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 (501)

Issy wrote:

Was ist denn, wenn ich einen Faden von Garngruppe C gegen einen aus Garngruppe B austauschen moechte? Da reicht es ja wohl nicht, die Meter zu berechnen, oder doch?

22.04.2023 - 01:12:

DROPS Design answered:

Liebe Issy, diese beide Garne sind nicht genau so austauschbar, da die Maschenprobe unterschiedlich wurde, am besten stricken Sie dann ein Faden der Garngruppe B mit 1 Faden der Garngruppe A (wie Kid-Silk z.B.) zusammen - aber immer zuerst eine Maschenprobe stricken, um zu prüfen, ob Sie die richtige Maschenprobe haben. Damit kann Ihnen Ihr DROPS Händler noch mehr individuelle Hilfe bitten (auch per Telepfon oder per E-Mail). Viel Spaß beim stricken!

24.04.2023 - 10:56:

Diane Vezeau wrote:

J'ai commencé le modèle Goodbye Sailor Drops Extra 0-442 qui demande le fil Paris du groupe de fils B mais avec un fil du groupe A d'une autre compagnie. J'ai pris une grandeur plus grande au lieu de XL, cest du XXL. COMMENT JE CALCULE le nombre de rangs entre les rayures blanches et les marines? J'ai 28 rangs pour 10 cm. Merci

17.04.2023 - 21:53:

DROPS Design answered:

Bonjour Mme Vezeau, le fil DROPS Paris appartient au groupe de fils C (pas B), vous pouvez donc pour le remplacer utiliser 2 fils du groupe de fils A - si vous le tricotez avec 1 seul fil, il vous faudra entièrement recalculer les explications pour qu'elles correspondent à votre échantillon, votre magasin devrait pouvoir vous aider, même par mail ou téléphone. Bon tricot!

18.04.2023 - 10:44:

Nicola Sewell wrote:

Hi im thinking of knitting the abril jacket but with the warmer weather coming do not fancy using the suggested alpaca yarn. What i wanted to use safran mixed with the kidsilk instead, as they were both in the group A yarns.

16.04.2023 - 21:55:

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Mrs Sewell, you can then just use the yarn converter to get the new amount of Safran to replace Alpaca for your size. Happy knitting!

17.04.2023 - 10:18:

Arja Ukkonen wrote:

Haluaisin neuloa mallin Forest Vines Kids Cardigan 2-vuotiaalle lapsenlapselleni Baby-langasta. Miten löydän oikean silmukkamäärän 2,5 puikoille?

12.04.2023 - 12:16:

DROPS Design answered:

Hei, kyseinen malli neulotaan 2-kertaisella langalla ja puikoilla nro 4 ja 5. Jos neulot puseron ohuemmalla langalla, sinun tulee laskea kaikki silmukkaluvut uudestaan. Voit kuitenkin tehdä kyseisen neuleen 2-kertaisesta DROPS Baby Merino -langasta.

13.04.2023 - 16:32:

Bierinx Frédérique wrote:

Bonjour, je compte utiliser un fil de groupe C (drops air) ET un fil de groupe A (Kid silk) donc C+A est-ce que vous me confirmez bien que cela équivaut à un groupe D. Je veux faire un modèle que vous donnez en groupe D Mélody et j'ai vu que dans votre tableau d'équivalence de D il faut 3 fils A, vous ne donnez pas d'équivalence A+C=D, donc je me demande si c'est bon puisque A+A=C. Merci

11.04.2023 - 10:52:

DROPS Design answered:

Bonjour Mme Bierinx, effectivement comme A+A = C et A+A+A=D vous pouvez tricoter A+C=D. Vous pouvez ainsi tricoter 1 fil Air + 1 fil Kid-Silk pour remplacer 1 fil Melody. Bon tricot!

11.04.2023 - 15:02:

Ann wrote:

Is type A yarn group lace wt, 9 + sts to the inch? Group B 7 to 8 sts to an inch? group C 5.5 to 6 an inch? Group D 4.5 to 5 sts to an inch? Group E, 4 sts to an inch? To convert yarn in USA it would be helpful to know. Thankyou!

11.04.2023 - 03:24:

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Ann, please find all our yarn groups here and even list of DROPS Stores for US here - do not hesitate to contact them per mail for any further individual assistance. Happy knitting!

11.04.2023 - 15:04:

Petra Sarac wrote:

Liebes Drops Team, möchte mit Drops Paris einen Babypulli ca. 1 Jahr stricken, habt ihr vielleicht eine Anleitung? Lieben Dank

10.04.2023 - 15:41:

DROPS Design answered:

Liebe Frau Sarac, hier finden Sie Anleitungen für Pullover, die Sie mit Paris stricken können (benutzen Sie den Garnumrechner). Viel Spaß beim stricken!

11.04.2023 - 15:06:

Henriette wrote:

The pattern I'm looking at says E+C but no =. I'm not sure how to interpret that... Could you please explain? Thank you!

30.03.2023 - 16:33:

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Henriette, it means that it can only be worked with a combination of a group E yarn and a group C yarn, and there is no other options (which is why there is no equal). Happy knitting!

02.04.2023 - 15:40:

Marja wrote:

No, I do not mean Oeko-Tex certificate number. I asked what is the tex count number of Drops Karisma yarn. The tex count number means the weight of yarn in grams / 1 000 meters. For example, 20 tex means that the mass of 1 000 m of yarn is 20 g. The higher the value, the coarser the yarn.

28.03.2023 - 11:28:

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Marja, all informations we have are available in the shadecard in our webpages. Happy knitting!

13.04.2023 - 14:36:

Marja wrote:

Can you tell me what is the tex number of Drops Karisma yarn?

