Wonderous knitters please come and answer my question!

[Legoleia]

If I have a pattern that says I need to use Debbie Bliss £££££cashmere, organic pedigree kitten fur aran wool£££ then can I just use ANY aran wool? Does it need to be that one, or the exact mix of fibres?

The thing is, if I go with the suggestion, then I could waltz into Monsoon and buy a few cardigans for the same cost!

(but I love knitting!)

TIA!

[DutchOma]

Have a look at the Debbie Bliss whatever £££ and note down the tension. Then go to the market and buy something that works to the same tension.
Happy knitting.

[Miaou]

DutchOma is right - as long as it knits to the same tension then any wool is fine. These people who design with £££ wool get it for free from the manufacturers (in the hope they will use it for their designs) - they forget how much it will cost us normal folk!

I have been eyeing up a lovely nicky epstein design cardi - if I use the yarn she suggests it will cost me well over £100 to make (HAHAHA I THINK NOT!!!)

[blithedance]

Yes, as long as it knits to 18sts/10cm which is most standard Aran yarns. I am a dedicated substituter myself. May be worth getting extra ball in case there is less yarn in each ball though.

I am lining up to knit some Debbie bliss designs in the yarns I got from Lidl last year

[marina]

As well as yarn weight, try and match "feel" if possible - elasticity, weight and drape.
It's nice to see luxe yarns on the market but I agree with everyone else - they're 'aving a larf

[Legoleia]

Aha, thanks for the informative answers - will keep a look out for similar-tension bargains! Thanks everyone!

[ranting]

I find a lot of Debbie Bliss wool a bit over rated anyway, once used some of her wool cotton and it was horribly splitty.
So I tend to substitute quite a lot, usually do a tension square first though if it's something that needs to fit just right.

[marina]

I agree ranting. Rowan's stuff is better quality IME. Debbie Bliss always averages at least one knotty join per £££ ball

[ranting]

Yep, Rowan wool is a dream to work with, Marina, you'll often find me in JL, touching up the balls (yarn, ladies, yarn)

[Miaou]

Oh yes marina, I get really irked with DB wool for the knots - very annoying - agree Rowan is much nicer! And avoid Sirdar cotton dk like the plague - it's horrendously splitty as I found to my cost (and the only cotton yarn stocked in my LYS too - )

[fizzbuzz]

Now then, I was told by nice ladies in JL, that Debbie Bliss doesn't equate with any other yarn, so it is very difficult to substitue with something else, as it is either thicker or narrower than anything else on the market.

Debbie Bliss has it stitched up apparently££££

[BellaBear]

fizzbuzz - I was told that as well.

I like DB but I only knit baby clothes!

If you check out the pattern on ravelry, you can see what others have knitted it in, and see how it turned out for them

[marina]

Fizzbuzz, that's definitely true of her knotty DK cotton - so I just sub Rowan, and knit the next size up

[blithedance]

Noooo...Fizz, the only Debbie Bliss yarn hard to sub is Baby Cashmerino (and her discont'd Wool Cotton). They both are 25sts/10cm. So if you knit for babies you will come up against this... BUT Baby Cashmerino does go a long way and is washable, a lovely yarn IME. Rowan Cotton Glace will do it but a very diff yarn - crisp cotton vs. soft wool.

[quarkee]

I am a very inexperienced knitter so new to this that I substituted DB for ROwan DK cotton on one of her baby hats and it worked fine - I didnt realise unril reading this thread that I was supposed to worry abotu tension The ROwan is lovely though...

[DutchOma]

Just goes to show that experience doesn't really matter , we just get too big for our boots, thinking we know it all. I haven't even ever knitted with DB yarns, too skinflint, I suppose.
Just doing a romper suit with Rowan cotton and not that fussed about it, although it is working out tension wise. Just wondering whether I'll have enough yarn.

[marina]

I think you will be ok DutchOma as the Rowan cotton has more metrage per ball - and my tension is a bit tight so I do have to compensate for using a slightly thinner yarn

[ranting]

The best quality cotton is definitely Patons, doesn't split, no knots and bargainous to boot. Wendy cotton is also quite good but patons feels nicer on the hands. DB cotton just makes me shiver in disgust.