Skeinspan.

THE YARN COMPARISON NOTEBOOK

Find your next yarn substitute.

Start with your pattern’s yarn. Compare fiber, gauge, yardage and care to shortlist an alternative for a washed swatch.

Calculate substitute skeins · Find US yarn alternatives · Read comparison notes

Browse and compare yarns

30 yarn lines to explore

Open side-by-side comparison ↗

Gauge filters include overlapping published values. “4 inches / 10 cm” follows source labels; these units are not mathematically identical.

Cascade Yarns

Cascade 220

100% Peruvian Highland Wool

Package200 m100 g
Stitch gauge18–20 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
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Cascade Yarns

Heritage

75% Superwash Merino Wool / 25% Nylon

Package400 m100 g
Stitch gauge28–32 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Cascade Yarns

Cherub DK

55% Nylon / 45% Acrylic

Package165 m50 g
Stitch gauge22–24 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Cascade Yarns

Pacific

60% Acrylic / 40% Superwash Merino Wool

Package195 m100 g
Stitch gauge18–20 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Cascade Yarns

Ultra Pima

100% Pima Cotton

Package200 m100 g
Stitch gauge22–24 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Berroco

Vintage

52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon

Package199 m100 g
Stitch gauge18–20 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Berroco

Vintage DK

52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon

Package265 m100 g
Stitch gauge22 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
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Berroco

Ultra Alpaca

50% Super Fine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Wool

Package200 m100 g
Stitch gauge20 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Berroco

Remix

30% Nylon, 27% Cotton, 24% Acrylic, 10% Silk, 9% Linen

Package198 m100 g
Stitch gauge17 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Berroco

Remix Light

30% Nylon, 27% Cotton, 24% Acrylic, 10% Silk, 9% Linen

Package400 m100 g
Stitch gauge22 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Berroco

Aerial

65% Superkid Mohair, 35% Silk

Package260 m25 g
Stitch gauge18–24 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Knitting for Olive

Merino

100% merino wool

Package250 m50 g
Stitch gauge28 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Sandnes Garn

Sunday

100% merino wool

Package235 m50 g
Stitch gauge28 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

DROPS

Air

65% alpaca / 28% polyamide / 7% wool

Package150 m50 g
Stitch gauge17 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

DROPS

Daisy

100% wool (merino described by manufacturer)

Package110 m50 g
Stitch gauge21 stsper source 10 cm / 4 in
Compare

Finding alternatives for two yarns held together?

Compare Sunday + Tynn Silk Mohair replacements strand by strand, with sourced US retailer listings and a calculator for both quantities.

BEFORE YOU CAST ON

How to choose
a yarn substitute.

Start with the pattern’s stitch gauge and strand combination, then compare fiber, construction and care. A matching yarn weight label is a starting point; it does not establish the same fabric.

Compare total yardage or meterage before counting balls. Divide the required length by the replacement yarn’s length per package, using the same units, and round up to whole packages. Allow for swatching separately.

Wash and dry your swatch as you will the finished project. Check stitch and row gauge, drape and feel before buying a project quantity. Our suggested alternatives are candidates to test, not confirmed replacements.

How we compare yarns

SIDE BY SIDE, WITH CONTEXT

Yarn comparisons to explore

Read the differences in published specifications before choosing your next swatch.