  Chirality, ubiquitous in complex biological systems, can be controlled and
quantified in synthetic materials such as cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC)
systems. In this work, we study spherical shells of CLC under weak anchoring
conditions. We induce anchoring transitions at the inner and outer boundaries
using two independent methods: by changing the surfactant concentration or by
raising the temperature close to the clearing point. The shell confinement
leads to new states and associated surface structures: a state where large
stripes on the shell can be filled with smaller, perpendicular sub-stripes, and
a focal conic domain (FCD) state, where thin stripes wrap into at least two,
topologically required, double spirals. Focusing on the latter state, we use a
Landau-de Gennes model of the CLC to simulate its detailed configurations as a
function of anchoring strength. By abruptly changing the topological
constraints on the shell, we are able to study the interconversion between
director defects and pitch defects, a phenomenon usually restricted by the
complexity of the cholesteric phase. This work extends the knowledge of
cholesteric patterns, structures that not only have potential for use as
intricate, self-assembly blueprints but are pervasive in biological systems.
