Knitting with a different yarn than the pattern recommends

I often get asked if it is possible to make a project with a different yarn than the pattern recommends. Sometimes you may want to work with what you already have in stash, or maybe you want to find a more budget friendly option. Maybe you are sensitive to a specific fiber or type of yarn and want to find an alternative. Maybe the yarn is discontinued? There are many reasons why we may want to work with a different yarn than the pattern recommends. Here, I will share my best tips on how to proceed when you want to work with an alternative yarn for a pattern.

In later posts, I will provide you with a list of specific yarns which in my experience can substitute each other in patterns, but for now we will focus on learning the basics of finding a yarn substitute for your project.

Isager Soft and Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Forgarn

Yardage / meterage of the yarn

The first thing I usually look at when evaluating if a yarn can substitute another in a pattern is the yardage / meterage of the two yarns. In other words, the length of yarn you get per unit of weight (usually provided per 50 or 100 g). If these are similar, there is a very good chance that you may be able to substitute one with the other and still be able to meet gauge of the pattern.

Fiber type

The second thing I look at is what the fibers are made of. If you wish to achieve a result which is as close as possible to the samples knit with the original yarn which the pattern recommends you need to choose the same fiber type. If the pattern recommends an untreated merino wool, your finished garment will be very different if you select for example a cotton yarn for your project. Because of this, try to find a fiber which is as similar as possible to the original yarn if you want your finished garment to have a simular look to the original design.

If you are unable to swap for the exact same fiber type, try to find somethig which is as close as possible. Maybe the pattern recommends a rustic wool yarn, and you find rustic wool yarns to be very scratchy. It will not help to select another rustic wool yarn in this case. You can then for example select a soft merino yarn instead. It is still wool and you will get a more similar look to the original design compared to if you chose something very different such as a plant fiber.

What about blends?

Yarns which are blends of different fibers are slightly more tricky. The general rule of any blend or mixture is that a blend is never equal to the sum of its components. This means that one cotton-merino blend will not necessarily behave the same way as another cotton-merino blend. Yarn swaps are easier to make when you work with yarns which contain only one fiber-type.

Production of the yarn

Finally, you need to look at how the yarn is produced. Even if the yarn has the same meterage / yardage and is made from the same fiber, it can still produce different styles of garments because of the way it is produced. Yarns are produced in many different ways. It can be single stranded (one thread) or plied (multiple threads spun together). It can be a chainette style yarn or a blown yarn. It can be unspun, loosely spun or tightly spun. Again, if you want your substitute to produce as similar result as possible to the original design, the yarn also needs to be produced the same way.

What if some or all of my criteria do not match?

I have here provided for you three basic criteria to check in cases when you want to find a yarn substitute which will create a final product which is as close as possible to the original design. Once you get more familiar with different yarn types you may be able to make a swap which fails all of the above mentioned criteria. In that case, you will likely end up with a very different result - which is totally fine, as long as that is what you wanted. If the goal is simply to find a yarn which meets gauge for a project, it is possible to substitute the original yarn for a yarn with different fiber content, different yardage / meterage and different production method.

Isager Soft & Hipknitshop Hip Wool

How do I start when I want to find a yarn substitute for my project?

A very good place to start looking for a yarn substitute for a project is social media, such as Instagram. If the project you want to knit is a popular design you should be able to find multiple posts by simply checking out the hashtag for the project you have in mind. You can then see what yarns other knitters have chosen for their project, usually with pictures. Ravelry is another good place to search for versions of the project you want to make, as is the knitting community in e.g. the Knitandnote app.

If the project you have in mind is not a popular design, and there are not yet many posts of other versions available you can reverse-engineer the process. Instead of looking up the design, check out the recommended yarn for the pattern. Then, find another popular design using the same yarn and see what options other knitters used for this garment. If the recommended yarns are the same, chances are good that you can also make the same substitute for the project you have in mind.

If you do not like to use social media, asking your local yarn shop for advice is also a very good place to start. They often have fantastic experience and are in my experience mostly thrilled to help you.

I hope this was helpfull - good luck with your project!