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 Fiddlesticks Superb 10

weight
worsted
thickness
165 m per 100 g
put-up
100 g
fibre
100% Acrylic
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

worsted · 170 m/100g · 100g · 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 152 m/100g · 100g · 100% Acrylic
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 160 m/100g · 100g · 40% Wool, 40% Acrylic, 20% Alpaca
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 166 m/100g · 100g · 100% Bluefaced Leicester
  • warmer
  • springier
  • shinier
  • softer next to skin
worsted · 160 m/100g · 100g · 100% Wool
  • warmer
  • springier
worsted · 170 m/100g · 100g · 100% Cotton
  • cooler
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
dk · 200 m/100g · 100g · 100% Acrylic
  • thinner: 200 m/100g against 165 -- expect a 21% difference in yardage needed
worsted · 160 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • warmer
  • springier
  • softer next to skin
worsted · 160 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • warmer
  • springier
  • softer next to skin
worsted · 180 m/100g · 50g · 50% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 10% Mohair
  • thinner: 180 m/100g against 165 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 170 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • warmer
  • springier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 150 m/100g · 100g · 50% Wool, 50% Alpaca
  • thicker: 150 m/100g against 165 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • softer 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.