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Ok it's come to my attention many knitters don't know how to substitute yarn, and that's fair, it's tricky. If you have no idea how yarn weight works, or how the relationship between needles and yarn weight works, plz go Google that, I'm not doing a technical rundown.
TLDR, thicker yarn & larger needles result in a thicker fabric. If you use a medium (say, worsted) weight yarn on large needles you'll have a drapy, loose fabric. This is also affected by how tightly you knit, how you knit (continental v English), & even the type of yarn/needles.
So keep that in mind. I'm going to do a practical lesson here. Here's a pattern page for something that's been in my queue forever, the Shipwreck Shawl from @knittymag
First let's look at what yarn is recommended. A wool/silk blend in fingering weight, that works on size 4s.
First let's look at what yarn is recommended. A wool/silk blend in fingering weight, that works on size 4s.
That's super easy to find. If we're using ravelry (I apologise that this isn't accessible rn, it's just all I use so... Bear with me) you can click on the yarn itself. Let's do that:
& Now you can see that the yarn itself is a true fingering weight, suggested 1-3 needles.
& Now you can see that the yarn itself is a true fingering weight, suggested 1-3 needles.
This means that the drape and design of the pattern is due to the larger needles. So, you need to look for a fingering weight yarn, preferably a wool blend.
When I started this years ago I used a cotton, which I really liked, but I had to go up a needle size to get the drape I
When I started this years ago I used a cotton, which I really liked, but I had to go up a needle size to get the drape I
wanted. Part of that was doing a gauge test, and part of that was knowing how the yarn I was using would work (cotton is stiffer = less drape = less flowy).
But let's try to find something similar to the original suggestion, yeah?
So I'm going to go use ravelrys famous search
But let's try to find something similar to the original suggestion, yeah?
So I'm going to go use ravelrys famous search
Go to yarns, advanced search, and select the following:
Because its a shawl, you have some variance in what you can choose. I'm picking three weights:
Because its a shawl, you have some variance in what you can choose. I'm picking three weights:
Remember how the original yarn required smaller needles than the pattern? So I'm going to add some variance to my search:
Because I want a blend, I selected these options:
So see, that means it'll have to be something with wool and silk (match ALL).
So see, that means it'll have to be something with wool and silk (match ALL).
And these are the first ~ 10 results. Gloss fingering by knitpicks currently retails for 7.99/Hank, which are 200 yds each. Heritage silk, cascade, goes for 18/Hank but it's more than 2x the yardage at 437yds.
Let's go back to our pattern and check what yardage we need.
Let's go back to our pattern and check what yardage we need.
K, so we need about 1320 yds, and I like to include padding (yarn chicken is a bitch).
Let's go with the KP yarn for now, and divide out to get how many hanks we need:
1320/200
You get 6.6. cool, so you buy seven skeins. Comes out to 55.93 when I do that rn.
Let's go with the KP yarn for now, and divide out to get how many hanks we need:
1320/200
You get 6.6. cool, so you buy seven skeins. Comes out to 55.93 when I do that rn.
Now that's a lot of yarn for a project yours going to put a lot of time and effort into. So for me, that's a reasonable price for good quality yarn. To be absolutely clear, I am an unemployed line cook. I am not rolling in the dough. But maybe you need something cheaper
Thats cool, let's go search at Michaels. Here's their search function which isn't anywhere as good but they've finally updated it to actually reflect how yarn if purchased. So I'm going to go into weight and plug in the same sort of options...
Ah, and they use the older style of weight measurements, which is more standardized but has always been harder for me. So let's run back to the pattern real quick, and see what it requires.
Remember this? Click on that little (?) For the following link https://www.ravelry.com/help/yarn/weights?highlight=5 (second picture)
So fingering weight is listed as 1, superfine. If we look at the Michaels search you can see there's only 9 options in 1, superfine, but there's another 9 in 2, fine, so I'm going to select both.
First option that comes up is Woollike by Loops&Threads. I've had good luck with their stuff before, so I click on it.
2.99/678 yds, but all acrylic/ nylon, and I for one don't like acrylic for most things. That's just me. maybe you're good with it! Then tada, here's your pick.
