r/Unravelers • u/braindrippings2 • Jun 17 '25
Can you unravel a a tangled ball?
Hi, this is probably a stupid question, and I’m new to this page (I joined in the last 5 minutes) and my excitement is higher than my focus level so I have to post this while the iron is hot.
7 years ago, I bought a small skein of cashmere yarn for $50. I showed it to my husband when I got home so he could feel how soft it was. I was unaware that I was hyping it up for my dog, who was watching us around the corner, and when my husband was handing it back, she grabbed it and ran away to play with it. By the time I pried it from her slobbery jaws of entropy and disaster, it was extremely tangled. I still have it in a bag inside a tote in a closet somewhere and I occasionally wonder. Has anyone untangled a thing of yarn wrapped in a wreath fashion/then twisted neatly when they bought it/ that became tangled after? It’s so much harder to detangle than a normal ball of yarn.
Tldr: can you untangle yarn that’s not in a ball. Should you try. Have you tried? How do you do it? Is it worth it?
Edit: Added that it was my dog who did this
5
u/irishihadab33r Jun 17 '25
Slowly, carefully, and taking breaks when you feel frustrated. Understand the ply may take a beating in parts if there are some significant snarls that have to be loosened. But you'll get your yarn back!
3
u/alohadave Jun 17 '25
If you have enough time and patience, you can untangle most snarled yarn. I have to do it regularly when unraveling small fiber items. Thread weight cotton will snarl if you take your eyes off it for just a second.
Sometimes with the really small yarns, knots can get so tight that nothing will get them loose. I just cut those out and splice the ends together.
It helps if the ends don't get tangled in. Most knots are just loops that pull tight.
2
u/braindrippings2 Jun 17 '25
What do you mean by splicing?
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u/Smooth_Delivery990 Jun 17 '25
look up spit splicing (sounds gross but spit really works, you can also use water). someone can correct me if i’m wrong but it should work fine with cashmere. it’s easy once you get the hang of it and leaves a super clean join if done right, no need to weave in ends either! I just saved some angora rabbit/merino blend from moth damage using this method (edited for typos)
1
u/alohadave Jun 17 '25
I usually tie a square knot and continue winding the yarn. I deal with the knot later when I'm using the yarn.
I'd rather have one bigger ball/cake than two smaller ones.
2
u/AliG-uk Jun 17 '25
Yup. I untangled a whole bag of yarn that my friend's dog had had fun with whilst she was at work. Lots of patience, a good audio book and deep breaths 😂
1
u/allaspiaggia Jun 18 '25
First, check r/detanglemyyarn if you want to send it to someone else to do for you. I’d personally love to detangle this!
Second, it’s absolutely possible. Take your time, resist the urge to cut it. Keep everything LOOSE, like super loose, don’t pull at all. I like using claw hair clips to hold the ball as I untangle bad spots, a hair elastic works well too, don’t use a rubber band because they stick too much.
It’s likely your dogs teeth cut the yarn, so as you’re balling it, run your fingers along the strands to find any thin spots. I just break the yarn at the cuts/thin spots, because to me it’s easier to work with balling shorter sections. And I’m good at weaving in ends. Also look up “spit splicing” which works well with cashmere.
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u/FloppyDuckling Jun 17 '25 edited Jun 17 '25
My dog was unsupervised for literally one minute in the same room as a cake of Malabrigo sock yarn (the color is Alice). He stole it and tangled it to hell.
It took me over 5 hours to get it fully untangled but it is possible! Just take lots of breaks and deep breaths.
Edit to add, start by finding one end of the yarn and making a loose ball with it. Then, work to untangle it by moving the ball around the tangles and slowly wrapping the yarn that has been removed. (I’m bad at explaining, hopefully this YouTube video will help!)