A Hitch in the Stitch

SNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFF! Pasha had a bit of a cold. When an elephant has a cold it’s a terrible thing, because it takes an awful long time to blow a trunk.

“Have you got a cold, Pasha?” asked his Chinese friend, Lily. “You should dress warmly.”

“But I am dressed warmly,” snuffled Pasha. He was wearing a huge cardigan and a great black coat and two pairs of socks. How much warmer could he get?

“You need a scarf,” went on Lily. “I’ll knit one for you.”

“Thank you very much,” said Pasha politely, although he wasn’t quite sure scarves were quite his thing.

“Let’s see,” said Lily. “How many balls of wool will I need?”

Now that was puzzle indeed. How many balls of wool DID it take to make a scarf for an elephant?
“Well, I’m giving the sheep good business,” said Pasha to himself, and he trundled away, leaving Lily to work out the answer.