You have found a wonderful pattern, but can’t find the recommended yarn. What can you do? Can you substitute? Absolutely!! Find out how to substitute yarn in that gorgeous pattern.

Most patterns are written for a specific yarn and you will get the best results by using that recommended brand, however, you can easily substitute the yarn with another. Here are a few hints and tips for finding your best match.

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WEIGHT

Yarns come in different thicknesses or plys. The Craft Yarn Council has developed standards to bring uniformity to yarn labelling. One of these standards is yarn weights. Most yarns you purchase will show a symbol (see below) indicating the weight of the yarn.

It is recommended when substituting yarn that you substitute with the same weight. You can find the weight of the yarn used in the pattern either from the pattern itself or from information on the recommended yarn.

This handy chart will help, if you are unable to determine the weight of the yarn being substitued.

GAUGE

All crochet patterns should indicate the gauge required to produce the same sizing in the pattern. Gauge is especially important if you are making something that needs to fit such as a sweater, hat or booties.  It is not as important for an afghan, potholder, etc. as the size does not need to be precise. 

Every pattern will specify a gauge.  It is worth taking the time to check it.  Normally, a pattern will indicate how many stitches and how many rows to crochet to make a four inch square in a particular stitch. You will then crochet a small swatch to determine that you need to crochet the same number of stitches and rows to make the same 4″ square. If you are too small, use a larger hook. Too big, a smaller hook.

You do not want to find that the item is too small or large after all the work of making it. To find out more on how to check the gauge, see this POST.  

YARDAGE

Another important thing to check is the yardage in the ball or skein of yarn matches the original yarn. Yarn is normally sold in grams or ounces, but the length of yarn in that ball or skein may differ from the substituted yarn. Check the recommended yarn and be sure you are purchasing at least or more of the substitute.

For example, let’s assume the pattern calls for 5 balls of yarn. Each ball has 250 yards of yarn. You will need to purchase 1,250 yards of yarn (250 x 5). If the substituted yarn has only 200 yards in a ball or skein, you should purchase 7 balls. 200 x 6 balls is only 1200 yards while 200 x 7 equals 1400.

YES, you may have purchased too much but it is better than not enough! Finding another ball of the same yarn in the same dye lot may not be so easy. Use the scraps in another project.

FIBER

Yarns come in many choices of fibers from wool to cotton, alpaca to acrylic and all sorts of blends in between. I love cotton because of it’s crispness and substitute it regularly in a pattern written for acrylic without problems. I am allergic to wool and have substituted acrylic many times.

There is no problem changing the fiber in a pattern, however, keep in mind that your garment may not drape in the same manner as pictured in the pattern.

ONLINE HELP

LoveCrafts has a comparison tool on their website. You can add up to 4 yarns from the same or different yarn brand to the tool and be able to see the difference in color, fibre composition from merino and alpaca, the yarn weights from sport to DK, and everything in between, including the price of each. Click HERE to find out how to use the tool.

You could also get some help from YarnSub! They have a large database of current and discontinued yarns that you can browse directly or search for yarns that are similiar.

Here is an example of one result based on my search for Paintbox Simply DK. I got 35 results that were 98-99% similar. Each suggested substitute contains comparative information on the gauge, fibre, texture and size (yardage) of the balls.

Don’t let the choice of yarn stop you from making that awesome project. Substituting yarn is simple and easy and your results can be stunning! And don’t forget to be creative with your colors.

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