Help with wool please

[clairethewitch70]

My DH has offered to buy me some wool for my birthday. I want to make a cloak and the pattern suggests this wool that I can't find in UK. Can anyone suggest a substitute?

SimpliWorsted by HiKoo (55% super wash merino, 28% acrylic, 17% nylon) 1 3/4 oz/50g, 117yd/107m - 16 skeins ( possibly Aran??)

Size 7 (4.5mm) needles. Gauge 20 sts x 28 rows = 4" in stocking stitch.

I am looking for a black wool. The pattern is Ruby Red Riding Hood, in the book Once Upon a Knit be Genevieve Miller (it's on the cover).

Thanks

mmm - I think worsted weight is normally supposed to be equivalent to DK ? ,though DK usually uses a 4mm needle ,

This website may help. It seems most of the alternative yarns are Scandi brands - I don't know if WoolWarehouse stock any of them.

conversion for US to UK scroll down for the yarn conversions the needles are at the top/first.

Tbf even if the wool is not spot on but you are getting gauge and you like the fabric you are making it can be fudged.

ooh, does look like Aran :)
I agree with Yes - you can adjust to the gauge by changing the needle size.
Do you want a merino mix ?

Thanks Woolyback - none of the substitutions were familiar to me either.

Yes bookbook A merino mix would be nice, so I am looking for recommendations for an Aran weight merino if possible.

I tweeted Skacel who make the wool and asked if they had any suppliers in the UK, they said no, but recommended a US site called Fiberwild who ship to Uk, so I am off to check them out.

This is going to be too expensive I think....

Yikes - I need 16 skeins

www.fiberwild.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_85_2190_2186&products_id=7116

Plus shipping, import duties, taxes etc. Too expensive I think I will need to go with a substitute.

Any recommendations for Aran weight merino please in black.

www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn/drops-big-merino-all-colours

Drops are a great brand. Really good quality at good prices.

I usually substitute an aran for worsted. Needle size is your clue: look for something that knits up to a similar gauge on the same sized needles, then create a gauge swatch to test.

big merino is lovely and soft but can be a bit splitty.
Also if you substitue a 100% wool for a wool blend then it could cause it to grow more than you intend particularly with a cloak that will have a lot of weight to it. So you need to take into account wool fibre content when switching wool makes/brands as the different composition has different affects - eg alpaca content causes it to be super warm, superwash/washable wool will be more likely to grow when washed then rustic etc.

I have used this wool lots in 4 ply - it is beautiful to work with, but maybe too expensive when you add up 16 balls ...
Cashmerino

If you join Ravelry you can see the projects that have already been knitted for this pattern, and thus get an idea of what yarn people are using.

Caron Simply Soft Solids has been used three times, Malabrigo Rios once - this is a pure merino but I would agree with YesEinstein, substituting with different fibres could cause it to grow.

From the Yarn Sub suggestions, you can get Katia and Lana Grossa in the UK, also Bergère and possibly Hjertegarn.

The cloak is a big project, have you done something of that size before? Quite a lot of stockinette to slog through.

Gemma Einstein Thanks I think that the Drops Merino might be the one, I need to sit down and work it out.

Thanks Bookbook, added to my list

Ttribpot I am on Ravelry, I never thought of that, brilliant idea.

I have done lots of big projects in the past not always finished them tho

This is the pattern

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ruby-red-riding-hood

Try 'loveknitting' website, you can filter by the yarn thickness you want, and by colour if you want - there's loads of choice :-).
One thing to watch - if you use cotton or a high wool content the garment will be heavier than synthetic fibres, so think what you want (the knitting may stretch if its quite heavy).
Also, the quantity you need is actually the same no of metres as the original yarn, rather than the same weight (because the number of metres per ball varies, depending how heavy the fibres are). So you need 107 times the no of balls the pattern needs, metres, if that makes sense? Or buy several spare balls and used them for a hatnif you don't need them :-).