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 De Rerum Natura Penelope

weight
sport
thickness
266 m per 100 g
put-up
50 g
fibre
100% Silk
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 100% Mercerised Cotton
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • less soft next to skin
sport · 270 m/100g · 50g · 50% Linen, 24% Viscose, 23% Cotton, 3% Polyester
  • cooler
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
dk · 248 m/100g · 50g · 60% Bamboo, 40% Cotton
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
sport · 270 m/100g · 50g
  • we do not have its fibre content on file, so this match is on thickness alone -- check the band before you commit to it
sport · 260 m/100g · 50g · 70% Alpaca, 23% Nylon, 7% Wool
  • warmer
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 56% Alpaca, 44% Cotton
  • warmer
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
sport · 270 m/100g · 50g · 76% Cotton, 15% Yak, 9% Nylon
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
sport · 260 m/100g · 50g · 100% Cotton
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 50% Linen, 50% Cotton
  • cooler
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
sport · 274 m/100g · 50g · 71% Merino, 29% Silk
  • warmer
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
dk · 240 m/100g · 50g · 50% Linen, 36% Cotton, 14% Silk
  • thicker: 240 m/100g against 266 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
sport · 300 m/100g · 50g · 50% Linen, 27% Alpaca, 18% Cotton, 5% Merino
  • thinner: 300 m/100g against 266 -- expect a 13% difference in yardage needed
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin

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.