Yarns that bias are rare in the hand knitting world. Manufacturers work hard to make sure their fibers are balanced so that a bias cannot happen.

 

Major reputable manufacturers will not allow a yarn that biases in the marketplace but accidents do happen. Those yarns are recalled and replaced for free but you will lose your knitting time.

 

If you are suspicious of a yarn, dangle two or three feet of that fiber in the air. A stable yarn will hang straight and become still. If the yarn continues to wiggle and spin and never becomes still, it is not balanced. That is a yarn that will bias when knit.

 

This sample was knit with paracord (from the hardware store) and was never intended to be used for knitting. I chose it because the cord was thick and not fuzzy, and I could order a color that I liked! It also acts somewhat like wire in that I can "pose" it for pictures. I can make it square, unroll the edges, etc, all without blocking.

 

Can a yarn that biases be salvaged? Yes! The easy solution is to find a pattern that uses a lot of decreases - like lace. Lace usually pairs an equal number of left leaning decreases with right leaning decreases so that the knitting will not bias. Find a lace pattern that you can convert to one type of lean. Use the opposite lean of the sample - above I would use all left leaning decreases to conteract the lean (SSK).