Yarn Substitution Made Easy: Matching the Right Yarn to Any Knitting Pattern

by Carol J. Sulcoski

An in-depth guide to choosing the right yarn for your project—including 10 patterns that explore how different yarns affect the outcome of your final product.   When beginning a project, every knitter confronts the “What yarn should I use?” The answer can be complicated. Sometimes the recommended brand is unavailable or too expensive—or you’d rather use extra yarn from your stash. But even similar products might yield different results, altering structure, size, and texture. Now, trusted knitwear designer and teacher Carol J. Sulcoski provides solutions to this common conundrum, offering a wealth of information. She explains what characteristics to consider when substituting yarn, and gives guidance on calculating the quantity of yarn you'll need and how to evaluate your swatches. Ten projects offer case studies of yarn substitution in action; each finished project shows suitable alternatives and reveals how yarn choice affects every aspect of the item.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Nonfiction, Reference

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2019

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enormously helpful and well written book. I didn’t really read it to substitute yarn, but for all the fascinating information about just what yarn is. Perhaps spinners already know all of that, but much of it was new to me or filled in the gaps in the knowledge I have.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great explanations of yarn qualities. Very targeted guide helpful to anyone substituting yarn. I learned why my preference for knitting a yarn slightly tighter than its recommended gauge can exacerbate rowing out. There are enough photos to get the idea of most concepts. Complemented by the Bluprint yarn substitution class and the book Yarnitecture, I think one would have a fairly complete understanding of yarn selection fundamentals. If you had to pick just one, I would pick this one, but would also strongly suggest the video class if you don't build swatches yourself to test different fibers. I appreciate that the author mentions changing pattern gauge, and that it is a separate topic. I would love to see more examples of using yarn in novel ways and combinations, but that's for another book.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to help me better understand how to choose a yarn for a particular pattern if the one that the original pattern uses is unavailable for any number of reasons.

I borrowed this from the library but will definitely buy it to add to my reference library. I showed it to my local yarn shop that was looking for new topics to teach and they loved it so much that they are going to offer a class on the subject; a FaceBook poll indicated that a lot of people would like to get better at this skill.

Highly recommend.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Sulcoski’s Yarn Substitution Made Easy: Matching the Right Yarn to Any Knitting Pattern is an excellent book for the dedicated knitter’s library. I’m so glad I purchased my own copy! I learned so much about the many factors (I thought I only needed to match the pattern’s suggested yarn’s category) that need to be considered when choosing yarn for a particular knitting project. Now I realize why I was less than happy with the results of a few past choices. I’m sure I will refer to this book often to insure the best future results.

[Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this book bit off more than it could chew or just plain missed the mark, but I can boil it down to this: use the same category of yarn as the one you're replacing. Find somewhere that will help you know which fibers drape, which have structure. Find somewhere that will talk to you about plys, etc.
The color talk was basically a watered down discussion of the difference between solid, semi-solid, painted, speckled, ombre, etc.

[Barbara Bristow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for anyone who works in yarn, especially beginners. The author describes how different kinds of yarn are made, how they behave, and what you can and can't do with them. She also presents several different kinds of projects (a hat, a sweater, a shawl) and describes the kinds of yarn that will and won't work.

[Andria Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will save you from hours of frustration

As a beginner, this book would’ve saved me hours of frustration on projects that did not work because I used the wrong yarn. It would’ve saved me money as well. Don’t let this happen to you. Buy it!

[Nicole Colella-bagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful

Is it a really useful book and even includes patterns to help you learn about yard substitutions along the way. I recommend this to someone who wants to broaden their horizons and learn more about using and substituting yarn in their own way

[Allison Jones-Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to work part time in a yarn shop and I knew a lot about yarns behaviors as well as crocheting and knitting. Yet, I still learned some more from this book. This book is a must for anyone who wants to learn how to choose the right yarn for the right project and get the best results.

[Gail Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fir experienced knitters there is always the question if changing yarns in a pattern will work. Well worth reading for information, techniques, and the tips on How To… when you don’t have the same yarn available but really like a pattern!

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm marking this read but it is really a reference book that I will use when I encounter new techniques in my knitting journey...

[Coleen.Redden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information. Takes some of the confusion out of choosing the correct yarns for substitution. I will definitely refer back to this as a resource.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book! So informative and practical.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definition, elasticity, and drape!

[Lydia Chiang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for expanding your experience

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how the practice patterns have examples of good, okay, and bad yarn substitutions