Yarn Substitution Made Easy: How To Find Substitute Yarn For Any Pattern

We choose the yarns for our knitting patterns with care… They’re meant to bring out the best in the design and help you get great results! But knitters (including us!) substitute yarn all the time for all kinds of good reasons, and knowing how to substitute yarn opens up a world of creative freedom. This guide will walk you through what you need to consider to make smart, satisfying yarn substitutions that keep your knitting on track.

Why Knitters Substitute Yarn 

There are as many reasons to substitute yarn as there are knitters, and all of them are valid! The yarn called for in a pattern might be discontinued or out of your price range, or maybe you want to use something already in your stash. A vegan lifestyle, a sensitivity to wool, or a disability might also shape your choices. You may want to adapt a pattern for seasonal wear, like using cotton yarn instead of wool yarn for a summer tee, or alpaca yarn instead of linen yarn for snow season. Maybe you want your project to be machine washable, or maybe another yarn is just calling your name. That specific spin, that specific fiber, that specific color… Don’t resist the call of a yarn you love! 

Whatever your reason, we’re here to help you substitute yarn with confidence. The tips ahead will set you up for success, so your finished project turns out just the way you want it to!

Gauge, Gauge, Gauge 

Swatch of our Cashmere Merino Bloom yarn, a 75% extra fine merino wool + 25% cashmere DK-weight yarn

Gauge is the most important factor in a successful yarn substitution. As always when we talk about gauge, there are no short cuts, but you can begin with some informed guesses! 

Yarn Weight 

Using a yarn that’s approximately the same weight as the one listed in the pattern is a good place to start. But not all worsted-weight yarns, for example, are the same (even from the same brand!), and small differences in gauge (yes, even less than one stitch per inch!) can really add up. So, finding a yarn that is a DK-weight when your pattern also uses a DK-weight yarn is a great first step, but finding the right yarn substitution doesn’t end there. 

Yardage

Once you know what yarn weight you’re looking for, you can begin to home in on a good substitute by comparing the yardage, but keep in mind that fiber content and yarn structure can impact yardage a lot. For example, there’s a decent chance that two 100% wool yarns that have 135 yards per 100 grams will knit up at a similar gauge, but it’s much less likely if you’re considering 135 yards of 100% cotton. Considering yardage is a good data point, but really, nothing compares knitting an actual gauge swatch… Read on!  

A NOTE ON CALCULATING YARDAGE 

On the subject of yardage, always be sure to calculate how much total yardage you’ll need for your project, not just how many skeins! For example, if your pattern says you’ll need three 200-yard skeins (600 total yards) and you’ve decided to use yarn that comes in 100-yard skeins, you will need 6 skeins. 

Always Swatch 

If you’re substituting yarn (and even if you aren’t!) always knit a gauge swatch. Be sure to wash your swatch the same way you’ll wash the finished piece, and be sure to focus on matching the pattern’s gauge, not the gauge listed on the suggested yarn label. Our All About Gauge Tutorial has tons of helpful information to help you swatch with confidence! 

Multiple Strands 

In our free Tapestry Wrap pattern, you knit two strands of fingering-weight Linen Quill together throughout.

Holding yarns double or even triple can be a great way to create a heavier yarn, especially if you’re trying to use yarn from your stash or want to create a beautiful marl. Here are a few very general guidelines to get you started: 

• 2 strands of lace weight = fingering weight 
• 2 strands of fingering weight = DK weight 
• 2 strands of sport weight = light worsted to worsted weight 
• 2 strands of DK weight = worsted weight to aran weight 
• 2 strands of worsted/aran weight = bulky/chunky weight 
• 2 strands of bulky/chunky weight = super bulky or jumbo weight 

These are guidelines only, and since holding together multiple strands will change the character of the fabric, it’s extra important to swatch to make sure you’re getting gauge and loving your fabric! 

Changing The Pattern’s Gauge 

And the most radical solution of all… You can rewrite a pattern so you can use a completely different weight yarn at a totally different gauge! This means recalculating stitch counts and sizing, which sometimes puts you in expert territory, but simple rectangular projects that don’t have to fit, like blankets, scarves, or towels, just require a gauge swatch and some simple math (we can help!). If you’re going this route, don’t forget to make sure you have enough yarn for the adjusted gauge!

Why Fiber Content Matters 

Getting gauge is critical, but it’s only part of the equation when it comes to yarn substitution. Changing the fiber makes a huge difference to the feel, drape, and look of the finished piece. The difference is most pronounced when you substitute a plant fiber for an animal fiber, or vice versa, but even substituting alpaca for wool or swapping linen for cotton will have an impact!

