The Papa
yarn substitutes · what to use when you cannot get the one the pattern says

This is a starting point, not a promise.Knit a swatch before you commit the whole sweater.

Substitutes for Ashford 803 Cottolin 8/2 Grey Pearl- 200gm cone

weight
lace
thickness
672 m per 100 g
put-up
200 g
fibre
70% Cotton, 30% Linen
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

lace · 672 m/100g · 200g · 70% Cotton, 30% Linen
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
lace · 672 m/100g · 200g · 70% Cotton, 30% Linen
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
lace · 700 m/100g · 50g · 50% Linen, 30% Cotton, 20% Tencel
  • shinier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 630 m/100g · 50g · 100% Cotton
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 680 m/100g · 50g · 90% Merino, 10% Silk
  • warmer
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 780 m/100g · 25g · 100% Polyester
  • thinner: 780 m/100g against 672.5 -- expect a 16% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • springier
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 640 m/100g · 25g · 50% Alpaca, 25% Wool, 15% Silk, 10% Cashmere
  • warmer
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • springier
  • less hard-wearing
  • shinier
  • softer next to skin
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 670 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • warmer
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 740 m/100g · 100g · 80% Merino, 20% Silk
  • thinner: 740 m/100g against 672.5 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • springier
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 700 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • warmer
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 600 m/100g · 25g · 63% Alpaca, 26% Silk, 11% Yak
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 672.5 -- expect a 11% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • less hard-wearing
  • shinier
  • softer next to skin
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 560 m/100g · 25g · 100% Mercerised Cotton
  • thicker: 560 m/100g against 672.5 -- expect a 17% difference in yardage needed
  • shinier
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 200g -- check how many balls the pattern needs

how this was worked out

Thickness comes from metreage per 100 g, which is a measurement. Fibre behaviour - warmth, halo, springiness, drape - is scored per fibre and blended by proportion, so a merino and a Bluefaced Leicester read as near neighbours while a merino and a cotton do not, even at the same gauge. Where a record is thin, the match is discounted rather than quietly flattered, and the gap is named above.

Yardage is always rounded up. If we ever sell you the yarn and the number is short, the extra skein is on us, from your dye lot.