How much Yarn do I buy

I found an old pattern for a coat online which I purchased. I have NO idea where the pattern is from but it does give directions and the amount of yarn and sizes for needles used. It calls for 14 X 50 gram balls of yarn in the MAIN color and 11 X 50 gram balls of yarn in the CONTRASTING color. When looking for the yarn which, of coarse has been discontinued I DID happen to find some on the web! It’s the same brand of yarn Patons Beehive Shetland Chunky however the yarn I came across are 100 gram balls. So am I okay with purchasing what would come out to be HALF of the original balls of yarn called for? Wondering minds would like to know! Thanks for any assistance with this. MK

What a lucky find! Yes, purchasing half the number of balls of the yarn called for in the pattern will work. Add on one more ball of each color just to be sure. You don’t want to run out and have to search around for this yarn again.

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Thsanks for always being there for a response!

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This is a picture of the coat…It looks like it is from the early 1970s? Not sure!

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That’s a gorgeous coat and quite a project to take on. It’s a classic line whenever the pattern is from. It’ll be fun knitting it up in the chunky yarn.

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I’m excited to start it YET I have a bunch of other projects ahead of it! I purchased the yarn already after getting the first response from you as to how much yarn I should use. I’m hoping that the colors I bought turn out okay. Thanks again!
Knitterless

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Hello
The yarn you mentioned is listed on yarnsub in 50g balls
https://yarnsub.com/yarns/patons_north_america/beehive_shetland_chunky
It shows each 50g ball is 75m.
If you calculate how many meters in total for each colour (balls x meters) you can double check you have ordered the right amount by looking at how many meters are in the 100g ball (this should be listed on the site you ordered from) and calculating the total length.
If you need more than you ordered it would be easier to find out now as ordering more now has a higher chance of getting the same dye lot.

I can’t find any listing for this yarn in 100g balls, was it definitely the same yarn?

Nice coat, what a big project!

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I think I bought the Patons Shetland Chunky which comes in 100 gram balls. Do you think this can be subbed for it? I know it’s not listed on YARNSUB as a substitute however they list Patons Inspired as a substitute for both of them.
What do you think?

You can probably substitute a chunky yarn to get gauge but you may not have the drape and feel of the original knit.

Patons Shetland Chunky and Beehive Shetland Chunky are both 3 ply yarns but the Shetland Chunky lists as 15sts/4" while the Beehive Shetland Chunky lists at 12-15sts/4". A gauge swatch will help sort this out.

Patons Inspired is on yarnsub.com where they also check for texture and fiber content among other qualities. It’s listed as a good match for the Shetland Chunky. They find Plymouth Encore Chunky is an excellent substitute for this yarn.
https://yarnsub.com/yarns/patons_north_america/inspired

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Yes I do think it is a suitable sub but I am not a professional knitter, just my personal opinion.
The original yarn calls for 5.5mm to 8mm needles with a gauge of 12 to 15 sts per 10cm and your chosen yarn shows a gauge of 6mm needles and 15 sts per 10cm. So if you do a gauge swatch for your pattern I would think it will be okay.

The length however might need consideration.
The 50g balls of beehive are 75m each (so 150m per 100g)
The 100g balls of Shetland chunky are 135m each

Meaning you’re 15m short for each 100g

This means you will need more of the yarn you chose. If you bought extra you might be okay.
Personally I would calculate the total length needed of each colour to ensure there is enough.

I did some maths
14 balls of main colour subbed to 100g balls is 7.7 balls so you would need to buy 8 balls
11 balls of contrasting colour subbed for 100g balls is 6.1 balls so you would need to buy 7 balls

Hope this helps

I had purchased 8 of the main color and 6 of the contrasting color. Maybe I should nbuy one or two more of each?

Just to be safe, an extra ball of each is a good idea. Is this a bottom up coat which is knit in pieces (fronts, back and sleeves)?

Its down Left front, Back, Right front, Sleeves and Collar. I would love to do it from the bottom up or top down in the round…but as I stated earlier it looks like an older pattern. An example of the pattern for the front goes like this: Row 1(RS) K1A, 1B, rep from to end. Row 2 and every foll alt row P all the sts in A with A and all the sts in B with B. Row 3 [K1B,1A] 4 times, 1B, 1A, rep from once more, [1B, 1A] 4 times, 1B, 2A, 1B. It goes on like this for the different parts of the coat.

I was thinking that top down gives you the option to adjust the length depending on how much yarn you have. That seems like a very nice pattern which will be an interesting knit. I’ll have to give the stitch pattern a try just to see it on the needles.
Enjoy working it and let us know how it’s going. And of course, we’d love a photo when you finish.

Yes, I agree with salmonmac that an extra ball of each would be on the safe side.
Although 0.1 of a ball does sound much (the extra needed on that contrasting colour) it’s about 15m of yarn and it would be awful to get so close to finishing and running out of yarn.
With an extra of each you can do a proper gauge swatch without worrying about using some yarn up, and it’s really worth doing a good swatch and washing it to see how the fabric is on the needle size and doing a second if you need to try a different needle size. For such a big project it’s well worth the time, effort and yarn to do the prep work. You might for instance want an extra few rows on the sleeve length for a bespoke fit and being low on yarn doesn’t give you that freedom.
If you do end up with yarn left over you could seek out a cowl or hat or mittens pattern to go with the coat, solid colour or with the colour pattern . I see the pattern photo has matching gloves which would be lovely in either of the colours you’ve chosen and give that additional feel of designer luxury when you wear them together.

As you’ve already put an order in I suggest contacting the shop to request the same dye lot for the additional yarn balls.

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Creations thanks for all of your input…I did order an extra ball of each color. I’m hoping this will work! If not try try again I guess. :thinking:

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