Silly question - Is it wool?

[swapnae]

Hi!

Please may I ask a completely silly question?:confused:confused

When you have a yarn which isn't labelled, how do you find out its composition? That is whether it is made of wool/acrylic/rayon/cotton/whatever? Is there a magic formula?:think:think:think:think

 

PS Why isn't there a smiley for a dunce?!

[Catana]

You're not a dunce at all. It isn't always easy to tell the composition of unlabeled yarn. I recently got some thread and with a burn test and dyeing a small swatch, I have a pretty good idea what it is, but it's not exact, since it's a blend.

 

For the burn test, take a small length of the yarn and burn it (match or stove burner). Be careful since some yarns flare up quickly and you could get burned. When it goes out or you put it out, feel the ash. If it's hard and looks melted, it's a synthetic.

 

According to my burn chart, wool ignites slowly, smolders, and curls away from the flame. It burns slowly with a small flame that will go out when you take it away from the flame. It will have a crisp, dark ash that's round and irregular and will crush easily. The odor is like burning hair

 

If it's a blend, there will be variations in those results. Hope this helps.

[swapnae]

Thanks so much!

I'll try that and see. I'm going to take a snip out of all my yarns and then settle down with a candle and an ashtray.