2.99/678 yds, but all acrylic/ nylon, and I for one don't like acrylic for most things. That's just me. maybe you're good with it! Then tada, here's your pick.
So let's go find something for me, I'm going to go back and add a filter:
Aaaaand we get two options. But! I really like that Patons sock yarn, so let's look at that.
Aaaaand we get two options. But! I really like that Patons sock yarn, so let's look at that.
So this is still a pricey option, at 5.99/166 yds. But it's something i would be comfortable using for my project, it'll feel good on my hands, this is a soft wool that won't irritate my skin. I'm going to need 7.95 skeins, so let's round up to 8, and that comes out to... 47.92.
That's not a huge difference in price from knitpicks, BUT Michaels always has yarn sales going so let's assume there's a sale, at 20%, which takes us down to 38.34 pre tax. Ok, that's cool. They've got free pickup, or maybe you feel comfortable going in to your local Mike's.
That's a good yarn for cheap! And unfortunately, if you're not going to use acrylic, that's one of the cheaper options you're going to get at Michaels. Which has better yarn selection than Joanne's.
I do not shop at hobby lobby and I will not be pricing re: their lowass prices which they get by exploiting their workers as they work to undermine healthcare access and hoard stolen antiquities that by purchasing they helped to directly fund isis. So.
K so let's go back to knitpicks, I love knitpicks. I click on fingering, and there's a bunch of options, I'm picking this one. Still pricier than a Michaels yarn but look at that yardage! It'll work for my project, I'd need 4 hanks, which'll come out to 31 and change.
If I pick a cheaper yarn from them, there's a 3.99 cotton acrylic blend that would cost me ~27 to buy enough for the project.
Anyway, any pattern page lists gauge and that's all you need to find a yarn that works for you. You have an LYS? Hell, even if they're not nearby, call em up and be like "hey this pattern calls for a really pricey yarn do you have any recs" and they'll be able to help
Yarn substitution is a BASIC FUNDAMENTAL skill you should take it upon yourself to learn. Here's some links.
Here's THE LITERAL yarn council explaining the yarn weight system, I printed this chart and keep it with my patterns. https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system
Here's lionnbrand, one of the better large-scale yarn manufacturers, with an article http://blog.lionbrand.com/fingering-sport-dk-worsted-bulky-what-does-yarn-weight-mean/
https://sheepandstitch.com/library/what-is-worsted-weight-yarn-a-beginners-guide/ and another, focusing on worsted but with Excellent explanations
https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/blog/ydkwydk-guide-yarn-weights and another from the council
https://thefibreco.com/accurate-gauge-swatch/
https://www.vogueknitting.com/pattern-help/how-to/pattern-reading/gauge/
Just check your gauge and you'll be fine. Period. If you're not getting gauge, there's lots you can do, you don't need to buy new yarn after getting what you thought would work.
https://www.vogueknitting.com/pattern-help/how-to/pattern-reading/gauge/
Just check your gauge and you'll be fine. Period. If you're not getting gauge, there's lots you can do, you don't need to buy new yarn after getting what you thought would work.
Try different needles.
Unclench, for the love of God, every knitter I've ever taught has their shoulders next to their ears and their arms stiff as boards and their gauge is tight as fuck. Mine is typically tighter than recommended.
This is a fundamental skill.
Unclench, for the love of God, every knitter I've ever taught has their shoulders next to their ears and their arms stiff as boards and their gauge is tight as fuck. Mine is typically tighter than recommended.
This is a fundamental skill.
It is not ok to demand a designer spend extra effort teaching you a fundamental skill. Sometimes they'll have a tutorial, especially if they require a specific stitch or technique like German short rows, and if they want to provide that that's dope.
But they're not going to hold your hand through a BASIC FUNDAMENTAL SKILL.
That is not an obligation we should demand of designers who get paid pennies for their work as it is.
That is not an obligation we should demand of designers who get paid pennies for their work as it is.
To go back to my example pattern, look at all the how-to links given here. This is a reasonable expectation but genuinely, I don't even expect this. It is, in fact, enough to say "using the Simple Ring cast on, cast on x stitches" and "prestring beads before starting x section"
If you don't know how to do something, there is in fact a WEALTH of information out there to figure it out. Just. Google it.
