DROPS Children 49 · Lots of new kid designs!

How to change yarns or yarn amounts

Changing

1 strand of yarn for another:

If the yarn gives the same knitting gauge it is easy to change from one to the other.

Follow the given knitting gauge in the pattern – remember needle size is only a guide; change to the needle size you need. For more info on knitting gauge, see here

Be aware: When changing yarns, the amount of yarn might also need adjusting, because the meterage of yarn in a ball (50 gram = X metres) varies from yarn to yarn - see the calculation below.



1 strand within a yarn group:

All our yarns are spun to standard thickness and can be used for the same pattern if you change within the one DROPS Yarn group. See our yarn groups here.

Different yarns have different structures.

Be aware: When changing yarns, the amount of yarn might also need adjusting, because the meterage of yarn in a ball (50 gram = X metres) varies from yarn to yarn - see the calculation below.



1 strand of yarn to 2 or more strands:

DROPS yarns are spun so the thickness of the strands fit each other.
By working with more than one strand from one Yarn Group, you can easily find patterns in other Yarn Groups (see yarn groups here) or see our suggestions (see recommended yarn combinations here).

Be aware: When changing yarns, the amount of yarn might also need adjusting because the meterage of yarn in a ball (50 gram = X metres) varies from yarn to yarn - see the calculation below.

Here is a list of yarns which can easily be exchanged between Yarn Groups:

Yarn Group A 2 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group C
Yarn Group A 3 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group D
Yarn Group A 4 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group E
Yarn Group A 8 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group F
Yarn Group B 2 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group D
Yarn Group C 2 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group E
Yarn Group C 4 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group F
Yarn Group E 2 strands = 1 strand Yarn Group F

In DROPS patterns this is written as: A + A = C


The amount of yarn is adjusted when changing:

1 strand for 1 strand.

When changing yarns, the amount of yarn might also need adjusting, because the meterage of yarn in a ball (50 gram = X metres) varies from yarn to yarn - see the calculation below:

In the pattern you need 300 g Yarn-X
We need the meterage to be able to calculate how much Yarn-Y you need:


Yarn-X: 50 g = 170 metres = 186 yards
Total yarn required: 6 balls x 170 metres = 1020 metres = 1115 yards

Yarn-Y: 50 g = 150 metres = 164


Number of metres of Yarn-X = 1020 metres = 1115 yards
divided by the number of metres Yarn-Y = 6.8 balls

Result:
7 balls = 350 g of Yarn-Y
replaces
6 balls = 300 g of Yarn-X.

Need help to do the sums? Try our calculator!

1 strand for 2 strands with the same meterage.

This is an example, to show you how you calculate the yarn needed when changing from 1 strand DROPS Snow (Yarn Group E) to 2 strands DROPS Air (Yarn Group C) - see calculation below:

The pattern states 1150 g DROPS Snow.
We need the meterage to be able to recalculate:


DROPS Snow: 50 g = 50 metres = 54 yards
Total yarn required: 23 balls x 50 metres = 1150 metres = 1 257 yards

DROPS Air: 50 g = approx. 150 metres = 164 yards


Number of metres of DROPS Snow = 1150 metres = 1 258 yards
divided by number of metres of DROPS Air = 7.67 balls

You are going to work with 2 strands instead of 1 strand, therefore the number of balls is x 2: 7.67 x 2 = 16 balls

Result:
1150 g DROPS Snow
is replaced by
800 g DROPS Air

Need help to do the sums ? Try our calculator!

2 strands of different meterage to 1 strand.

This is how to calculate the yarn needed when you wish to work with 1 strand in a pattern which uses 2 strands
Example: 1 strand DROPS BabyAlpaca Silk (from Yarn Group A) and 1 strand DROPS Kid-Silk (from Yarn Group A)
is changed to:
1 strand DROPS AIR (from Yarn Group C)

The pattern states:
300 g DROPS BabyAlpaca-Silk and 125 g DROPS Kid-Silk
(= 2 strands from Yarn Group A)

Re-calculate this to:
1 strand DROPS Air (Yarn Group C)
We need the meterage to be able to re-calculate:

