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 Heirloom Merino Magic 10 Ply 100% Merino

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

closest first

worsted · 172 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 164 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 164 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 164 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 164 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • nothing we can measure would feel different
worsted · 170 m/100g · 50g · 100% Wool
  • less soft next to skin
worsted · 180 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 160 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 160 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • sold in 100g put-ups, not 50g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 150 m/100g · 50g · 100% Merino
  • thicker: 150 m/100g against 170 -- expect a 12% difference in yardage needed
worsted · 156 m/100g · 50g · 65% Merino, 18% Alpaca, 8% Acrylic, 5% Silk, 4% Viscose
  • thicker: 156 m/100g against 170 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • less springy -- it will grow and not bounce back
worsted · 180 m/100g · 50g · 70% Wool, 30% Acrylic
  • less soft next to skin

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.