What the?!

So, I'm having a marathon knitting week. I need to finish the baby sweater for my friend's baby in time to ship it to her. I'm on the second sleeve and then I have to work on the button band (and I know I'm going to be slow at picking up stitches).

I'm knitting along, getting towards the end of my third ball of yarn and I see a little knot. ??? I mean, literally, the yarn ended and was tied onto another piece of yarn. Since this was at the end of the ball, it was OK. But I thought it was a bit odd.

I've since started on my fourth ball of yarn, and this is what I find.



Another knot! Are you kidding me??? I don't know what to think. I admit, I'm too cheap to go out and spend $7 on nice yarn when I can get it from Ebay for about $3 a ball. This was Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino. I don't believe the person I bought these from tried to cheat me or anything though. The yarn looked new. It wasn't rewound or anything - if it was, they did a fantastic job. Each ball had nice, crisp labels on them. I just don't understand.

Is this normal? I've never seen this on the cheap yarn I buy from other craft stores. Why on the nicer yarn? I'm confused, and disappointed really.