Salvaged yarn

Dear yarn lovers,

Since my city was struck by an earthquake a while ago, there were many piles of trash from emptied apartments on the streets. Once I found a huge bag of yarn, waiting to be thrown away. Of course I took it home, but now I’m a bit scared to use it. There’s two kinds of yarn, but I can’t tell what material they are. I’m a little worried about their quality being ruined, one of them seems to pull apart too easily when tugged on. Maybe it was hand spun? The other seems more sturdy. I also have other found yarns and threads I want to resurrect after being kept in bad condition for a long time. Does anyone have experience, any tips or advice? Is it possible to wash yarn while it’s still in skeins? I would be so sad to let it go to waste. Any help is appreciated :cold_sweat:

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There are tests you do to detect the fiber contents of mystery yarn, I’ll try to find the link, but if the fiber is unknown it’s best to go with the most careful method first

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Thank you so so much, I will definitely try this! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Such a great guide, thank you again for the info :sparkling_heart:
I haven’t tried the burn test yet, but soaking in hot water proved it’s most likely synthetic. The lighter brown yarn also looks very sparkly in sunlight. The other might still be a mix of something else, as it looks a lot more dull from afar. Will do some more tests! :blush:

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The darker fuzzy one with the tiny white thread in it looks to be a brushed acrylic that was supposed to have an angora look to it and I’m betting the thread is nylon and what holds the fibers in (look up how chenille is made)

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That makes sense, I was still hoping it’s not entirely synthetic. Still, free yarn! Even if it takes a bunch of my time to wash and test :slight_smile:
Thank you again, your advice was very helpful :pray:

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i have no idea, but hopefully you can find a way! i’m sorry that your city was hit with a earthquake, hope everyone is ok!

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Thank you for the concern! Yeah it was already 2 years ago if I’m correct, my sense of time is really off since covid lol. There is still a lot of very visible damage around the city but few people were harmed. Every now and then I get to rummage through some new piles of waste from old buildings to look for yarn and other treasures :')

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