How do I choose a substitute yarn?

1

Take down the details for the original yarn. Yarn brand and name. Include tension, ball weight, ball length, needle size used. 

2

Search for similar weight yarns, 4 ply, DK, Aran, Chunky etc. You can filter the yarns on our website by yarn weight to narrow the search.

3

Once similar weight yarns are found, look for a brand with the same look as the yarn you want and the same shade, then click on each yarn found and compare tension, ball weight, ball length, needle size used against the details for the original yarn. 

4

If the tension and needle size are similar, but not exact, you may still be able to use the yarn by knitting tension squares and going up or down the needle sizes until you can match the tension stated in the pattern. 

Remember to check the ball length as this can vary between brands eg. Emu Classic DK is 282m long, but Cygnet Pato Everyday DK is only 270m when both are 100g.

You can calculate the number of balls needed by multiplying the length of the ball by the number of balls required eg. Emu Classic DK yarn is 282m x 5 balls = 1410m but Cygnet Pato Everyday yarn is only 270m x 5 balls = 1375m.