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 Embrace 2ply

weight
lace
thickness
680 m per 100 g
put-up
50 g
fibre
90% Merino, 10% Silk
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

lace · 700 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
lace · 670 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
lace · 760 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thinner: 760 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 12% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 740 m/100g · 100g · 80% Merino, 20% Silk
  • thinner: 740 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 9% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
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
  • sold in 25g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 600 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 12% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 600 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 12% difference in yardage needed
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
lace · 630 m/100g · 50g · 100% Cotton
  • cooler
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • more hard-wearing
  • less soft next to skin
lace · 580 m/100g · 50g · 70% Cashmere, 30% Merino
  • thicker: 580 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 15% difference in yardage needed
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • less hard-wearing
lace · 700 m/100g · 50g · 50% Linen, 30% Cotton, 20% Tencel
  • cooler
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
  • drapier, hanging softer
  • more hard-wearing
  • shinier
  • less soft next to skin
lace · 550 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • thicker: 550 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 19% difference in yardage needed
  • less soft next to skin
lace · 600 m/100g · 25g · 100% Cashmere
  • thicker: 600 m/100g against 680 -- expect a 12% difference in yardage needed
  • warmer
  • 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

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.