Yarn companies -- Are you listening?

[stitcher123]

I have spent 6 hours so far trying to untangle the "VOMIT" that came out from the inside of a skein of Bernat baby yarn 8.5 oz size.  I thought I had found the right path on the inside yarn when I started and have about 2 inches completed on a baby doll sweater.  And I'm still not done.....if I'm lucky I will get it untangled sometime today.  The knotted mess was so bad from the inside "VOMIT" that I found the outside yarn and starting ball winding with a winder from the outside.  If I wasn't so far along with the sweater I would just throw the whole thing away.

 

Come on yarn companies.....can't you take a piece of clear tape and tape onto the ball band the inside yarn so we pull it correctly out of the middle from the beginning? 

 

 

If we reach inside and grab it over or under a few rounds we are destined for a mess.  When you have these jumbo skeins the chances of a VOMIT mess are greater as the inside slowly comes out and the outside has no support.

 

Make it a little easier on us from the start...PLEASE!!!!

 

Thanks for letting me vent...I think I'm just overtired as I stayed up to 3 am working on my VOMIT and I'm still sick with VOMIT!!!

 

 

 

JILLfromWI

[magiccrochetfan]

I believe RoseRed meant to cut out the part that is tangled, then continue pulling out from the center for the rest of the project.  Later, after you've finished the project, you could take time to untangle the cut-out portion, when your nerves aren't so frazzled!

Makes sense!  I no longer try to use anything as a center pull so i guess i'm out of touch on those tangles lol.  the most recent tangle I had was a hank where the yarn had slipped around and was crossing itself in a number of places so there was no way to cut it; that is what I was thinking of.  

[DolceRubie]

take photos of the issue ,go to the vendors web site and contact customer service ,be sure to have the label to write the name of the yarn,dyelot, upc code. Color of the yarn,  This way they will be able to fix this problem during production. 

When spoken in a polite manner to them.. mentioning your frustration, they might send you replacement yarn within few weeks.

I had a problem myself with Bernat Mosaic yarn. Unfortunately there were tie ins from each skein.. i mentioned the problem showing them via photo in an email and got helped out.  sometimes these things happen. however the vendor is aware of the flaw ..despite the tie ins, i finished the blanket for myself, sent the rep the photo of my work and all is good..

[Granny Square]

I think what Aggie May meant by knots, by the way she phrased it, is tangles--not the splicing  knots which seemto be more common these days. 

 

When you are untangling 'barf', it is never in a knot unless you pull a thread through a loop and create one yourself.  The skeins are wound linearly, not looped in  real knots.   You should never have to do more than gently pull, or loosen a clump so you can pull, the yarn loose from the clump.  Perversely, it always seems to pull/untangle easier at the end farthest from your work

[RoseRed]

Yeah, me too.  When I come across a skein that has more than 4 I call and complain about it.  Joanns has always been very good about replacing it.

[sarisue]

quote>>>>There should be no real "knots" so to speak because of the way yarn is made into balls. It will have 2 ends and nowhere will it actually be tied into a knot, unless you do this yourself in the process.<<<end quote
 

 

I disagree Yes there are often knots put in by the manufacturer when winding the yarn for sale..

 I have had numerous skeins with knots put in by the manufacturer. I wrote to them and they replyed that sometimes they did this to fill a skien  and it was normal to have them, they also said not to use them to redo it yourself as they weren't secure enough to crochet leaving them in.
 

[Aggie May]

I have spent 6 hours so far trying to untangle the "VOMIT" that came out from the inside of a skein of Bernat baby yarn 8.5 oz size.  I thought I had found the right path on the inside yarn when I started and have about 2 inches completed on a baby doll sweater.  And I'm still not done.....if I'm lucky I will get it untangled sometime today.  The knotted mess was so bad from the inside "VOMIT" that I found the outside yarn and starting ball winding with a winder from the outside.  If I wasn't so far along with the sweater I would just throw the whole thing away.

 

Come on yarn companies.....can't you take a piece of clear tape and tape onto the ball band the inside yarn so we pull it correctly out of the middle from the beginning? 

 

 

If we reach inside and grab it over or under a few rounds we are destined for a mess.  When you have these jumbo skeins the chances of a VOMIT mess are greater as the inside slowly comes out and the outside has no support.

 

Make it a little easier on us from the start...PLEASE!!!!

 

Thanks for letting me vent...I think I'm just overtired as I stayed up to 3 am working on my VOMIT and I'm still sick with VOMIT!!!

