Yarn Substitution: Fibers

You’ve fallen in love with a pattern, but you need to find a substitute for the yarn. Maybe it’s discontinued, or not available in your local yarn shop (LYS), or doesn’t appeal to you for other reasons. Your challenge is to find a yarn that emulates the properties of the designer’s yarn and is also appropriate for the project.

There are a lot of traits that a yarn can have. Is it dense or airy? Elastic or inelastic? Soft or slightly rough or quite harsh? Smooth or textured? Multiple plies or singles? You should consider all these traits—and more—as you think about possible yarns, but we’ll start by looking at fiber.

When selecting a yarn, how do you choose which fiber(s) might be appropriate? Begin by learning what you can about the pattern’s original yarn, then look for yarns that have similar properties—or properties that you think will suit your own project best. Then consider the piece that you are planning to make.

What Kind of Yarn Are You Looking For?

Before you select fiber(s), think about the properties of the yarn. For something like socks, you’ll probably want a hard-wearing yarn. A hat might need softness, especially around the face. Mittens might need soft cuffs but a harder-wearing yarn for the hands. A light, lacy shawl might need a drapey yarn, whereas a heavier shawl could be more crisp.

Sweaters come in many varieties. Yarn for a thick winter sweater might incorporate fibers for warmth as well as fibers that add loft so the piece won’t be too heavy. A summer sweater might use a cooler fiber, possibly blended with something to add elasticity. Some sweaters are more drapey, while others have more body.

Once you have a general idea of the fiber properties that might work for your project, you can start to pare down your potential yarn choices. [PAYWALL]

They all produce wool, but is it any wonder that the fibers from these three sheep breeds produce different yarns? From left, Targhee sheep from Skull Creek Targhees, Corriedale from Ruppert’s Corriedales, and one of Freda Magill’s Wensleydales (photo by Cherie Cornick).

The Many Varieties of Wool

Sometimes we think of our fibers as “wool” and “others,” but “wool” has a broad range of traits.

Fibers such as Merino, Polwarth, Targhee, Cormo, Rambouillet, and other finewool breeds tend to be fine and crimpy, at least in their natural state. Sometimes the crimpiness is not evident in the yarn because of chemical processes, such as shrinkproof treatment, or because the spinning process (including oils added during spinning) can dampen it. It will probably reappear when you wash your finished piece (and it can change the gauge, too). This may be called blooming, or simply poofing. Crimpy, fine wools tend to bloom more than other wools. This can create a yarn with more airiness and elasticity, but less drape. Finewools tend to be less durable than medium- and longwools.

A medium wool, Corriedale isn’t as crimpy as the finewools but will still bloom when washed.

Longwools such as Wensleydale and Lincoln Longwool don’t have the fine crimp of the finewools, so yarns spun from them tend to be more drapey and denser. But the lack of crimp also makes them more lustrous, so they are a good choice if you’d like a little glow.

Bluefaced Leicester (BFL), technically a longwool, tends to be finer and crimpier than other longwools.

Sometimes yarn is just labeled as “wool.” In this case, expect something more middle of the road. There will probably be some elasticity but not much luster.

For more about different varieties of wool, see Broaden Your Fiber Horizons: Knitting Beyond Merino.

Other Protein Fibers

There are many other protein fibers available besides wool.

Silk comes in many varieties. Bombyx (also called mulberry) is cultivated silk—the white, shiny, smooth fiber. It has excellent drape and luster. Tussah, muga, and eri silk each have a less-smooth texture than bombyx, but still offer good shine and drape. All types of silk will add warmth.

Alpaca comes in two varieties. Suri fiber is the longer, smoother type, producing a yarn with more drape and luster than huacaya. Huacaya fibers are shorter and more fluffy. In general, alpaca yarns have more drape than bounce. Llama is a cousin to alpaca, and usually produces a somewhat drapey yarn.

Mohair is a smooth, shiny fiber that adds drape and warmth. Kid mohair is softer than adult mohair and often lends fuzziness to a project, which adds warmth as well as a halo.

On the other end of the spectrum are short, fine fibers such as cashmere, yak, camel down, and qiviut. These fibers are generally quite soft and very warm. They can add a bit of halo to a project and are relatively lightweight.

Angora is a medium length fiber, incredibly warm and silky, with a characteristic halo.

Common plant fibers, from left: flax, hemp, cotton boll, cotton, colored cotton (right)

Cellulose Fibers

Plant fibers composed of cellulose are usually not as warm as protein fibers, so are often used for summer or trans-seasonal garments. They are also not elastic.

Cotton fibers are short and can be matte or lustrous. Cotton adds softness but also heaviness, and it is a poor insulator when wet.

Flax (unspun linen), ramie, and hemp all have long fibers that are matte and slightly rough. They can add a nice drape to a project and soften with repeated washings.

Bamboo rayon is shiny, smooth, and has a long staple length. (Almost all bamboo fiber for knitting is bamboo rayon, but a few yarns include “bast bamboo,” which is produced like linen and hemp.) All rayon is made from cellulose that undergoes a chemical process designed to make it silklike. It can be very drapey.

Blends

Sometimes a blend is the right choice to provide all of the properties you’re looking for in a yarn.

If you’re searching for a lighter yarn, but would still like some drape, you might look for a crimpier wool that’s combined with a smoother, straighter fiber. Merino/silk blends are popular at least partly for this reason.

Would you like more warmth without too much weight? Try a blend with a crimpy wool or a fine non-wool protein fiber.

Proportions can also be important. A 50/50 wool/silk blend can behave differently than a 70/30 wool/silk, for example, so if you feel that a yarn is close but not quite right, a yarn with different fiber proportions could be the answer.

Keep in mind that almost no other natural fiber, protein or cellulose, can match the elasticity of wool. For a project that needs to hold its shape, be careful when substituting something with no wool content for a 100% wool yarn. You may find the right blend of fibers in the right yarn structure, but choose carefully.

A swatch can tell you not only what gauge a yarn works up at but also what the the drape, luster, elasticity, and hand are like. Photo by George Boe

A Final Word

Swatch.

When you’re substituting yarns, it’s even more important than usual to give the yarn a test drive, not just to check the gauge but also to see how it changes when washed, how the stitch pattern works with the yarn, and whether it behaves like you expected.

Swatch.

Karen Frisa is a knitter and spinner who never seems to use the yarn that’s called for in a pattern but still ends up with successful projects.