Sticky yarn?

[Guest Yarnentangled]

I ran into an aquaintence who is teaching her Girl Scouts how to knit scarves for a charity drive project. Some generous soul cleaned out her stash and gave her troop a ton of old yarn.

 

She said that some yarns get sticky over time. I've never heard of this phenomenon. I felt the yarn and it felt like your average cheapo, sqeaky-when-you-crochet- acrylic Red Heart yarn. Not sticky at all.

 

Does old yarn get "sticky" or change texture?

[RebeccaVelasquez]

hmmmmmmmm - the only sticky yarn i've run across is what happens to be touched by my sons' maple syrup chubby fingers

[threeolivemartini]

well maybe she meant scratchy? i dotn know .. i have never heard of sticky.. maybe she should wash it .. it may have come from a home that had a smoker in it or something and the residue was on it? i have never heard of this either

[LI Roe]

I have skeins of yarns saved for years, both my own and donated yarn in different weights and brands and I have never felt any stickiness at all. Perhaps it was stored with something that made it sticky?? I tuck in fabric softener sheets to keep it smelling fresh but it never made it sticky.

 

LI Roe

[Deb]

Some of the acrylic yarn I got from my Grandma's house was OLD (at least it LOOKED old) - and it has a *sticky* quality to it. I can't really explain it... it's just kinda icky.

[MarvieN]

I agree, the "sticky"ness could very well be from nicotine. I don't smoke in the house anymore, but when we did, everything had a sort of stickiness to it from the nicotine. Course, I didn't crochet then so don't know if yarn would or not... but I would assume so. Washing should do the trick =)

[mythunderbird]

i have never heard of sticky yarn although i agree that nicotine could do that. i have some yarn that my great aunt had from back i the 50's and early 60's and its still nice and soft. she had so much when she passed away and since i am the only on in the family besides her that does any type of croceht, knit ,craft of any kind. i got it ALL!!!!!:)h h:)h h:)h her care taker sent me tons of boxes from southern california where she lived. she had no kids and no one except me in the family ever kept in contact with her. so she left it all to me in her will:faint boxes and boxes of yarn, patterns,hooks and all kinds of craft supplies. it was great although i really miss auntie, but she was 98 years young so she lived a full life. i am still waiting for some of the yarn to talk to me:rotfl have a super night. vicki:wink

[rascal]

I have come across "sticky" yarn before too! I got it at a thrift shop and made a shawl from it - but I had to go wash my hook OFTEN! I couldn't feel the stickiness on the yarn, just the hook would seem sticky after every few rows - The yarn I had was a sportweight and I think was acrylic - I've never had that happen before and hope if doesn't again! Dar

[RebeccaVelasquez]

hey dar - did the stickiness come off the shawl in the wash ?

[Guest christycreations]

Last spring a bought the contents of a crochet studio(that's what he called it,it was so far past a stash) on ebay.I got 15 giant boxes of yarn,patterns and misc.supplies.Anyway some of the yarn had a "sticky?" feel to it.Since i wasn't going to use it right away i unwound the skeins into loose hanks(kind of what you would get with a swift),hand washed it and let it airdry.I turned out as good as new.I just love playing with yarn.<img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/rowofhearts.gif" />

 

 

hope it helps,

Christy