 

 

 

JILLfromWI

Here is my 2c worth.

Some yarns cannot be used from the outside so finding the centre is very important, especially with the very large, 250g to 400g balls available.

Imagine having a ball that size flopping about as you worked from the outside. No yarn bowl would cope with that.

 

When you pull the middle out of a ball of yarn, even if there is a huge tangle, you can usually find just one thread going back into the ball.

This is the end I work with, instead of the outside end. Pull back from the tangle towards the ball as long as you can then go to the other end and do the same.

Giving the mess a good shake can also help.

If you have to, give the short end of your yarn a gentle pull and see where it moves inside the tangle then you can pull it through until the short end is free. If you can do this several times you will soon have your yarn liberated ready for use.

 

There should be no real "knots" so to speak because of the way yarn is made into balls. It will have 2 ends and nowhere will it actually be tied into a knot, unless you do this yourself in the process.

Remember, it is usually the fibres on the yarn that stick together causing the "knots"

Believe me, I get frustrated too and have been known to cut off the mess and go back to it later, depending on how far from the end it is and what I am making.

Good luck with your next ball of yarn.

Have fun.

Colleen

[RoseRed]

eh, I just wiggle it around a bit and it loosens up enough to work it free.  I'm so used to it that it's just part of working with the yarn.

 

I never actually wondered why it did that before.  Cool.

[wheat]

Really?  For me, I usually find the yarn barf in the beginning - like the first inch or two of the center.

 

I suspect this is when the outer wraps implode as the yarn empty space is created inside. 

 

Inserting a paper towel cardboard often helps with this.

[RoseRed]

I find the big "pounder" (or so) skeins are the ones most likely to vomit, especially when you get down to about half the ball - it's like there's a party going on in the available space inside and a mess is made! I especially hate the vomit when it's a yarn that's difficult to deal with under good circumstances.

 

Really?  For me, I usually find the yarn barf in the beginning - like the first inch or two of the center.

[Avon Lady]

 May I make a suggestion, please?  Instead of using the V-word, could you please just say "Yarn Barf"??    My stomach turns over every time I hear "vomit"!    Thanks for listening.

[JulieW8]

I find the big "pounder" (or so) skeins are the ones most likely to vomit, especially when you get down to about half the ball - it's like there's a party going on in the available space inside and a mess is made! I especially hate the vomit when it's a yarn that's difficult to deal with under good circumstances.

[LI Roe]

I am odd. I have spent a couple of hours untangling yarn and sometimes find it relaxing, believe it or (k)not! People just shake their heads at me. I don't often find huge tangles and avoid the brands that I have had trouble with more than just a couple of times (i.e. - Pound of Love yarn - I've heard it referred to as Pound of Knots).

 

I mostly use Red Heart and hardly ever have a problem. I've also reached into a skein now and then and simply pulled out a section from the inside and made my own center pull.

 

 

I have also found it relaxing to untangle yarn, sometimes it is my fault and I have tugged it the wrong way, other times it is difficult to find. If I like the yarn and it is hard to get it from the inside, I just start from the outside. Sometimes the label will indicate which side to start from (in the inside)

 

LI Roe

[webpen]

I just had this same problem near the beginning of a project. Fortunately I had 3 skeins of yarn for a shawl so I just rewound another ball, cut the yarn and continued. It took over 2 hours to untangle the original mess. Just checked the brand - Bernat baby yarn.

[stitcher123]

I've emailed Bernat and will let you know what they say....

 

JILLfromWI

[yarnjeannie]

I am odd. I have spent a couple of hours untangling yarn and sometimes find it relaxing, believe it or (k)not! People just shake their heads at me. I don't often find huge tangles and avoid the brands that I have had trouble with more than just a couple of times (i.e. - Pound of Love yarn - I've heard it referred to as Pound of Knots).

 

I mostly use Red Heart and hardly ever have a problem. I've also reached into a skein now and then and simply pulled out a section from the inside and made my own center pull.

[stitcher123]

Just as an aside, how much more per skein would you be willing to pay for the "tape" leader on the end?

 

This yarn is made in Turkey.....

