diff --git a/src/queue/paired.rs b/src/queue/paired.rs
index 5d32074..84f743f 100644
--- a/src/queue/paired.rs
+++ b/src/queue/paired.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@ impl PairedQueue {
     #[pyo3(signature = (items=None))]
     fn new(items: Option<Py<PyAny>>) -> PyResult<Self> {
         if let Some(py_object) = items {
-            Python::with_gil(|py| Self::new_from_any(py_object.bind(py)))
+            Python::with_gil(|py| Self::from_any(py_object.bind(py))).and_then(|vec| {
+                Ok(Self {
+                    backing: Box::new(BinaryHeap::from_iter(vec)),
+                })
+            })
         } else {
             Ok(Self {
                 backing: Box::new(BinaryHeap::new()),
@@ -63,13 +67,13 @@ impl PairedQueue {
 }
 
 impl<'py> PairedQueue {
-    fn new_from_any(object: &Bound<'py, PyAny>) -> PyResult<Self> {
+    fn from_any(object: &Bound<'py, PyAny>) -> PyResult<Vec<Item<Py<PyAny>, f64>>> {
         if let Ok(vec) = object.extract::<Vec<(Py<PyAny>, f64)>>() {
-            Ok(Self::new_from_vec(vec))
+            Ok(Self::from_vec(vec))
         } else {
             if object.is_instance_of::<PyDict>() {
                 if let Ok(dict) = object.downcast::<PyDict>() {
-                    Self::new_from_map(dict)
+                    Self::from_dict(dict)
                 } else {
                     Err(PyErr::new::<PyTypeError, _>(
                         "Argument claimed to be a dict but wasn't",
@@ -83,16 +87,13 @@ impl<'py> PairedQueue {
         }
     }
 
-    fn new_from_vec(list: Vec<(Py<PyAny>, f64)>) -> Self {
-        Self {
-            backing: Box::new(BinaryHeap::from_iter(
-                list.into_iter()
-                    .map(|(data, priority)| Item::new(data, priority)),
-            )),
-        }
+    fn from_vec(list: Vec<(Py<PyAny>, f64)>) -> Vec<Item<Py<PyAny>, f64>> {
+        list.into_iter()
+            .map(|(data, priority)| Item::new(data, priority))
+            .collect()
     }
 
-    fn new_from_map(dict: &Bound<'py, PyDict>) -> PyResult<Self> {
+    fn from_dict(dict: &Bound<'py, PyDict>) -> PyResult<Vec<Item<Py<PyAny>, f64>>> {
         if let Ok(items) = dict
             .into_iter()
             .map(|(data, priority)| match priority.extract::<f64>() {
@@ -101,9 +102,7 @@ impl<'py> PairedQueue {
             })
             .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, _>>()
         {
-            Ok(Self {
-                backing: Box::new(BinaryHeap::from_iter(items)),
-            })
+            Ok(items)
         } else {
             Err(PyErr::new::<PyTypeError, _>("Dict keys were not floats"))
         }