Being able to substitute yarn is probably an essential skill for knitters and crocheters alike. I hardly ever use the recommended yarn in patterns – sometimes because a certain yarn isn’t available in my country, sometimes because the pattern calls for a discontinued yarn, other times because the pattern calls for an expensive yarn which is way out of my price range.
When you’re a beginner knitter or crocheter, substituting yarn can be quite intimidating. Choosing the wrong substitute yarn can have some very disappointing outcomes. If you pick a yarn with another weight than the pattern calls for, chances are your gauge will be way off. This will cause your project to be way too big or way too small. Even if your gauge is spot on, substituting yarn can have some pretty weird results because all fibers behave differently.
That being said, it is absolutely not my point that you shouldn’t substitute yarns! Once you know what you’re doing, it’s easy and at times very useful to choose an alternative yarn. There are a few things which you have to consider before choosing a substitute yarn.
Check the gauge
When substituting a yarn, the first thing you want to do is check the gauge that the pattern requires. You will need your gauge to match the pattern’s gauge if you want your finished project to be the same size as the original sample. To accomplish this, you’ll need to find a yarn that gives you the same gauge. Finding a proper substitute which will give you the correct gauge isn’t as hard as it sounds. You can easily narrow down your search in the yarn store with the following three criteria:
Yarn weight, fiber content and yardage per 100 grams
The yarn weight refers to the thickness of the yarn. Most yarns state their weight on the label. If they don’t, there’s a fair chance you’ll be able to find it in the Ravelry database. Although the yarn weight system can come in very handy, it can also be confusing at times. The system works with sub-categories, so not all yarns in the same category have the same thickness. Take size 3, for example. According to the Standard Yarn Weight System from Craft Yarn Council, this one includes both DK and light worsted. Because of this, one size 3 yarn can be quite a bit thicker than another size 3 yarn.
I highly recommend choosing a yarn of the same fiber (or a similar fiber) as a substitute. In some cases it’s not necessary, but like I said before: all fibers behave differently. For example: wool tends to stretch quite a bit, linen on the other hand is quite stiff and definitely not stretchy. Besides that, the fiber content is also important for the yardage. Wool yarn and cotton yarn with the same yardage per 100 grams generally don’t have the same thickness because cotton is heavier than wool.
My main criteria when substituting yarn is probably the yardage per 100 grams. Please note – this only works when your substitute has the same fiber content as the yarn used in the pattern! If your substitute roughly has the same yardage as the original yarn, you’re probably good to go.
Make a swatch
After you’ve carefully selected you substitute yarn, it’s important to knit a swatch before you cast on your new project. This will allow you to check the gauge. No two yarns are exactly the same, and every knitter has a different tension. You might have to switch to bigger or smaller needles to achieve the correct gauge. I highly recommend knitting a swatch before starting any project, but it’s particularly important when you’re using a substitute yarn.
Experiment!
In the end, these are all just tools to help you find the right substitute yarn. You can still experiment with different fibers or yarn weights, of course! The only thing that really matters when knitting a garment is your gauge. As long as your gauge is correct, you can’t really go wrong. I like experimenting with yarns in my stash when casting on a new project. A while ago, I tested the Falling Leaves sweater for my friend Iris Hardege. The pattern called for Aran weight yarn, but I had some really lovely fingering weight yarn in my stash. I knit up a swatch with fingering weight yarn held together, and my gauge was spot on! I think the sweater turned out pretty sweet. Take a look for yourself – you can find a full photo review of the pattern here.
