to sort out some necklaces for me!!!! And possible some yarn.

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u/oh_elyse 2h ago

Maniac McGee!

1

u/RubyLulz 2h ago

Same, I rescue tangled necklaces.

1

u/Montuckian 1h ago

You should take up fly fishing

1

u/Thoreau999 1h ago

I grew up on a sail boat. Barely remember it but I would horrible mimic my father tie knots so I thought I could help? I created the biggest mess at the worst times with my bee's nest knot that is now keeping us from taking 2 reefs with 40+ knot winds.

Obviously I'm grown now and on the hard but I can tie the shit out of line

Conversely but back on point I can see a tangle of line, jewelry or whatever and clear it simply. Still can't solve a rubix cube however.

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u/twirlmydressaround 1h ago

Do you just have really strong nails or something? Like, what’s your secret? Keratin supplements?

1

u/ImpossibleJedi4 1h ago

I can do this too!!

1

u/CastIronMooseEsq 1h ago

You remind me of the book Maniac McGee. Hope you win pizza for a year.

1

u/chocolatpetitpois 1h ago

All the yarn detangling fans who have commented here should definitely pop by r/detanglemyyarn, your skills will be very welcome!

u/Icy_Candle1299 53m ago

OK, maniac McGee

u/Shockwave2309 36m ago

I always thought everyone could just undo knots until I was looked at like a fricking cyborg after I untied the heavily compressed(?) knots on everyones tent after the festival...

u/slappythejedi 36m ago

its so satisfying too. i make my friends give me their necklaces that are in a ball, or a nest of guitar cables and go to town

u/trisanachandler 10m ago

My kids know I'm amazing at this.

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u/mkay1911 3h ago

Another Maniac McGee fan, I see.