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 Patons Baby Dreamtime Merino 2ply

weight
lace
thickness
670 m per 100 g
put-up
50 g
fibre
100% Merino
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

Majo Garn - Tweed Supreme
lace · 700 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
Patons - Embrace 2ply
lace · 680 m/100g · 50g · 90% Merino, 10% Silk
  • hand wash only, where the original is machine washable
Great Southern Yarn - 2ply Merino
lace · 600 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
Isager - Spinni
lace · 600 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
Emma's Yarn - Local Yarn Store Day Exclusive
lace · 740 m/100g · 100g · 80% Merino, 20% Silk
  • thinner: 740 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
Bellevue Park Wool - 100% Superfine Merino 2 ply
lace · 760 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thinner: 760 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 13% difference in yardage needed
  • hand wash only, where the original is machine washable
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
Moondrake Co. - Moondrake Co
lace · 580 m/100g · 50g · 70% Cashmere, 30% Merino
  • thicker: 580 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 13% difference in yardage needed
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
Knitting for Olive - Merino
fingering · 500 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 500 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 25% difference in yardage needed
Isager - Highland
lace · 550 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • thicker: 550 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 18% difference in yardage needed
  • less soft next to skin
Bellissimo - Calais
lace · 640 m/100g · 25g · 50% Alpaca, 25% Wool, 15% Silk, 10% Cashmere
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • drapier, hanging softer
  • shinier
  • hand wash only, where the original is machine washable
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
Knitting for Olive - Compatible Cashmere
lace · 600 m/100g · 25g · 100% Cashmere
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 10% difference in yardage needed
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • drapier, hanging softer
  • less hard-wearing
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
Bellissimo - 8
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 250 m/100g against 670 -- expect a 63% 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.