Soooooooooooooo frustrated!

[rita821]

Hello Fellow Chrocheters,

 

I am sitting here ready to pull my hair out.....surely that will be easier than trying to pull the yarn out of this skein of yarn. I am still new to crochet and have only started a few skeins of yarn, but I've started them differently. Some seem to unwind naturally from the outside while others seem to start from the inside. This particular skein I started with seemed to start from the inside so that is what I started pulling from. It was working fine for a while then all of a sudden a big clump of tangled knot came out.

 

It took me some time but I was able to untangle that mess and things started flowing again only to jam up again and again and again. I'm fed up and need to know what is the right way to start pulling the yarn out from so this doesn't happen again. Thank you for your advise.

 

rita821

[alohadave]

I pull from the center/end and it usually works fine, but sometimes they just tangle, no matter how you pull it.

[magiccrochetfan]

What kind of yarn is it?  

 

it really depends on how the yarn was wound.  Some are not intended to be pulled from the inside at all.  Some that are supposed to be pulled from the inside (called center-pull) just don't work right and get tangled.  

 

Sometimes there is a note on the label telling how you can pull the yarn from the skein.  

[AngelRoseLite]

I generally pull from the center.  Some yarns, though, have the outside tail tucked into the center, and that tail is holding on to the center of the skein.  First pull that outside tail out or you'll end up with a mess.  After releasing it, then pull the center-pull tail out.  I know many people that don't want to deal with it and just start from the outside.  You can go either way, but if you are going for the center, make sure that the center isn't being held by the outside tail that was tucked in.

[TCarra]

There are some skeins that are just simply "uncooperative" and can make us nuts. But as others have said, check the label to see if the manufacturer states how to unwind. If this particular skein is really making you insane, could you cut the yarn and continue your project using the outside yarn? Just a thought. I know it's easier, though, when the center-pull works right. Good luck to you!!!

[Real Deal]

Most Lion Brand does not pull from the center.

 

Most Red Heart does pull from the center, but it often makes yarn barfs like you had. The bigger skeins will often do a couple huge tangles. I always say my skein is birthing, because that's what it reminds me of ~ you have to work hard to get it out, then it suddenly pops out, then you have a big mess to clean up.

[magiccrochetfan]

I always say my skein is birthing, because that's what it reminds me of ~ you have to work hard to get it out, then it suddenly pops out, then you have a big mess to clean up.

 

you made me laugh out loud with that one! 

[rita821]

I want to thank all of you for your imput, I guess I'm not the only one who has had this problem!

[RoseRed]

It was working fine for a while then all of a sudden a big clump of tangled knot came out.

 

Nope - you're not the only one.  It happens so often that it even has it's own nickname. 

 

It's called 'yarn barf'.

[shuttlebuggy]

Yup - that is what I have always referred to as "yarn barf".

As others have said some skeins are meant to be center-pulled and some are not.

I share in your frustration with the absolute most frustrating skein for me being the large JoAnn Boucle ones -

they are wound overseas and not meant for center-pull.

So in order not to have a yarn football flopping all around while I work - I have to take the extra time to wind them

into cakes which normally is a snap - but not with these skeins - very time consuming and frustrating but well worth it!  

[nanasaidso]

I have pretty much given up on center pulling, because it's such a crap shoot.  I now roll my yarn into balls before I start.  It gives me the advantage of knowing if there are any problems with the yarn I may have to deal with as I go, and it's just so much easier to untangle yarn clots when all I've got is a ball of yarn to move around rather than an actual in-process project.  It's also easier to pull yarn as you work with a ball, rather than having a skein flopping around which is what you get when pulling from the outside of it.  Plus, I love how all the balls of yarn look piled in a basket.  

 

To keep track of what the yarn is, I staple a piece of it to the band and note on the band what I used it for.  I really want to have a binder with top-loading clear pockets to keep the bands in, but although I have the binder and pockets, I just haven't managed to set it up.

[RoseRed]

Call the company and complain.

[magicfan]

I have had yarn that has come from the manufacturer so tangled that I have just given up and thrown it out. Next time (Red Heart) I am going to contact them and see if I can get re-imbursed.

[Corymomma]

Like everyone else it just depends. I stopped working on a project snipped the yarn and balled it up becausei got so frustrated with the knots, I was spending more time unknotting then I was crocheting, and I hatred balling a pound if yarn but it was worth it. I know once years ago I returned the yarn because it was so bad...patience is the main thing, good luck.

[acraftylady]

I use caron simply soft and red heart SS and pull from the center and have no problems excpet once I had 3 skeins of caron that were awful so I contacted them and they sent me 3 new skeins free of charge that were fine so good customer service from them.  Mary

[Fatoldladyinpjs]

It's frustrating. I think it's something with the manufacturing process. I don't remember the skeins being that hard to crochet with 20 years ago.