DROPS BabyAlpaca-Silk: 50 g = 167 metres = 183 yards,
Total yarn required: 6 balls x 167 metres = 1002 metres = 1 096 yards

DROPS Kid-Silk: 25 g = 200 metres = 218 yards
Total yarn required: 5 balls x 200 metres = 1000 metres = 1 093 yards

Alternative new yarn:
DROPS AIR: 50 g = 150 metres = 164 yards


Begin with the yarn with the shortest meterage = 1000 metres = 1093 yards
Divide by the number of metres of DROPS Air:
1000 metres divided by 150 metres = 1093 yards divided by 164 yards = 6.7 balls; so 7 balls


Result:
300 g DROPS BabyAlpaca-Silk
125 g DROPS Kid-Silk
is replaced by:
350 g DROPS Air

Comments (590)

Country flag Lubig wrote:

Hi, I would love to knit Early Frost vest (yarn used is DROPS Alpaca, group A and DROPS Kid-Silk, group A). Is there any way I could use DROPS Wish (which is group E)? What adjustment would I need to do, if possible at all. Thanks a lot :) !

24.02.2023 - 18:05

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Lubig, you can use the pattern or charts of the vest into another model for group E yarns (so you would do a customised vest) but you can't work this specific model with Drops Wish. Here you can find a list of vests that use Group E yarns: https://www.garnstudio.com/search.php?action=browse&c=women-vests&yg=5&lang=en Happy knitting!

26.02.2023 - 20:03

Country flag Christi Osterday wrote:

Hello - Thank you for this helpful article (and calculator)! I see that the chart for holding multiple strands together does not cross groups in the first column. Is it possible that B + B + A = E ? I'm trying to find different variations that bring the thickness to either groups E or D for a pattern. Thanks in advance!

24.02.2023 - 15:58

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Christi, even yarns in the same group may vary slightly in thickness, so you have to check that the gauge matches whenever you try a new combination. Group D yarns can be substituted by B+B. Group E yarns could be adjusted to B+B+A. Also take into account that the texture of the yarn will vary greatly when substituting yarns. Happy knitting!

26.02.2023 - 20:11

Country flag Liv Brynildsen wrote:

Bruker jeg mindre garn når jeg bruker syntetisk garn samme tykkelse som Peer gynt garn. \r\nHilsenLiv Brynildsen

23.02.2023 - 15:07

Country flag Liv Brynildsen wrote:

Har brukt syntetisk garn med oppskrift Peer gynt samme tykkelse. Bruker man mindre garn da? Hilsen Liv brynildsen

23.02.2023 - 15:02

Country flag Stefanie Tiedau wrote:

Hallo, ich bin auf der Suche nach 1-2 Knäuel Drops Baby Alpaca Silk in der Farbe 1101 (weiß) . Hat vielleicht zufällig jemand einen Rest, den er nicht mehr benötigt und mir verkaufen möchte?

22.02.2023 - 21:58

DROPS Design answered:

Liebe Frau Tiedau, gerne können Sie andere Kundinnen in unserem DROPS Workshop mal fragen, ob eine von ihnen damit helfen kann. Viel Spaß beim stricken!

23.02.2023 - 15:07

Country flag Maria wrote:

Se puede realizar un patrón que sea para dos hilos, A+B, con un solo hilo?

22.02.2023 - 09:46

DROPS Design answered:

Hola Maria, puedes probar a usar un hilo del grupo C, pero tienes que comprobar que la tensión coincida. Ten en cuenta que la textura quedará diferente probablemente.

26.02.2023 - 19:58

Country flag Dagmar wrote:

Hallo liebes Team, habe Muskat in schwarz. Gefällt mir im Strickbild nicht to gut. Habt Ihr Erfahrung mit der Kombination Muskat+KidSilk ? Oder welche Kombination würdet Ihr empfehlen. Mit lieben Grüßen Dagmat

21.02.2023 - 13:16

DROPS Design answered:

Liebe Dagmar, ich habe einige Modellen mit Muskat und Vivaldi (= Brushed oder 2 Kid-Silk) gefunden (siehe hier die Modellen mit Muskat + - am besten stricken Sie Ihre eigene Maschenprobe, so wissen Sie genau wie es Ihnen am besten gefällt, gerne kann Ihnen damit Ihr DROPS Händler - auch telefonisch oder per E-mail - weiterhelfen. Viel Spaß beim stricken!

