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 Zealana -4 ply- Kiwi

weight
sport
thickness
310 m per 100 g
put-up
40 g
fibre
40% Merino, 30% Cotton, 30% Brushtail Possum
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

sport · 300 m/100g · 50g · 68% Alpaca, 32% Cotton
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • drapier, hanging softer
  • shinier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 300 m/100g · 50g · 80% Alpaca, 20% Merino
  • warmer
  • drapier, hanging softer
  • shinier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 310 m/100g · 50g · 90% Cotton, 10% Cashmere
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 340 m/100g · 50g · 58% Merino, 22% Nylon, 15% Brushtail Possum, 5% Alpaca
  • thinner: 340 m/100g against 310 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • springier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
fingering · 340 m/100g · 50g · 58% Merino, 20% Nylon, 15% Brushtail Possum, 5% Alpaca, 2% Elastane
  • thinner: 340 m/100g against 310 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • springier
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 300 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Linen
  • crisper, with less halo
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 325 m/100g · 100g · 70% Merino, 30% Alpaca
  • springier
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 322 m/100g · 115g · 75% Merino, 15% Cashmere, 10% Silk
  • springier
  • sold in 115g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 317 m/100g · 115g · 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon
  • springier
  • sold in 115g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 300 m/100g · 25g · 100% Cashmere
  • warmer
  • less hard-wearing
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 300 m/100g · 25g · 100% Cashmere
  • warmer
  • less hard-wearing
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 40g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
sport · 318 m/100g · 115g · 80% Merino, 10% Nylon, 10% Cashmere
  • springier
  • sold in 115g put-ups, not 40g -- 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.