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Substituting yarn
How to swap the yarn a pattern calls for: match the weight, respect the fiber, compare meterage, buy by the meter and swatch before you commit.
By The StudioPublished Jul 13, 20264 min read
The yarn a pattern was designed in is one choice among many. It may be discontinued, too expensive, the wrong fiber for the person you are making for, or simply not what you have. Substituting is normal; almost every project is made in something other than the sample yarn. The trick is to change one thing at a time and know what each change does.
Step one: match the weight
Start with the yarn weight category from the pattern specs, then narrow it with meters per 100 grams. Two yarns in the same category can differ by a third in thickness; the closer the meterage, the closer the result. Within about ten percent of the original is safe. Outside that, you can still make it work, but expect to change hook size and possibly the size you make.
Step two: respect the fiber
| Fiber | Behaves like | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Wool | Stretchy, springs back, blocks well | Grows when wet if superwash |
| Cotton | Heavy, no stretch, holds shape | Lengthens with wear; hot on skin |
| Acrylic | Light, stable, soft | Does not block; steam sets it |
| Alpaca | Drapey, warm, slippery | Stretches under its own weight |
| Linen and hemp | Crisp, gets softer with washing | Stiff off the hook |
| Silk and bamboo | Fluid, shiny | Heavy; loose stitches loosen more |
The pattern was designed around the sample fiber's behavior. A structured wool sweater made in cotton will be heavier and longer; a lace shawl in acrylic will not open up when blocked; a firm cotton basket in wool will slump. Blends sit between their parts. Swap like for like when the shape depends on the fabric, and be freer when it does not: a blanket or a scarf is forgiving.
Step three: buy by the meter
Skeins come in every size, so a pattern that calls for five skeins tells you nothing until you know how much was in each. Use the yardage or meterage in the pattern specs for your size, convert if needed (yards to meters, multiply by 0.914; meters to yards, multiply by 1.094), divide by the meters in your substitute skein, and round up. Then add ten percent for the swatch, for waste and for peace of mind. Running out is worse than a spare ball.
Worked example
- 1The pattern needs 1350 yd of DK for your size. Multiply by 0.914: about 1234 m.
- 2Your chosen yarn has 250 m per 100 g skein. 1234 divided by 250 is 4.9, so five skeins.
- 3Add ten percent: 1357 m, which is 5.4 skeins. Buy six, all the same dye lot.
Step four: swatch
The gauge swatch is where the substitution is proved. Make it in the substitute, wash it, and measure. If the stitch gauge matches on any reasonable hook and the fabric feels right, you are done. If the gauge matches but the fabric is limp or boardy, the yarn is too thin or too thick for the pattern and you should either accept a different fabric or choose again. If the gauge will not match at all, you can make a different size: choose the size whose stitch count times your gauge gives the finished measurement you want.
Dye lots and hand-dyed yarn
Buy all skeins from one dye lot. If you cannot, alternate skeins every two rows so any difference blends. Hand-dyed yarns vary skein to skein by nature and are always alternated. Variegated yarns pool and stripe differently at different widths, so a swatch in a variegated yarn should be as wide as the piece if you want to know how it will look.
Every pattern page in this shop lists weight, the fiber of the sample yarn, hook size, gauge and yardage per size, which is everything you need for this process. If you are unsure about a specific swap, Levix AI can walk through the steps with you, or open a support ticket and describe the yarn.
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