22.02.2023 - 09:20

Country flag Anna wrote:

Hei! Mikä lanka tai lankayhdistelmä voisi korvata Drops Air -langan neulepaidassa.?Kyseessä briossineule, ohjeessa 5 mm puikot. Plussaa, jos lanka olisi 100 % luonnonkuitua ja jos lopputulos olisi vähän samaan tapaan ilmavan oloinen kuin Airilla neulottuna.

21.02.2023 - 11:48

DROPS Design answered:

Voit käyttää jonkun muun lankaryhmään C kuuluvan langan tai kaksi lankaryhmään A kuuluvaa lankaa (esim. DROPS Alpaca + DROPS Kid-Silk). Esim. DROPS Alpaca Bouclé -langasta (alpakkaa, villaa ja polyamidia) neulottuna paidasta tulee melko ilmava. Pusero voidaan myös neuloa DROPS Bomull-Lin -langasta (puuvillaa ja pellavaa), mutta tällöin siitä ei tule yhtä lämmin ja ilmava.

22.02.2023 - 16:36

Country flag Monica Furuseth wrote:

Hvordan bytte baby alpacca silk eller safran som er i garngruppe A, med drops belle fra gruppe B? Jeg skal strikke Bay shorts, str 3 år, og har 3 nøster Belle igjen etter annet prosjekt. Lurer på om jeg har nok…

20.02.2023 - 21:18

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Monica. Man kan ikke bytte garn fra garngruppe A med garn fra garngruppe B og følge den samme oppskriften. Maskeantall / strikkefasthet / cm mål må omregnes og det har dessverre ikke design avd mulighet til å gjøre nå. mvh DROPS Design

27.02.2023 - 08:47

Country flag Marja wrote:

Mikä lanka vastaa baby Alpakka Silk lankaa?

18.02.2023 - 15:39

DROPS Design answered:

Voit valita jonkun lankaryhmään A kuuluvan langan. Esim. DROPS Alpaca-langan metrimäärä vastaa DROPS BabyAlpaca Silk -langan metrimäärää ja langat ovat saman paksuisia.

20.02.2023 - 17:22

Country flag Solva wrote:

Skal strikke Abby Vest, størrelse L, vil gerne strikke med Drops Air istrdet forFlora, hvor meget garn skal jeg bruge?

17.02.2023 - 12:25

Country flag Solva wrote:

Skal strikke Abby Vest, vil gerne bruge Drops Air at strikke med, i størrelse L. , hvor meget garn skal jeg bruge? Venligst Solva

17.02.2023 - 12:19

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Solva. Se vårt svar på ditt forrige spørsmål. mvh DROPS Design

27.02.2023 - 07:36

Country flag Solva wrote:

Skal strikke Abby Vest, st. L.. vil bruge Drops Air, hvor meget garn skal jeg bruge? Venligst Solva

17.02.2023 - 12:15

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Solva. Denne vesten er strikket med DROPS Flora, et garn som tilhører garngruppe A. DROPS Air tilhører garngruppe C (tykkere enn garn i garngruppe A), og kan ikke brukes til oppskrifter der det er brukt garn fra garngruppe A. Ta heller en titt på vestene i DROPS 235-17, DROPS 227-41, DROPS 215-39 eller DROPS 210-28. Her kan du bruke garnet DROPS Air. mvh DROPS Design

27.02.2023 - 07:33

Country flag Susan Armes wrote:

Hi Good Morning, I would like to knit 210-34 Set Sail jumper, but would like to change the yarn to a single yarn, could i use drops Nepal or Drops Air ? thank you in advance for your help

06.02.2023 - 12:54

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Mrs Armes, this might not be the best choice, but you can always swatch to check both tension and texture. Your DROPS store can help you finding the best matching yarn for your project - even per mail or telephone. Happy knitting!

07.02.2023 - 10:50

Country flag Johanna wrote:

Hej! Om jag vill sticka med enbart en tråd i garngrupp A, men mönstret är gjort för två trådar i grupp A. Hur kan jag då räkna ut hur många maskor jag måste lägga upp?

