WTF?! As in Where To Find Yarn Substitutions?! And also WTF?! happened to all my fave yarns?
Happy New Year 2025 to fellow Fiber Fanatics who may be cracking open their fiber projects again! For those looking to finish up their WIPs, try that project you’ve been meaning to for years!, or just making a new year’s resolution to try Knitting or Crochet, they may realize many things have changed! From blogs and sites no longer being available to yarns being gone!!
While taking stock of my yarn stash and trying to make heads or tails of my WIPs after a long break from “fiber forming”, I realized many of my favorite go-to yarn staples I’ve found throughout the years have been DISCONTINUED! While this can happen often with artisan, luxury, or boutique yarns, it doesn’t happen as often with brands like Caron or Lion Brand! And when they do, a suitable replacement is often available. However, not all the time! I also realized many of my designs and projects posted here now reference (and recommend) yarns that are no longer available. 🙁 😞 😢
So while searching for new options and horizons, I discovered, YarnSub! A site I vaguely recall from way back but never really had to lean on. So far, I am glad it’s still around and am having some luck finding what seem like promising alternatives to discontinued yarn! It includes great info on the yarn itself from the weight, yardage, fiber content, and gauge to care instructions. Which can be very helpful for those who either still have or want this yarn!! It also includes some very handy ratings like a match rating for a similarity comparison and a price point rating which can help determine if the yarn sub is of equal quality and value. With staple yarns like Lion Brand Cotton-Ease that has been around for ages, this is very helpful! Additionally, sometimes manufacturers do not include a substitute recommendation or replacement yarn upon discontinuation. Boo! So, sites like YarnSub can be invaluable in situations like these! 🙌 🙌 🙌
I feel the only thing missing is info on when the yarn was first released and when it was discontinued! This is both helpful and interesting for Yarn Nerds (and fellow Fiber Fanatics) like myself! It can help determine how likely I am to find the discontinued yarn if needed or if it may be re-released (which did happen in this case!).
Anyhoo, here is an example of a promising yarn substitution to look into for Cotton-Ease, a great quality Cotton/Acrylic Blend yarn that has just enough Cotton for the look, feel, and drape but also just enough Acrylic to give it more durability, make it more lightweight, and easier to care for! While making it more affordable too! I thought it was a great balance of quality, performance, and price! It also came in a great Yarn Weight (Med/Worsted or Aran Weight) which is a very versatile size that can accommodate many types of projects (from Apparel to Craft) as well as experience levels (from Beginner to Expert)! Le sigh.
| Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Weight: Aran / Medium Texture: Plied (3 or more plies) Fiber: Acrylic (50%), Cotton (50%) Needles: 5 mm (8 US) (6 UK) Gauge: 17 sts / 10 cm (4″) Hook: N/A Balls: 100 g; 189 m (207 yds) Care: Machine wash (30C) Styles: Solid colors Price: $ | Lion Brand Made with Love Weight: Heavy Worsted Texture: S on S plied Fiber: Cotton (60%), Acrylic (40%) Needles: 5 mm (8 US) (6 UK) Gauge: 17 sts / 10 cm (4″) Hook: 5 mm Balls: 100 g; 169 m (185 yds) Care: Machine wash (40C), Tumble dry Styles: Solid colors Price: $$ |
It looks like Cotton-Ease and Made with Love are similar but have a few key differences:
- Fiber Content is similar enough to make it a good sub in this aspect but it seems heavier!
- Texture is very different although possibly better! It is “S on S Plied” instead of a “Standard Ply”! This means the yarn will work up with a different finish, feel, and drape! So you may not get the same results. Although, I vaguely remember Cotton-Ease not being a Standard Ply but ah well.
- Price Point is higher and less yardage which makes it a lesser value.
Conclusion: This can be subbed for project patterns which are written for US Size 4 Yarns (Medium, Worsted, Aran Weights) with similar Cotton/Acrylic content but you may not get the same finish and feel and it will be pricier! Overall, for me, I am still not sold on it. I liked the lighter weight and quality/value of Cotton-Ease. But I do like the alternative texture this yarn offers. I prefer the feel and finish of yarns with this construction! I feel it is slightly spongier and stitch definition more defined! In a good way! This also does not take into consideration colorways offered! Which is also a key factor! But another bonus of Made with Love is that it comes in some really lovely colorways!! In my opinion, the colors are better, more modern and trendy but still very classic!! Oh, the joys and journeys of Fiber Arts!
Another site that could be a great reference in challenging fiber times like this is Ravelry! A glorious Knitting and Crochet community which deserves its own shoutout too! Especially since it is an OG at this point! Where hobbyists and designers alike can share their projects and patterns. And in turn suggest yarns and substitutions they have tried and their results!
They have an extensive library of yarns that is crowd sourced. This can be a great way for experienced fiber fanatics to get a more accurate review of how a yarn may work up! The only drawback is, it is highly dependent on how popular the pattern and yarn is and how many “Ravelrists” have made the pattern and used a substitute yarn! So not all yarns will have suggested substitutions! And not all yarns may be listed!
P.S. You can still find stray offerings of Cotton-Ease and a full showcase of Made with Love “The Cottony One” on Amazon.
To learn more about Ravelry, see previous post- https://omgheart.com/2013/05/16/omg-heart-ravelry/!