Animal Fibers 

Cashmere Merino Bloom, our DK-weight yarn made with 75% extra fine merino wool and 25% cashmere, has both the bounce of wool and the relaxed drape of cashmere!

Wool yarns are the most elastic and resilient of the animal fibers, meaning fabric knit with wool will spring back to its original shape after being stretched. Alpaca and cashmere yarns, on the other hand, tend to relax, giving the fabric a fluid drape and less structure. Most animal fiber yarns are not machine washable (with the exception of superwash wool!), so be sure to consider care instructions when choosing one. These yarns will also usually bloom when you hand wash them, meaning the fibers expand to fill the spaces between stitches, allowing for a looser stitch density.  

Plant Fibers 

Cotton Pure, our sport-weight yarn made with a 100% organically grown cotton, is soft, supple, and light… A classic cotton yarn!

Cotton and linen both have very little stretch and a heavier drape than wool. Cotton has a soft, supple hand, while linen has a cool, crisp feel that softens beautifully with wear. Garments knit with plant fibers won’t bounce back the way wool does and in fact tend to stretch, so they often work best for looser-fitting or less structured pieces. Plant-based yarns are frequently machine washable, and unlike animal fibers, they don’t bloom, though they can shrink a bit when washed, tightening the stitch density. Let’s mention silk here, too. Although from an animal, silk yarn generally behaves much more like a plant fiber with the same lack of elasticity and bloom. 

Yarn Construction 

Yarn construction also influences how a yarn behaves, though it usually matters less than fiber content.  

Plies 

Plies are the individual strands that get spun together into a yarn. The more plies a yarn has, the rounder and stronger it will be and the more clearly it will show individual stitches. Multi-ply yarns are ideal for hard-wearing projects like socks, while single-ply yarns are soft and plush but may pill over time. Two-ply yarns fall in between, offering softness and beautiful bloom, perfect for lace and colorwork. 

Worsted or Woolen Spun 

Our recycled cashmere Echo Cashmere yarn is woolen-spun, which makes it lighter, loftier, and bloom-ier than worsted-spun yarns.

You’ll also want to consider whether your yarn is worsted-spun (not to be confused with worsted-weight!) or woolen-spun. Worsted-spun yarns (spun tightly from very smoothly combed fiber) are smoother and denser with great stitch definition, ideal for cables and texture. Woolen-spun yarns (spun from more loosely carded fiber) are loftier and airier, and their bloom makes them especially well-suited for colorwork. 

Finding Yarn Substitutions On Our Site 

You can knit our Top Down Circular Yoke Pullover pattern in three different Purl Soho yarns! Above you can see how different it looks in Plein Air (left) and Morning (right).

Need Help? 

We’re always happy to help you explore a yarn substitution for the project you’re planning. You can ask us in the comments section of every knitting pattern on our site, or reach out to us directly at customerservice@purlsoho.com. You can even hop onto a 1-on-1 Help Zoom call to talk things out if you need!  

Explore On Your Own 

You don’t need to go it alone, but if you want to experiment on your own, we’ve made that easy, too. We list recommended yarn substitutions on all of our yarn product pages, so that you can do some solo exploring. With those recommended substitutions, of course still take the time to knit a gauge swatch (are you sensing a theme?). You can also shop by yarn weight by going to our Yarn page and selecting the filters for weight. 

Tried + True 

For some of our knitting patterns, we have already tested them out in multiple yarns! For example, our Top-Down Circular Yoke Pullover can be knit with Cashmere Merino Bloom, Plein Air, or Morning… Very different sweaters, all equally beautiful! You’ll find information right in the pattern about what you can expect with each yarn. 

Recommended Substitutions For Our Most Popular Yarns 

Clockwise from left: Quartz, Oleander, and Sweetgrass, three fingering-weight yarns that can be easily substituted for each other

Here are a few groups of yarns that we have had great success substituting for one another! 

• Fingering-Weight Yarn: Quartz, Oleander, and Sweetgrass
• Fingering- to Sport-Weight Yarn: Linen Quill, Estuary, and Cattail Silk
• Sport-Weight Yarn: Good Wool, Season Alpaca, and Cotton Pure 
• DK-Weight Yarn: Cashmere Merino Bloom, Plein Air, and Morning 
• Worsted-Weight Yarn: Daily Wool, Sunshower Cotton, and June Worsted

You’ve Got This! 

At the end of the day, the best yarn for your project is the one you love. Does it suit the project you have in mind? Does it feel good in your hands? Does it have the drape, structure, and durability your project needs? Not every yarn will be the right fit for every pattern… But there’s a yarn for every project and a project for every yarn! Swatch, experiment, trust your hands, and let your curiosity lead the way! 

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free knitting patterns) and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!

Article written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.