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 The Australian Yarn Company 100% Australian Alpaca 8 ply

weight
dk
thickness
190 m per 100 g
put-up
50 g
fibre
100% Alpaca
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

dk · 200 m/100g · 50g · 80% Alpaca, 20% Acrylic
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
dk · 200 m/100g · 50g · 80% Alpaca, 20% Acrylic
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
dk · 200 m/100g · 100g · 100% Alpaca
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 200 m/100g · 100g · 100% Alpaca
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
dk · 224 m/100g · 50g · 100% Alpaca
  • thinner: 224 m/100g against 190 -- expect a 18% difference in yardage needed
dk · 200 m/100g · 50g · 50% Alpaca, 50% Merino
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
dk · 200 m/100g · 50g · 45% Silk, 45% Mohair, 10% Wool
  • cooler
  • more hard-wearing
  • shinier
  • less soft next to skin
dk · 200 m/100g · 50g · 45% Silk, 45% Mohair, 10% Wool
  • cooler
  • more hard-wearing
  • shinier
  • less soft next to skin
dk · 200 m/100g · 50g · 45% Silk, 45% Mohair, 10% Wool
  • cooler
  • more hard-wearing
  • shinier
  • less soft next to skin
worsted · 180 m/100g · 50g · 66% Cotton, 34% Alpaca
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • more matte
dk · 190 m/100g · 50g · 50% Cotton, 50% Acrylic
  • cooler
  • crisper, with less halo
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • more hard-wearing
  • more matte
  • less soft next to skin
dk · 220 m/100g · 50g · 55% Alpaca, 35% Cotton, 10% Merino
  • thinner: 220 m/100g against 190 -- expect a 16% difference in yardage needed
  • cooler

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.