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 Bluebell Merino

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

closest first

sport · 274 m/100g · 50g · 71% Merino, 29% Silk
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • shinier
sport · 276 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
sport · 276 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
sport · 300 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thinner: 300 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 228 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 228 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 17% difference in yardage needed
sport · 300 m/100g · 75g · 100% Merino
  • thinner: 300 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 75g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 238 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 238 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 13% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 250 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 250 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
sport · 300 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thinner: 300 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 250 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 250 m/100g · 50g · 50% Wool, 50% Alpaca
  • thicker: 250 m/100g against 274 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • drapier, hanging softer

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.