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Yarndex.com Your Source For…..

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You wanted it, you got it. This is my primo source. I NEVER (and I repeat: NEVER) knit a pattern with the yarn that is recommended. There are a plethora of reasons for this, mostly centering around the fact that the brain currently housed in my little head isn’t very organized.

But enough of that. I have enough yarn in my stash room to substitute just about anything. So what do I do?

I find out how many yards of yarn I need for my project. Then I connect to www.yarndex.com and find the brand and name of the yarn that is required and find out both the weight of the yarn and how many yards are on each skein. From there I multiply how many yards on each skein by how many skeins are called for to give me the total yardage suggested for my project. I then take that number into my own private lys yarn room and go from there.

That’s my best advice for substituting yarn. You can always take 2 or more lighter weight yarns and hold them together to get a heavier weight also, but that’s kind of sketchy.

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Comments

  1. THANK YOU!! My private yarn room – closet, garage, under the bed, behind the sofa – will appreciate the help too!

  2. Thank you so much for your endorsement of Yarndex.com and your description of how you use our yarn reference library. We at Yarndex really appreciate hearing about how knitters, crocheters, weavers, designers, really anyone with a passion for yarn enjoys exploring all those options (over 5,000 yarns to date and still growing)!

    Thanks again for your support,

    Jan and the Yarndex Yarn Enthusiasts

  4. Can anyone advise me on a substitute yarn for Red heart and TLC Baby Amore Yarn. The size of hook is 5mm. I need various soft baby colour. I don’t understand the term worsted but the blanket is the first I have done. Will using a different wool affect the size or the pattern which is of little baby ducks, dogs, cats and dogs. I would appreciate some advice. Thank you in anticipation.

  5. Hi Tina,
    Worsted is a standard size, a tad bit heavier than DK but less than bulky. I don’t know how crochet hooks size up as far as worsted weight yarns, you’d have to ask JD, our crochet editor. I’d think, with a child’s sweater that will most likely be machine washed and dried, you’d want to have all the same makeup of yarn (ie, all cotton, or all wool….).
    Hope this helps!

    Terrye

  6. Have a Beret pattern caling for Croajingolong yarn. Haven’t been able to find m uch on it. How about a substitute, please.

Have you read?

Summer Headband Knitting Patterns

Some knitters have trouble coming up with projects they can both knit and wear when it’s warm outside. Especially if you’re not ready for garments (thought tank tops and summer tops are great first garment projects!) it might seem like there’s nothing to do when it’s hot outside.

One way to remedy this situation is by knitting headbands. Headbands are great any time of year to keep hair out of your face and make you look a little more pulled together without any effort. Wider headbands double as ear warmers when it gets colder, but skinnier ones are great throughout the year.

A couple of great examples are from designer Elly Donner, who has a set of headband knitting patterns on Ravelry you can buy individually or as an ebook. Homebody, shown here, is worked in garter stitch (the ties are crocheted but you could also use I-cord), while Slipstream uses slipped stitches and garter ridges, and Sounds of Spring has little cables. The patterns use DK weight yarn and are a great way to use a little leftover yarn from another project.

I also recently came across the lovely Plush Braided Headband by Yevgeniya Li. A free pattern on Ravelry, this wider design is covered in lush cables for a sleek and fancy look. It uses worsted weight yarn and you can customize the length for a perfect fit.

Celeste Knitwear’s Spikelet is a simple twisted headband with columns of eyelet lace to keep it from being too heavy. It’s worked flat and sewn together to make the twist, and uses DK weight yarn. It has three sizes available.

This skinny lace headband from Lusi Knits is another cute choice. It calls for fine weight cotton yarn, but you could use heavier yarn if you have it on hand to make a wider headband (or use any fine yarn you have available). It uses ties to customize the fit.

And if you want to go super basic but still really cute, try the easy ring headband from Lulu Pattern. The sample is knit pretty wide, but you could make a narrower version if you want, and the little ring turns it from a plain loop into a bow with very little extra work. It calls for worsted weight yarn but you could also use whatever weight you like for this one to change up the look and size.