03.02.2023 - 16:52

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Johanna. Om du bare vil strikke med 1 tråd er det mye i oppskriften som ikke vil stemme (maskeantall, cm måle, garn mengde osv). Anbefaler da heller å finne en lignende oppskrift som er skrevet med 1 tråd og se om du kan tilpasse den oppskriften med 2 tråder du ønsker å strikke om til 1 tråd. mvh DROPS Design

06.02.2023 - 07:46

Country flag Sigrid wrote:

Hallo, ich möchte die Garne drops Fabel und drops kid Silk für einen Pulli kombinieren. Ist das eine gute Idee? Der Pulli soll nicht kratzen. Und welche Garnkombi ergibt sich?

30.01.2023 - 17:53

DROPS Design answered:

Liebe Sigrid, es ist ja schon eine gute Idee - hier finden Sie einige Beispiele von Pullover, mit diesen beiden Garne zusammengestrickt. Für weitere Hilfe, die besten Farben zu finden hïlft Ihnen gerne Ihr DROPS Laden -auch per Telefon oder per E-Mail weiter. Viel Spaß beim stricken!

31.01.2023 - 10:06

Country flag Mary wrote:

I want to knit 'Ar Tresins' nordic sweater and use Lion Brand Fisherman Wool. I am getting 5 stitches to the inch (or 20 to 4") on size 10 1/2 needles. What adjustments can I make to the number of stitches called for in the pattern?

28.01.2023 - 18:38

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Mary, we are not familiar with the pattern you are indicating. This webpage is for solving any doubts our readers may have when working DROPS patterns or using DROPS yarns. We recommend you get in touch with the designer of the sweater if you have any doubts. Happy knitting!

29.01.2023 - 19:44

Country flag Angelin wrote:

Hejsa, jeg skal strikke Summer Melody by Drops Design i str. Small, som bruger Drops Melody (garngruppe D). Jeg vil hellere bruge Drops Brushed Alpaca Silk. Kan man det? Og hvis man kan, hvor mange garnnøgler skal der bruges i stedet? Mange tak.

25.01.2023 - 22:32

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Angelin. DROPS Melody og DROPS Brushed Alpaca Silk tilhører 2 forskjellige garngrupper og man kan ikke bruke oppskrifter om hverandre. De må tilhøre samme garngruppe . Du kan evnt prøve med 2 tråder DROPS Brushed Alpaca Silk og se om du får den strikkefastheten som er opplyst i oppskriften (du vil da trenge ca 6 nøster). mvh DROPS Design

30.01.2023 - 07:59

Country flag Antoneta Irimia Hågensli wrote:

Hei. Jeg vil strikke en vest, størrelse L i Drops Air. Skal bruke rundpinne størrelse 5, følger ikke en bestemt oppskrift. Hvor mange masker anbefalles? På forhånd takk for hjelpen.

25.01.2023 - 22:01

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Antoneta. Strikk en prøvelapp og se hvor mange masker du får på 10 cm og så finne ut hvor mange cm du ønsker at vesten skal være. Så kan du regne ut hvor mange masker du bør ha. Om du bruker vår søkemotor og skriver vest og velger garnet DROPS Air, kan du ta utganskpunkt i allerede skrevet oppskrifter, f.eks DROPS 235-17, 215-39. mvh DROPS Design

30.01.2023 - 07:49

Country flag Atania wrote:

Bonjour, je souhaitais réaliser le modèle femme Set Sail mais avec un seul fil. J'ai utilisé vos explications pour choisir une alternative, j'ai trouvé que 1 fil du groupe A+1 fil du groupe B= 1 fil du groupe C J'ai donc remplacé 1 fil kid silk +1 fil sky par 1 fil brushed alpaca silk mais il est trop fin. Ai je fait une erreur ?

24.01.2023 - 19:07

DROPS Design answered:

Bonjour Atania, 14 m de largeur pour l'échantillon de ce modèle correspond à une épaisseur du groupe D plutôt que du groupe E - toutefois, vous pouvez essayer avec 2 fils Brushed Alpaca Silk, vous pourriez avoir la même tension. Bon tricot!

25.01.2023 - 12:28

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