# Yarn & Dry Rot?



## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

Anyone ever seen yarn dry rot? I picked up a handful of sweaters from the thrift store today, one of my favorites being a nice green 100% Shetland wool sweater. The deconstruction was going well, until I began to unravel the yarn. It seemed like every few feet there would be a yarn break, and when I pulled the yarn firmly, there would be a fine white dust that rose up from the remaining fabric. The dust eventually got to me and caused an allergic reaction, so I wound up unraveling the remainder of the sleeve with my shirt over my nose.

I put square knots on the breaks as I went along (unless a short piece broke, then I just tossed it). From the one sleeve I did get a significant amount of wool, but I'm wondering whether that yarn and all the effort was worth it if this yarn is useless. Since it's fragile, I was thinking a nice woven shawl would probably be the easiest and least stressful on the yarn. That and the breaks in the yarn would be less problematic. Thoughts?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I would throw that yarn away and not think twice about it.

Not every thriftstore sweater is reuseable.

You are having allerigic reactions to the dry rot powdery stuff? 
Gah. 


Throw it away and go take a bath and wash all the clothes and stuff that yucky yarn touched. 

Your health is too important and no matter what you do this will never be 'sound' yarn.

Not worth it. 
Sorry.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

I'd wonder too if they were moth bites. 

The moths leave behind a whitish stuff that would, I assume, just turn to dust over time.

And yep - pitch it. Quickly and thoroughly, and clear up the zone it was in!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Agree.

It is either from moths or from being in a wet place to cause the rot. Just like roosters, there are too many good wool items (roosters) out there to have to deal with a bad one.

Put it to use and compost it.


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

Okay, well I pitched that one in the garbage. It was too much of a headache (literally). But now I'm on the second sweater, and while there is a almost no breakage of the yarn, I'm still sneezing from it. I'm starting to think it's just dust from either wherever they were stored, or the thrift store itself. Once I stop unraveling them, I stop sneezing. 

Maybe I should wash these things before trying to deconstruct them. Anyone else do that with purchased sweaters that you plan to turn back into yarn? I am planning on washing the yarn before using it again. This one I'm working on now is an interesting blue and cream with some funny long hairs on it. No tag on this one to indicate content, so I'll try a burn test later.


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