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 Yarns On Shannon Avenue 6 ply

weight
dk
thickness
252 m per 100 g
put-up
150 g
fibre
70% Alpaca, 30% Nylon
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

dk · 246 m/100g · 50g · 50% Alpaca, 50% Merino
  • springier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 100g · 100% Acrylic
  • cooler
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 150g · 75% Wool, 25% Nylon
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
dk · 250 m/100g · 150g · 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
sport · 260 m/100g · 50g · 70% Alpaca, 23% Nylon, 7% Wool
  • hand wash only, where the original is machine washable
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 240 m/100g · 100g · 100% Acrylic
  • cooler
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 256 m/100g · 50g · 60% Merino, 40% Brushtail Possum
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 260 m/100g · 50g · 60% Cotton, 30% Wool, 10% Yak
  • cooler
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 248 m/100g · 50g · 60% Bamboo, 40% Cotton
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 100g · 100% Acrylic
  • cooler
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 56% Alpaca, 44% Cotton
  • hand wash only, where the original is machine washable
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 240 m/100g · 50g · 68% Merino, 32% Cotton
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more matte
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 150g -- 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.