Comfy Cardi yarn sub

dollydolittle wrote

on Jan 5, 2009 2:38 PM

I really want to make the lovely Comfy Cardi but need to sub the yarn with something I can get in the UK that won't break the bank. Any ideas anyone? Found some Debbie Bliss Alpaca and Silk on offer, but it's a DK weight which I think is quite a bit thicker than the original Blue Sky Alpacas, isn't it?

PaulineL wrote

on Jan 5, 2009 5:29 PM

Good choice of pattern. I'm becoming a fan of Robyn Chachula because her patterns look good and appear to fit the human body, especially the neckline. So many patterns look cute if you don't mind being strangled by a high neckline in front or frozen by drafts blowing across the gap at the back of the neck, or both, in a cool weather sweater.

I think DK weight would be too thick for this pattern. The book suggests substituting sport weight, #2 yarn. Good luck in your yarn search.

Pauline

dollydolittle wrote

on Jan 6, 2009 12:42 AM

I'm not exactly sure what the equivalent of 'sport weight' is here in the UK - does anyone know if 4ply is OK or is it too thin?

One of the things I really like about this pattern is the arm and shoulder shape, none of that horrible seaming or those strange folds that most crocheted shrugs have under the arms. I assume that the softness of the yarn is really important for the fit, the four ply I've found is cotton, so would be too heavy I think.

PaulineL wrote

on Jan 6, 2009 11:58 AM

Here is a site that gives yarn weight in both US terms and in number of plies. http://knittingcrochet.suite101.com/article.cfm/yarnweight But it skips sport weight. Aargh!

I found it using Google, so try some searches.

Good luck.

dollydolittle wrote

on Jan 6, 2009 3:48 PM

Thank you for that link - it does mention sport weight as another name for DK, and clears up another issue for me: it turns out that there isn't a UK equivalent for worsted either, which is a real pain as all the best patterns seem to be from the US using worsted yarn. I always thought that we just had different names for the same weights, but clearly this isn't the case. So it looks like I might have to take a deep breath and order the Blue Sky if I want a comfy cardi, which I do!

CapnHook wrote

on Jan 6, 2009 8:21 PM

One of the ways that Interweave Crochet compares yarns is by using wraps per inch. It's supposed to be a more accurate way of finding a substitute yarn rather than using weight. Wrap the yarn around a ruler for one inch and count the wraps. Maybe try comparing that instead to find a close match. They use Blue Sky Alpaca in a lot of their patterns, and it is noted as 17 wraps per inch. Also, didn't know if you knew this, but it says it's a 3 ply yarn.

dollydolittle wrote

on Jan 7, 2009 3:09 PM

Thank you!