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 Emma's Yarn Local Yarn Store Day Exclusive

weight
lace
thickness
740 m per 100 g
put-up
100 g
fibre
80% Merino, 20% Silk
care
superwash
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

lace · 760 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
lace · 680 m/100g · 50g · 90% Merino, 10% Silk
  • thicker: 680 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 700 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 600 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 19% difference in yardage needed
lace · 670 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 670 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 796 m/100g · 25g · 54% Alpaca, 24% Nylon, 22% Wool
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 796 m/100g · 25g · 54% Alpaca, 24% Nylon, 22% Wool
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 600 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 19% difference in yardage needed
lace · 780 m/100g · 25g · 100% Polyester
  • cooler
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • more hard-wearing
  • less soft next to skin
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 800 m/100g · 50g · 100% Alpaca
  • thinner: 800 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • drapier, hanging softer
  • shinier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 365 m/100g · 100g · 80% Merino, 20% Silk
  • thicker: 365 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 51% difference in yardage needed
fingering · 365 m/100g · 100g · 80% Merino, 20% Silk
  • thicker: 365 m/100g against 740 -- expect a 51% difference in yardage needed

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.