I can’t get the type of yarn that was used in a pattern I want to make so I substituted. I tried finding yarn similar in needle size and in yardage. The kind of yarn I needed comes in 66 yrd skeins. The kind I bought comes in 65. The yarn I bought says that it is 3.5 oz. The yarn recommended says that it is 100 g. I am concerned about not actually getting enough for the project. I have started to knit it up and it looks like I may be short, but if the yardage in both are similar, and the needle knitting guage are roughly the same, then should I be ok? Help me please. I am not a math guru. Thanks.
Help! Does it matter when subing yarns, length vs weight?
As long as you are getting the gauge and yarns are the same weight (worsted, dk, bulky) you should be able to make it… a lot of times I will buy an extra skein just in case it doesn’t come out like the pattern calls for :teehee: …
I just made a pair of socks and one I had plenty of yarn left…the other barely made it :shrug:
3.5 ozs is about 100 gms, but the yardage is more important, and it sounds like they’re close enough. If you need to use a lot of it, you might want to buy an extra so you don’t end up 10 yds short.
length and weight of the skein are minor issues. What you need to be worried about when subbing yarns is the weight of the yarn itself, or the gauge. If you reach the gauge you need, then the next concern would be the length of the skein, not the weight. Since 50g of wool is a different length than 50g of cotton, you should only really worry about length. It sounds like you came pretty close, but if you’re at all concerned about it, I’d pick up an extra skein. If nothing else, you can make a matching hat later. 
I’m the queen of subbing yarn I have to do it all the time for my mom since she cant wear wool. But the weight, guage, and yardage are the most imporatant. Just buy an extra skein and you’ll be safe happy knitting
When substituting a yarn I always look at the weight/yardage ratio. For example… the yarn you needed was 66yards/100g; the yarn you sub with is 65yds/105g which I think is spot on. A quick conversion for those who don’t know…1oz of yarn=30g
I usually don’t go by worsted/dk/etc. because I have had such differences. I bought a yarn that stated on the label it was bulky and when I actually did the yardage/weight comparison and side by side comparision it was more of a baby weight. Talk about a big difference!!
Ahhh, you must have got the Hobby Lobby Sweet Delight baby yarn. It’s definitely a sport weight, though it’s gauge would indicate that it’s bulky. You can use 10s on it for a loose knit that’s not too bad, but it works fine on size 6-9. It’s so very soft; I make hats for my kids for christmas, doubled on larger needles for a couple, a chevron beret on 9s.
Hello!
Actually I was looking for Rowan Ribbon Twist and found that it was discontinued or I couldn’t find the colors that I wanted. I took the wieght and yardage of that yarn and tried to find something similar that had the colors that I wanted. I found Malabrigo Gruesa Super Bulky Thick and Thin. It is beautiful. The pattern is for an afghan and after I started knitting it up, I was surprised that I had already used two skeins and wasn’t near finished with the first strip length of 49 in and the pattern calls for 10 skeins. I freaked! I think I will be ok now though. Thanks for your input. It was very helpful. Have a good day!