Stitches

Is there an easy way to tell if knitting yarn is wool or acrylic?

Public Comments

1. The label should say.
2. Burn test. Wool will smell like burning hair and self-extinguish. Acrylic is highly flammable and smells "chemicalish" http://www.fabrics.net/fabricsr.asp
3. the label should say. If you lost it, compare it to some with a label. Most can tell by the feel.
4. In addition to what Kaye has said, animal and plant fiber yarns (wool, cotton, etc.) will have a fine, crumbly ash when they self-extinguish (all natural fibers self-extinguish when removed from the source of flame). Animal fibers smell like burning hair, plant fibers like burning paper. Acryllic yarns will not self-extinguish and smell like burning plastic (they smell like what they are), when they are extinguished the end will be a hard knob that does not crumble easily.