Showing posts with label How to Compare Yarns by Weight and Length for Yarn Substitution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to Compare Yarns by Weight and Length for Yarn Substitution. Show all posts

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