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 Wool and The Gang Shiny Happy Cotton

weight
aran
thickness
142 m per 100 g
put-up
100 g
fibre
100% Cotton
in Australia
listed by 1 Australian shop we track

closest first

aran · 145 m/100g · 75g · 100% Cotton
  • sold in 75g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 153 m/100g · 75g · 100% Cotton
  • sold in 75g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 152 m/100g · 100g · 100% Acrylic
  • warmer
  • springier
worsted · 150 m/100g · 50g · 70% Cotton, 30% Acrylic
  • sold in 50g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 154 m/100g · 71g · 100% Cotton
  • thinner: 153.5 m/100g against 142 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
  • sold in 71g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 154 m/100g · 71g · 100% Cotton
  • thinner: 153.5 m/100g against 142 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
  • sold in 71g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 154 m/100g · 71g · 100% Cotton
  • thinner: 153.5 m/100g against 142 -- expect a 8% difference in yardage needed
  • machine washable, where the original is hand wash only
  • sold in 71g put-ups, not 100g -- check how many balls the pattern needs
worsted · 170 m/100g · 100g · 100% Cotton
  • thinner: 170 m/100g against 142 -- expect a 20% difference in yardage needed
aran · 140 m/100g · 100g · 83% Merino, 17% Alpaca
  • warmer
  • springier
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
worsted · 150 m/100g · 100g · 50% Wool, 50% Alpaca
  • warmer
  • much fuzzier, with more halo
  • springier
  • shinier
worsted · 150 m/100g · 100g · 100% Merino
  • warmer
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more
  • less hard-wearing
  • softer next to skin
aran · 140 m/100g · 100g · 100% Wool
  • warmer
  • springier
  • stiffer, holding its shape more

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.