Monday, March 24, 2014

How to Compare Yarns by Weight and Length for Yarn Substitution



Knitters often want to know why yarn substitutions can produce unexpected results. Take a look at the list below. I pulled this from Ravelry and then I added the weight/length ratio. All the yarns are 100% Alpaca, listed as light fingering. The ratio range is from 2.68 to 19.34. If I toss out the outliers, assuming something is wrong with the information or I goofed and made a calculation error, I still get a range from 3.1  to 8.74. Out of 11 yarns, 4 fall between 4.0 and 4.3.  Which yarns do you think are interchangeable?

Ratio calculation: yards or metres divided by grams e.g. 410 yards divided by 100 grams = 4.1

by BC Garn
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 5.47

by Golden Eagle
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 4,04

by Holst Garn
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 8.74

by BC Garn
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 5.47

by Pacific Meadows Alpacas
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 4.05

by wollerey
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 19.34

by Little Gidding Farm
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio N/A no weight listed

by The Mulberry Dyer
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 3.1

by Alpacas d'Auxvasse
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 2.68

by Flat Rocks Yarn
Light Fingering: 100% Alpaca
Ratio 4.3

2 comments:

  1. This is really interesting, thank you. I had never thought to calculate the ratio, although of course it makes perfect sense. So, I assume that when choosing a substitute yarn, you should go for the closest possible ratio to the recommended yarn?

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely, it works really well when you stay with the same fibre composition.

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