Persistent Knitter

Math is a fickle thing.  You get two balls of yarn that are supposed to be 50g each. They should total up 100g when you weigh them together.  If you forget to weigh them ahead of time, you can weigh the finished item and see how much it weighs. Just because you’ve changed the form of the yarn into something (say, a pair of socks) it should still weigh 100 grams if you used all the yarn.

I bought a scale a while back that lets me weigh in ounces and grams. It’s actually quite handy and very accurate.  I mostly use it to weigh yarn, but occasionally weigh a package to be mailed (yes, you can add too much tape so that you go over the 1lb mark)

I finished the first full sock; and haven’t woven in ends yet.  The pattern (the August SOTM from theknitter.com) uses two colors; and I was curious how much yarn I had left.  I threw the extra yarn onto the scale, and wow- exactly 50g left!

Note that the mutant sock is part of the yarn that isn’t in the "real" sock. It’s a bummer to have to knit the sock pattern three times; but at least the second sock fits, and the third sock should be darn near perfect and much easier to make since I can compare it to the second sock.

After I got my needles out of the finished sock, I decided for fun to throw that on the scale. It only weighs 42 grams!! That’s 8 whole grams of yarn that has vaporized into nothingness.  (I didn’t weave in ends on the mutant sock, they are just tucked inside, so I can’t say that is where tha extra 8g of yarn went)

So why does 42 + 50 equal 100g in the world of yarn?

Part of it is due to where the yarn is manufactured and made into it’s final ball form (also called the "put-up". See String-or-Nothing for a great article on different forms of yarn and why things are they way they are)

Some places have more humidity than others. I happen to live in a fairly dry climate. The moisture content of anything is sucked right out and into thin air.  My hands, skin, yarn, you name it.  If the yarn was created and wound into balls where there is a lot more moisture in the air it’s possible it was weighed and it was a full 50g when it started. Then after being shipped here, moisture loss occurs, and suddenly It’s a few grams less than it was.

At least this is what I tell myself to not feel ripped off.  I’ll have more than enough yarn to make my second sock - although I’ll probably have to rip out the mutant sock to get it completely done.

I’ll make a note to next time weigh the balls of yarn before I start.  Yeah, right. :)