28.03.2023 - 08:03:

DROPS Design answered:

Dear Marja, do you mean the Oeko-Tex certificate number? You will find it under the DROPS Karisma shadecard here. Happy knitting!

28.03.2023 - 10:36:

Jane Friis Salzmann wrote:

Hov, glemte at tilføje, at de er Stone cable sweateren, jeg gerne vil strikke i Karisma eller andet tilsvarende.....

27.03.2023 - 11:30:

Jane Friis Salzmann wrote:

Hej. Kan man strikke denne sweater i Karisma ? Eller andet uldgarn ? Er bange for, at Air giver sig alt for meget i vask..... Det har jeg prøvet med en anden sweater.

27.03.2023 - 11:28:

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Jane. Hvilken sweater tenker du på? DROPS Karisma og DROPS Air tilhører forskjellige garngrupper og kan ikke brukes om hverandres oppskrifter. Er den sweateren du tenker på strikket i Air, kan du velge andre kvaliteter i garngruppe C, f.eks DROPS Alaska eller DROPS Nepal. Bare husk å overholde den oppgitte strikkefastheten. mvh DROPS Design

14.04.2023 - 08:14:

Nina wrote:

Hei, eg har lyst å strikke Trafalgar gansar. I oppskrifta brukar dei DROPS Melody, men eg har noko DROPS Air som eg vil bruke. Kan dette late seg gjere?

27.03.2023 - 10:18:

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Nina. DROPS Melody og DROPS Air har forskjellige tykkelse og oppskriften vil ikke passe med garnet DROPS Air. mvh DROPS Design

14.04.2023 - 08:10:

Annette Dahl wrote:

Jeg vil strikke en sweater i drops air, og jeg kunne godt tænke mig at kombinere med kid silk. Kan jeg så stadig bruge samme opskrift?

25.03.2023 - 04:46:

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Annette. Nei, da vil ikke opppskriften stemme. mvh DROPS Design

27.03.2023 - 08:45:

Andrea Lindberg wrote:

Om jag vill sticka Mellow mint tröjan, men sticka med drops wish istället för drops air och drops kids silk hur många nystan av drops wish behöver jag köpa? Jag tänker att jag stickar str L. Ska jag använda samma stickor som mönstret visar? mvh Andrea

21.03.2023 - 12:23:

DROPS Design answered:

Hei Andrea. I str.L vil det gå med ca 600 gram DROPS Wish (1 tråd) mvh DROPS Design

27.03.2023 - 08:05:

Katarzyna wrote:

Czy możliwe jest zastąpienie dwóch nitek Drops Alpaca Mix jedną nitką Drops Brushed Alpaca Silk przy użyciu szydełka 6 mm oraz 6.5 mm?

19.03.2023 - 20:00:

DROPS Design answered:

Witaj Kasiu, najlepiej zrób próbkę i zobacz czy będzie zgodna z próbką we wzorze, który wybrałaś. Efekt końcowy oczywiście będzie inny, te 2 włóczki wyglądają inaczej, więc faktura gotowego wyroby też będzie inna. Jeśli masz więcej pytań to pisz. PS. Napisz numer wzoru, który chcesz wykonać. Pozdrawiamy!

20.03.2023 - 14:14:

Louison wrote:

Bonjour, Je désire tricoter le modèle twinkle tweed à 2 fils B+A avec 1 seul fil tweed (B). Si je fais le calcul il me faut 7 pelotes,softTweed, et en karisma (B) il me faut 9 pelotes , mais du coup les mesures vont changer et les explications ne seront plus adaptées? Merci

19.03.2023 - 12:07:

DROPS Design answered:

Bonjour Louison, effectivement, si vous ne tricotez qu'un seul fil du groupe B, votre tension risque d'être différente, il vaut mieux vous orienter sur une laine du groupe E (même métrage total que la plus courte des laines pour votre taille), ou bien sur un modèle du groupe B où la laine sera tricotée seule. Bon tricot!

20.03.2023 - 10:18:

Veronika wrote:

Liebes Drops-Team, ich möchte den Pullover (217-14) mit Drops Merino Big stricken. Bleibt die Anleitung und Nadelstärke wie mit Drops Air? Vielen Dank

17.03.2023 - 13:01:

DROPS Design answered:

Liebe Veronika, beide Garne gehören der Garngruppe C so die Maschenprobe sollte dieselbe sein. Stricken Sie zuerst - wier immer - Ihre Maschenprobe. Viel Spaß beim stricken!

17.03.2023 - 15:12:

Nathalie TD wrote:

Bonjour Comment calcule-t-on le nombre de pelotes nécessaires pour un modèle quand on veut doubler la laine pour tricoter avec des aiguilles plus grosses ( par exemple remplacer des aig.4 par des aig.8). Faut-il doubler le nb de pelotes ? Merci pour votre réponse

15.03.2023 - 17:01:

DROPS Design answered:

Bonjour Nathalie, si vous souhaitez tricoter un modèle avec des aiguilles plus grosses que le modèle, il vous faudra tout recalculer, pas seulement la quantité mais également les explications car votre échantillon sera différent. Vous pouvez alors vous inspirer d'un modèle analogue dans la tension souhaitée pour la quantité par ex (attention à choisir la forme et les mesures adaptées). Bon tricot!

16.03.2023 - 09:36:

Bierinx Frédérique wrote:

Bonjour, avez vous une leçon ou un tuto sur les arrêts de bas de pull à l'italienne. Mes bas de pull sont trop serrés. je vous remercie

13.03.2023 - 09:20:

DROPS Design answered:

Bonjour Mme Bierinx, vous trouverez ici toutes nos vidéos montrant les différentes façons de rabattre avec différentes techniques, y compris à l'italienne. Bon tricot!

13.03.2023 - 11:18:

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