It’s a week since I decided to test how much moisture could be pulled out of a skein of yarn by sealing it up with desiccant. Today I pulled out the skein and weighed it, and it was right at 2 oz. Remember, it started at 2.25 oz, so:
0.25 oz (decrease) / 2.25 oz (original weight) x 100% = 11% weight loss
You could also view it as a 2 oz. skein gaining 0.25 oz, which is an increase of 12.5% in weight due to humidity. Either way, it’s in line with what a few Ravelers predicted based on their own experiences and an estimate from Alden Amos. And it puts my skein within competition guidelines for Taos.
Knitters in dry climates who’ve felt cheated when their 100g balls of yarn only weighed 90g can take solace if their yarns were milled in a more humid environment (this happened to a few people I knew in Colorado). Rowan’s not cheap, Scotland’s just wet.
