Which Fibre is It? 

I love to scour my local thrift store for awesome yarn and fabric finds! Most of the time those finds don't come with a label. Even though my sense of touch is pretty good these days, sometimes it can be very hard to distinguish between the synthetic and natural fibres. So what do I do? There is touch, which I already mentioned and then there is smell. Most animal/protein fibres smell like wet dog if I dunk them in water. What about plant fibres though; cotten, hemp, flax? Most of the ways to determine the difference between natural and synthetic fibres are quite subjective. Without actually using a microscope to view the fibres structure, I may never know for sure, but one of the best subjective tests is the burn test. I found a great PDF Document by Pacific Fabrics outlining the Burn Test and what to expect from different fibres.

For my first square I used a beautifully soft pink yarn I found at the thrift store. I am not sure exactly what the fibres and so I am going to use the burn test to see if I can find out.

I split this yarn to do the burn test as it is plied. 

Each single is distinctly different.

When I burnt the thin single (upper strand) I smelt burnt hair and it shrunk from the flame. The bead was black. The strands are thin, smooth, even and shiny. Using the burn test, as well as my knowledge of fibre I think it is silk. The lower strand, which is fluffy and soft, burned quickly with a flame, a little bit of sputter and melt. The black bead at the end breaks and is crumbly. However some of the small beads are not, they are hard and irregular. The smell is chemical and burnt hair. I think this fibre is a blend of animal fibre (maybe mohair) and acrylic.

Remember always to use caution when dealing with open flame. I burnt my wool over the sink in the kitchen. Good ventilation is also important. Make sure you understand how to use a butane lighter and properly put out the flame. 

Happy Testing Everyone