Scramble!

"I met a friend today...she's got too much yarn...if you want to have a look in the boot of my car..." 

We didn't need to be asked twice. Within a matter of seconds, the contents of the boot were transferred to the pub and were being examined enthusiastically by K1S2ers.

Some of it was labelled, more was not and there were several cones of similar seeming yarn but in different colourways. We resorted to basic science to investigate...

Research Question 1: Is the blue yarn the same fibre content as the red yarn?

Research Question 2: Are the blue and red yarns cotton or acrylic.

Investigative strategy: Visual and physical examination followed by burn test.

Apparatus: Source of ignition and associated safety equipment. (The researchers gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Jo behind the bar.)

Method: Following detailed inspection and handling of the yarn samples by an expert panel, a burn test was performed against a known standard (white yarn pictured, 100% cotton.)

Results: The red and blue yarns were very similar in appearance but both were more lustrous and more difficult to break by hand than the white yarn sample. Both the red and blue yarns burned rapidly (a shade too rapidly, resulting in minor burns to the Lead Scientist) whereas the white yarn burned more slowly. On extinguishing the flames by means of rapid exhalation, the white yarn was observed to smoulder whereas the other two yarns were extinguished immediately. 

Inferences: The red and blue yarns are likely to be the same fibre content. This is likely to include man-made fibres. 

Conclusion: The red and blue yarns are suitable to be included in the same project and could safely be re-homed to a single knitter. 

Identification of random yarn would be a fun topic for a future workshop!