Helpful Swatch Part 5: Substituting One Yarn for Another

Many times a knitter will select a pattern to knit only to discover that the yarn used in the pattern is either not available or there isn’t a sufficient quantity available for purchase or it costs more than what the budget allows. So, that leads to finding a reasonable substitute to use. I have seen many forum posts in Ravelry where knitters have had difficulty making a proper substitution.

The first step in substituting one yarn for another is to look for a yarn of similar fiber composition that has approximately the same weight and recommended gauge as the yarn listed in the pattern. By this, I mean if the yarn used in the pattern is worsted weight (size 4), it’s best to find another worsted weight yarn to use as the substitute. If you are purchasing from a local yarn shop, the staff may help you find a substitute. If shopping online, Yarnsub.com is a helpful website that can be used to guide your initial search. Another resource is Ravelry – if the pattern is available in the Patterns database, you can look at others’ projects to see what yarns have been used. Regardless, once you pick your substitute yarn – you’ll need to swatch to find your gauge before you cast on and begin knitting the pattern.

Question: “I’m not getting the same gauge with my substituted yarn as the gauge stated in the pattern – what do I do now?

Here are some options to consider:

  1. Change needle size and reknit the swatch to see if you can match the gauge. If you are getting more stitches than the stated gauge – go up one or two needle sizes. If you are getting fewer stitches than the stated gauge – go down one or two needle sizes. If you succeed in matching gauge with the change in needles and you like the fabric you are producing, then simply follow your pattern and knit with the size needle that helps you get gauge.
  2. If you still can’t get gauge after changing needle sizes, but you like the fabric you are getting, calculate the number of stitches you need to cast-on to match your chest measurement and check the pattern to see if there is a size that uses the same number of stitches. You may still need to make adjustments in shaping if your row gauge is different from the pattern.
  3. Use the pattern as a guide only – use the schematic plus any adjustments you need to make and then determine the stitch counts and rows needed to make the garment with your own gauge. (A good reference for this is Knitting Pattern Essentials by Sally Melville)

Here’s the next issue for substituting one yarn for another: Does the substitute have the same weight and yardage as the original yarn? If it does – you are in luck and can simply buy the same amount of yarn as what is given in the pattern for the size of the garment you want to knit. (Remember to buy an extra one for swatching.) However, in most cases there is a difference in yardage and/or weight between the substitute and the original yarn – which leads to the question: “How much of my substitute yarn do I need? This brings us back to the basic math I covered in my previous post: “To determine the number of skeins, balls or hanks of yarn you need: Divide the number of yards by the number of yards in the skein. Or divide the total number of grams by the number of grams of the skein.  Remember that you will want one extra skein for swatching. “

Related Post

WIP: Teddy Bear for GrandsonWIP: Teddy Bear for Grandson

I think every child should have a teddy bear to love, so I am knitting my baby grandson a teddy bear. The pattern is from “Knitted Toys” by Debbie Bliss. When completed, this will be about 16-19 inches — which is a good size for a teddy bear.


I initially started this project using Peaches & Cream cotton worsted yarn in teal blue. I knitted up the first leg and started on the second one — and then decided I didn’t like the way the yarn was knitting up and I also didn’t like the color for the teddy bear. So, I switched yarns and colors and started over.

The yarn I choose is Knit Picks Shine Sport yarn in Willow colorway. This first photo is of the yarn and the beginning of the right leg.

I have knitted both legs at this point and plan to work on the body tonight while watching the Olympics. I have been using right and left slanted increases and decreases to help make the shaping more defined. [One of the things that I have learned while doing the Master Knitter Level I swatches with different increases.]

10 in 201010 in 2010

I’ve signed on for a Ravelry group called “10 in 2010”. The idea is to identify 10 knitting projects you want to complete in 2010 and share your progress with the group. It’s a variation of a knit along.

So here is my “10 in 2010” project list:

  1. Baby Romper & Cardigan(from Dale of Norway – Baby 203) in Baby Ull
  2. EZ Green Sweater – because I want to learn to steek – yarn to be determined
  3. Manly Aran Socks (from Knitting More Circles around Socks) in Knit Picks Stoll – merlot colorway
  4. Finish Cable Rib Socks in Knit Picks Risata – baby doll colorway
  5. Socks for me using Zueberball yarn – pattern to be determined
  6. SFS Socks in Regia stretch – olive drab color
  7. Teddy Bear (from Debbie Bliss Toy Knits) – using Peaches & Cream yarn
  8. Socks using Brown Sheep Wildfoote yarn
  9. Socks using Debbie Norville Serenity Yarn
  10. Hat & matching scarf for me — yarn and pattern to be determined

This is an easy way to set some goals for knitting projects. If you are on Ravelry and are interested in joining, go to Groups and look for “10 in 2010”. Happy Knitting.

Long Tail Cast OnLong Tail Cast On

The Long-Tail Cast On is one of the most common and popular cast ons. It is an all purpose cast on that gives an attractive and elastic edge and works in almost every type of project. Because of its structure, this cast on creates the first row of your knitting – which is usually considered the wrong side of the work for stockinette stitch.

As the name implies it starts with a long tail – which can be a challenge for a knitter to figure out how long to make the tail before you start making stitches on your needle. A general rule of thumb for this length is 3 times the length you need to form the number of stitches to cast on. Some knitters wrap the yarn around the needle the number of times that equals the number of stitches. I’ve used both methods and both work fairly well.

The cast on starts with a slip stitch (some knitters omit this step). You then form a “slingshot” by holding the needle in your right hand and using the thumb and forefinger of your left hand so that one of the two strands wraps around the thumb and the other wraps around the forefinger, forming a “Y”. The tail strand should go over the thumb and the working yarn should go over the forefinger.

To form a new stitch, put the needle under and into the loop on the thumb, then go over the yarn on the forefinger and bring the strand through the thumb loop. Drop the yarn off the thumb and gently tighten the loop on the needle. Repeat until you have the desired number of stitches.

There are several variations of this cast on. I have included a link for the Alternating Long Tail Cast on, which provides a way to alternate knit and purl stitches for a ribbing and gives a moderately elastic edge.

Everything About the Long-Tail Cast On

Long-Tail Cast On in Pattern – Alternating Long-Tail CO