Splitty Yarn: Why it happens and what to do about it!

Help, my yarn is splitting!  Why am I having this problem?

[The following tale is a common event and in no way a reflection on any particular customer.  It is just something that happens often at a yarn shop.]

My story.

A customer and their pattern walk into a yarn shop looking for the perfect project yarn.  What happens next could happen to any yarn shop owner. 

The owner immediately takes the customer to what they believe will be the just-right-fiber for the project.  The customer takes one look and shakes their head giving a big fat NO.  “I’ve heard that yarn is very splitty,” they say.  No worries because there are lots of other choices and I’m happy to report the customer finds something they are pleased with, and we have a happy ending to our tale.

Now, every time this happens to me here at She Sells Yarn and More I want to stop and have a conversation with the customer about that perception of yarn being “splitty.”  Since there isn’t time to do that on a daily basis, I thought I’d use this opportunity to give my two cents.

Here is the gist of my message folks … Yarn is inherently splitty!  It was born to split!  Of course, some yarn fibers split more easily than others.

Let me tell you why…

[WARNING:  I am about to over-simplify some very complicated processes!]

Yarn consists of very fine strands of fiber from two main sources.  The first category comes from animals, such as sheep, llamas, alpacas, goats and even little bunnies.  Heck, I’ve heard of people spinning with their pet’s fur!

The second category comes from spinning fibers from plants such as cotton, hemp, linen, and bamboo.  They are even using seaweed mixed with tree fibers for some yarns! 

Some of those fibers, like linen, are made by softening and then separating the inner fibers to be spun. 

Other plants, such as bamboo and beech trees are made by breaking down the plant to its cellulose level and then regenerated into fiber.   You might recognize those types of yarn and materials by their branded names such as Lyocell, Rayon, and Modal.  Each producer uses a different process resulting in different characteristics for their fiber. 

But no matter where the fiber comes from, it ends up being spun, or twisted, to create long strands.   After individual strands are spun, they are twisted again in groups of two or more.  Yes, there is such a thing as single-ply yarn, but even that will consist of even finer strands of fiber that have been spun.

So, there you have it.  Multiple strands spun together.  Guess what can happen when you poke it with the tip of a knitting needle or crochet hook?  Those strands can split apart.  And why do we hate that?  Because those dangling little splits can make our finished project look pretty dang yucky!

Of course, how easily your yarn splits depends on how tightly the individual strands are spun or how well those strands mix with each other.  I personally have great affection for loosely spun yarn, especially when it is plant-based, because I find it results in a looser and more flexible (dare I say, softer?) fabric.  So, this is something I’ve had to struggle with a lot which is my way of saying, “I feel your pain!”

Ok, now we know why yarn is inherently splitty.  But here comes the big question. 

Is there a way to keep yarn from splitting?

So, now we’ve admitted that yarn is inherently splitty, is there a way we can stop that from happening?  Well, the answer is “maybe.”  Let’s face it, I can’t make any promises here!  But I can tell you that there are some factors in your stitching that might help alleviate splitting your yarn fibers. 

Ways to avoid splitting yarn:

• Gauge:  The smaller and tighter your stiches are the harder it will be to get your needle or hook through them to create your new stitch without splitting the individual plied strands.  If you are working with a yarn that is spun very loosely or is made from different fibers that don’t hold their twist tightly together, you might want to save them for projects that call for a looser gauge.  I’m thinking of something like the Ranunculus sweater or Cancun Boxy top.  I say this rather than suggesting you just go up a needle size or two on your project.  Once you start doing that to accommodate your splitty yarn, you run the risk of not matching the pattern’s gauge which leads to math. 

• Your chosen needles or hook:  Needles and hooks come in a huge variety of styles.  [I feel another blog coming on with this topic!]  Tips that are very pointy can have a big impact when knitting or crocheting with loosely plied yarn.  Play around with different brands until you find one that works for you.  Our shop carries several lines of needles and hooks but I’m especially fond of the Lykke Driftwood circular needles because I find their tips to be quite universal.  That is, they work with a wide variety of yarns.  And while I will choose the Chiaogoo Red Lace circulars when doing complicated Japanese knitting stitches, I won’t use them when working with Zooey linen cotton blend because those two fibers loosely spun are especially prone to splitting with a pointy needle. 
  The same thing applies to crochet hooks.  Try as many different brands and their different lines as you can.  As a matter of fact, when customers are shopping for interchangeable sets of needles or sets of crochet hooks, I like to make sure they’ve used that brand for a number of different types of yarn. 

• Urban Legend #34:  My sister, Kathleen, says she was once told that if you experienced splitting you should try knitting or crocheting from the other end of your ball/cake.  I can’t say I can explain the physics behind that, but she’s never lied to me (that I know of!) and she is one of the most experienced knitters I know.  So, it might be worth a try.  I am not sure if it would apply to someone working with a crochet project as the act of crocheting puts a different spin (pun intended!) on things all together. 
• Lastly, patience: Sometimes you will just need to slow down.  Not always what I want to hear but if I listen to my yarn and tools talking, it will let me know if I’m chugging along too fast! Listen to your project!  Settle back and remember that it isn’t always about finishing at super-sonic speed.  Sometimes you need to relax and just enjoy the process and the finished project.

I can’t wait to hear about your experiences with splitty yarn and whether or not it was something you were able to overcome!  And, if you were successful, please share your tips and tricks!

Yours in stitches,

Helen