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 Isager Alpaca 2

weight
fingering
thickness
500 m per 100 g
put-up
50 g
fibre
50% Wool, 50% Alpaca
in Australia
listed by 2 Australian shops we track

closest first

fingering · 498 m/100g · 40g · 40% Merino, 30% Cotton, 30% Brushtail Possum
  • sold in 40g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 500 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
fingering · 496 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
fingering · 500 m/100g · 50g · 70% Cotton, 30% Merino
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • more matte
fingering · 510 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 480 m/100g · 100g · 75% Merino, 25% Nylon
  • cooler
  • springier
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 480 m/100g · 25g · 57% Alpaca, 43% Cotton
  • cooler
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 550 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • thinner: 550 m/100g against 500 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
fingering · 460 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • thicker: 460 m/100g against 500 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 460 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • thicker: 460 m/100g against 500 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 460 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • thicker: 460 m/100g against 500 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 450 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 450 m/100g against 500 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more

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.