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 Birch Rowan Mode Alpaca Cotton

weight
fingering
thickness
480 m per 100 g
put-up
25 g
fibre
57% Alpaca, 43% Cotton
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

fingering · 498 m/100g · 40g · 40% Merino, 30% Cotton, 30% Brushtail Possum
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • sold in 40g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 460 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 460 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 440 m/100g · 25g · 55% Nylon, 45% Polyester
  • thicker: 440 m/100g against 480 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more hard-wearing
  • less soft next to skin
fingering · 500 m/100g · 50g · 50% Wool, 50% Alpaca
  • warmer
  • springier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 500 m/100g · 50g · 70% Cotton, 30% Merino
  • cooler
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 496 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 420 m/100g · 25g · 95% Mercerised Cotton, 5% Polyester
  • thicker: 420 m/100g against 480 -- expect a 12% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • more hard-wearing
  • shinier
fingering · 440 m/100g · 25g · 100% Cashmere
  • thicker: 440 m/100g against 480 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • springier
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
fingering · 460 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 440 m/100g · 50g · 53% Cotton, 33% Viscose, 14% Linen
  • thicker: 440 m/100g against 480 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 25g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 450 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 25g -- 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.