 

I work with manufacturing in the garment industries and we import from China, Korea, and Vietnam.  If a zipper pocket is less than $.25 on an winter jacket, then I think a piece of scotch tape would be miniscule.  I would be willing to pay for the extra time, costs, but I don't think it would be very much.  Like I said....I think if we don't complain, they think we are happy.  Also, this merchandise is made in Turkey (and elsewhere) and is shipped directly to warehouses (Joann's/Walmart,etc) and is shipped directly to stores.  Unless the manufacturer has a contact overseas doing detailed inspections, they don't realize what is coming out of the factories until they get complaints.  Believe it or not, we've found zippers- FULL SIZE, seam rippers, other cutting tools, etc....sewn right into the garments,usually inside the linings.  We've now demanded that the factories x-ray the garments before shipping for this reason. 

 

JILLfromWI

 

Do others think the yarn is more knotted (meaning yarn tied throughout) and it is not wound as well as it was in the past?  I did find three separate knots in this skein.

[stitcher123]

I finally cut out the last tangled mess and said enoughs, enough.  Even with cutting out the biggest birdsnest I ended up with 3 different balls.  Back to finishing the doll sweater.  If I hadn't been almost done I would have cut it off to begin with and not mess with it.  I'm just frustrated that they tell you to pull from the center....and you can't.  I feel if I had pulled it wrong right from the start is one thing, but to be 4-5 inches into a project and then have the insides vomit out at you, is unacceptable.  I am going to contact Bernat on this.  I'm making sweaters for American Girl  to donate for charity for the local nuns fall festival sale.  I hate wasting the yarn as I want to give them as many as I can....

 

Back to crocheting!!!

 

Can you tell I didn't get much sleep....I worked on this knotted mess from midnight to 3 am....then it took me from 7:30 to 1:30 pm to finally get this resolved.  Overtired and frustrated!!!

 

Have a great Sunday everyone.....

 

JILLfromWI

[RoseRed]

That's what I meant.

[Avon Lady]

Probably because if its realy tangled, you would have to cut it in many places, and end up with a bunch of very short pieces of yarn that you couldnt crochet with ;-)

I believe RoseRed meant to cut out the part that is tangled, then continue pulling out from the center for the rest of the project.  Later, after you've finished the project, you could take time to untangle the cut-out portion, when your nerves aren't so frazzled!

[magiccrochetfan]

Why don't you just cut it and get back to crocheting?

Probably because if its realy tangled, you would have to cut it in many places, and end up with a bunch of very short pieces of yarn that you couldnt crochet with ;-)

[wheat]

If it says that on the label, then you have a reasonable complaint. 

 

If you want the yarn company to listen, perhaps you may want to consider contacting their customer service

 

Or, contact customer service for the store where you purchased the yarn

 

Just as an aside, how much more per skein would you be willing to pay for the "tape" leader on the end? 

[RoseRed]

Why don't you just cut it and get back to crocheting?

[katyallen815]

Im not sure I have ever spent that much time on untangling any yarn!! That is unheard of!! You poor thing! Kudos for your tenacity, and determination on putting that rather frustrating and beligerent yarn in it's place! We are bigger than the yarn, we are smarter than the yarn, we WILL win!!!!!!!! Know that is a fact yarn!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stitcher123]

Just to clarify....Bernat says clearly on their label....1)  START FROM THE CENTER.....or 2) Start the project from the outside tail.  If they want us to start from the center....they should make it a little easier.  I look at it this way, if we don't tell them we have frustration with their products, there is no reason for them to make any changes.  Yarn has been basically wound the same for years and years...there must be a better way. 

 

I learned my lesson and won't buy this brand again in this size.....this is the second skein in less than a month I've had this problem.  Too much yarn and the middle collapses from the inside out and you get "vomit",

 

PS:  I'm now on 5 hours this morning and still not "unvomited".  It is so hard with having a project started and hanging in the way.....I so hate this yarn right now!!!

[wheat]

In fairness, many of these were/are never intended to be center pull balls.   There are legitimate techical reasons why not.

 

Are yarn users inventive enough to pull out a wad of yarn to try to force a center pull by untangling and then using?

 

Of course we are <G>

 

In most cases if you don't see a "leader" coming from the center - then it is unlikely to have been intended as a center pull product. 

 

And yes, it would add significantly to the cost of production because it would require significant investment in equipment (we are talking multi million if not billion) not really reasonable to expect in the up/down economy of craft product sales. For the majority of Yarn manufacturers (very different from distributors) the "hobby" business averages less than 20% and more like under 10% of their total business. 

 

It is very clear to these manufacturers that the hobby buyer will not pay the added costs particularly when you have the chains squeezing them to cut prices. And the "LYS" market is an even smaller percentage of the larger industrial yarn market.

 

We all want what we want, but we need to be fair.