knitty wooly yarny people.... can you educate me in the ways of substituting one wool for another?

[Tigaaaarghna]

Pattern calls for particular 'make and model' of wool - possibly because it appears on the website of that brand!
But it doesn't really appeal.

Can I use a different wool? What are the key things to match?

often it's just enough to match the weight of the yarn (4ply, dk, aran, chunky). here is the standard weight system. this is fine if it's a fairly forgiving pattern or something like a toy or blanket where finished size is a bit flexible.

but not all dks or arans are exactly the same weight. for a pattern where gauge (i just can't spell that word it never looks right...) is crucial e.g. fitted garments you want to look at the needle size and tension (i.e. how many stitches/rows you get in a 10cm swatch). you can often tweak the needle size to get the right tension, but this may give you a different thickness/drape of fabric as the stitches will be more squashed/spread out.

you also want to look at the composition of the yarn. different natural fibres will give different kinds of drape and have different care requirements. e.g. alpaca is super warm, silk is heavy and drapey (and can pull out of shape), cotton has no stretch and is heavy. not all manmades are equal either - some are hideous and squeaky and some are fine.

The thickness - eg whether it's double knitting, 4 ply or wahatever. And the fibre - a double knit pure cotton will knit up quite differently to a double knit pure wool. Acrylic will come up similar to pure wool. If you can, compare the tension stated on the ball band (eg 20 stitches and 30 rows make a 10cm square) and find the equivalent in a yarn you like. Otherwise just ask the people where you buy the yarn to recommend and alternative!

if you look at the band on the yarn (less easy to do online...) it will give you a suggested needle size and gauge. so, for example, the yarn i am using atm gives you 18st and 24 rows to 10cm square using 5mm needles. you can try and find a yarn that matches, or play with the gauge (needle size) to get what you need for your pattern.

is there a john lewis near you? our one has got a terrifyingly competent knitting lady from rowan yarns on hand to answer these kinds of questions, and she has helped me with almost everything i've made.

Look for the weight/gauge of the yarn - and make a note from the pattern of the suggested needle size to achieve the tension required.
Armed with that info you can look at ball bands and see which yarns knit up to the same tension on the same needles.
There is more to it than that though!
A pure cotton dk yarn will be heavier and less elastic than a blend, or a wool yarn, that knits to the same tension. So, as well as matching tension/yarn gauge, think about how you want the finished garment to look - as alike as possible to the original...or are you feeling like a radical reinterpretation?

I have to go, HTH

lots of good advice on here.

angel yarns usually have the needle size / tension for various yarns.

although i have to say i wouldn't recommend actually buying the wool from them. they don't tell you if it's not in stock and you could wait up to 6 weeks while they order it, having taken the money the day of your order. and their customer service is terrible - don't reply to emails or take days to get back to you.

I think you've been told everything already, but feel free to post the yarn on here and we can make suggestions. I rarely use the recommended yarn. Agree with warty on that supplier too, I had awful problems and am clearly not alone.

, you too Warthog? I thought it was just me? I've heard so many people rave about how wonderful AY's are, I thought I was the only one who'd had terrible service off them. And they never replied to my emails either.

screaming, there were lots of discussions from people with the same problem on a yahoo group until everyone was banned from mentioning it. I've seen the same thing on US boards too, so you are most certainly not alone.

this is the pattern

Offhand, that's the same number of stitches per cm as Rowan Summer Tweed and All Seasons Cotton. You need a fairly thick aran for it. What kind of look were you aiming for?

Phew, thanks tamum. It's a shame because they've just brought out a new own brand yarn and it looks quite nice but, I've been so put off by my experience that I guess I'll have to do without

I've never used them, thanks for the tip-off both.
Although they don't stock everything, Kangaroo have never once let me down and respond swiftly to e-mail queries
Texere's customer service is great too but their yarns are non-branded apart from some Noro and King Cole lines

TBH I'm not really sure, I just didn't fancy the shiny thread running through this particular yarn.
Thinking of knitting this for my SIL for christmas. She is a skinny 18yo. Also think the colourways offered in the prescribed yarn aren't quite right for her.

Well, you never know screaming- there are always people who are very loyal and think they are wonderful, so if you really want it maybe it's worth another go?

Thinking about that pattern again that's actually quite a high number of rows per 10cm, so it may not be so easy to match, especially with that pattern construction.

Getknitted and Pavi Yarns are also very reliable IME.

I agree about shiny yarns, I always avoid them. You will need something a bit soft and drapey, won't you, so Summer Tweed would be hopeless. I can't remember the tension of Debbie Bliss Rialto, but that's probably the kind of fabric you would want.

Texere are very good, as are dragon yarns and peachyethknits and peachy put the tension count on the page with the yarns.

Rialto is the wrong tension, sorry.

Glad to have helped Fio

Fio, you did write on my wall, it made me lol at you being a mad aunty. I think I wrote back on yours but who knows?

Rowan scottish tweed might do it, although I wonder if the row count on that pattern is a misprint. www.ethknits.co.uk/frames/frame.htm

oh wow! so i'm not alone... i've had two bad experiences through them. thought the first might be a one-off. shame really, because their selection is good.

met the kangaroo people at ally pally and they were lovely! will be buying a lot more through them. i've bought through a lot of sites, and not had a problem apart from the lyo-that-shall-not-be-named.

Did you notice Warthog that AY didn't have a stall at the knitting and stitching show, because I did.

Be careful: I substituted DB DK cotton for another DK cotton and needed an extra ball. It seems to be thicker despite saying DK ont eh label. Try knitting a tension square first.