Yarn Substitution & Gauge

We often get questions regarding using our yarn instead of the recommended yarn in a pattern. This guide will help you with deciding on substitutions.

A note about gauge & needle/hook recommendations

We do not recommend needle sizes/gauge for any of our yarns for a few reasons:

  1. Tension can vary GREATLY between people! Two people using the same needle /hook size using the same yarn can result in significantly different gauge swatches. This includes the difference between you and the pattern designer.
  2. The same yarn in different patterns could use much different gauge - a drapy, lacy shawl will use a much looser gauge than a pair of socks, even though both may call for the same yarn. We have one yarn that we have swatched up in 3mm to 8mm needles, and each size works well for different projects. A range of sizes isn't helpful without project info.
  3. We recommend finding a yarn that is suitable for the pattern you're making and making a gauge swatch to see what needle/hook size you will need, and adjust accordingly.
  4. Those needle/hook size recommendations you see on many commercial yarns are based on averages of some random sample of knitters/crocheters, which doesn't take YOUR tension, project, yarn, and even the type of material your needle/hook is made of (metal/plastic/resin/wood) into consideration.

The needle/hook size in the pattern is what the designer used to get the gauge listed in the pattern and IS NOT a guarantee that if you use the same size, you will get the same results. You have no idea if your tension is looser or tighter than the designer's.

Gauge swatching

A gauge swatch is nice to do for some patterns (like shawls, blankets, or scarves), but will be crucial for patterns that you want to fit (like a hat or sweater) or to substitute yarn. Remember - if you needed to do a gauge swatch but skip this step, you may find that your entire project has become a big gauge swatch when you find it doesn't fit, or you have too much or not enough yarn for the project!

To do a gauge swatch, check to see if the designer has given any instructions - they may indicate which stitch to use, or may indicate to do it in pattern. If there is no indication, use the type of stitch most commonly used in the pattern.

A gauge swatch should measure at least 6"x6" at a MINIMUM so that you get the most accurate info. You will then measure a 4"x4" section in the middle AFTER BLOCKING to get your gauge info. Your gauge should mirror what your object is like - if the project is made back and forth, resulting in a flat piece, then make your swatch the same way. If it's made in the round, your swatch should be in the round as well - this is important because the height of your stitches may change slightly depending on the construction,

A swatch that is too small will be inaccurate because stitches near the edges can have a different gauge than ones in the middle. So as much as you may want to dive into starting the project and think you can get away with doubling the stick count of a 2"x2" swatch, take the time to get the gauge right at the beginning.

Look at your swatch after blocking - do you have the recommended number of stitches per row? If not, try going down a needle/hook size if you don't have enough stitches, or go up a needle/hook size if you have too many stitches. If your stitches/row are correct, but the number of rows is different, you will just need to make note of that and make adjustments where needed to the length of the project - many patterns will account for this by telling you to knit/crochet for X number of inches, but you may need to consider where you can add/subtract rows from the pattern.

Also consider if you like the drape of the fabric made? if you are making a sweater, do you want to make a fabric that can stand on it's own, or do you want something that drapes nicely over your body? If you meet gauge but don't like the resulting fabric, you may need to consider making adjustments as though you were working with a different yarn weight.

Yarn weight & substitutions

The number of meters per gram can vary between different manufacturers, even in yarns that are listed as the same weight - depending on the mill, there are different acceptable standards for what is considered lace, fingering, sport, DK, worsted, etc. These guidelines can and do overlap.

The best way to determine if any yarn can be substituted in a pattern is to determine how many meters there are per gram - the higher the number, the lighter the weight will be. You get this number by dividing the number of meters in the skein by the number of grams. You'll want to get these numbers close to use the same yarn weight.

  • If the yarn has 234 meters in 50 grams, divide 234 by 50 to get 4.680 meters in length for every gram of yarn.
    • Tip: you can use this to estimate how much length you have left over in a ball of yarn after you've used some - just figure out the m/g, weight the ball, and multiply the weight by the m/g

For our yarn, here are the meters/gram, from lighter to heavier. Please note that all yarn labelled sock yarn is fingering weight, it's labelled sock to indicate it has fibres like nylon or silk added to give extra strength.

420m/50g = 8.400 m/g

  • Athabascan Suri Silk

895m/115g = 7.783 m/g

  • Fosbury Lace

788m/115g = 6.852 m/g

  • Hawthorne Lace

448m/115g = 3.896 m/g

  • Strathcona Fingering

454m/115g = 3.948 m/g

  • Tisbury Sock

396m/115g = 3.443 m/g

  • Hawthorne Fingering

384m/115g = 3.339 m/g

  • Amesbury Fingering
  • Barbury Sock
  • Broadmoor Fingering
  • Glenbrook Sock
  • Tisbury Fingering
  • Woodbridge Sock

345m/115g = 3.000 m/g

  • Georgian Fingering

260m/100g = 2.600 m/g

  • Newbury DK (due to the unique structure, this yarn can behave like a fingering weight to a bulky weight).

256m/115g = 2.226 m/g

  • Broadmoor Sport
  • Fosbury Sport
  • Tisbury Sport
204m/115g = 1.774 m/g
  • Hawthorne Worsted

192m/115g = 1.670 m/g

  • Broadmoor Worsted
  • Fosbury Worsted
  • Tisbury Worsted

128m/115g = 1.113 m/g

  • Salisbury Bulky

64m/115g = 0.556 m/g

  • Salisbury Bulky

If you are making a substitution for the yarn suggested in the pattern, you will need to do the math to figure out how many meters there are per gram (for those using imperial measurements - using metric in the math makes this MUCH easier and it's best to convert from imperial to metric first).

Then compare the suggested yarn with the yarn you want to use and see if there is a close match:

  • If the suggested yarn is fairly close to the yarn you want to use, try making a gauge swatch, and adjust your needle/hook size up or down to meet gauge.
  • If the suggested yarn is LIGHTER (more m/g) than the yarn you want to use, you will need to:
    • Use a smaller needle/hook to meet gauge. If the resulting fabric is too stiff for your project you may need to consider switching to a lighter yarn.
    • Consider making some adjustments to the pattern so that you can use the desired yarn if you prefer the fabric that results when you don't meet gauge. In this case you would be subtracting some stitches/rows to the pattern - ex, if the pattern calls for 20 stitches in 4", and you get 19 stitches per 4", you will need to make 19 stitches for every 4" of width or length in the pattern.
  • If the suggested yarn is HEAVIER (fewer m/g) than the yarn you want to use, you will need to:
    • Use a larger needle/hook to meet gauge. If the resulting fabric is too loose/limp for your project you may need to consider switching to a heavier yarn.
    • Consider making some adjustments to the pattern so that you can use the desired yarn if you actually prefer the fabric that results when you don't meet gauge. In this case you would be adding some stitches/rows to the pattern - ex, if the pattern calls for 20 stitches in 4", and you get 21 stitches per 4", you will need to make 21 stitches for every 4" of width or length in the pattern.

How much yarn you will need will depend on how much you are deviating from what the pattern recommends. You will want to aim more for the overall weight in grams suggested than the number of meters, but will need to take into account any other changes you have made to the pattern such as shortening or lengthening a sweater, adding a different border, etc..