Knitting pattern yarn help

[WolverineDG]

Please! :)

I found an easy afghan pattern that I want to try. Problem is it calls for Redheart "plastic" yarn :scared: . I'd like to use a natural fiber (alpaca? she says hopefully, looking at her checking account balance).

Here's what it calls for:
Color 1: Red Heart "Symphony" Art N391 (3.5 oz/310 yars ball): 3 balls No. 4907 Magenta
Color 2: Red Heart "Supersaver" Art E300 (8 oz/452 yard solid color or 6 oz/348 yard multicolor skein): 18 oz No. 0310 Monet

The afghan is worked with one strand each of Color 1 & 2 worked together.

How come so much of Color 1 if they are worked together? How much yarn would I have to buy? The finished afghan measures approx. 39" wide by 54" long.

dg

[China_cat]

1. The symphony is a bit lighter weight

than the Supersaver (worsted) and has less yardage per ball. That's why you'd need more of it to use in a double stranded knit.

You have your yardage requirements, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what you need. A wool or alpaca in worsted weight for Color 2 and (wool or alpaca) in a double knit or a heavier fingering for Color 1.

Example of yardages: (from KnitPicks, where I buy a lot of my yarn)
Wool of the Andes (a highland wool, very soft...also very inexpensive at $1.99/50 gram ball), a worsted weight (color 2) has 110 yards per ball. You'd need 10 balls to be equivalent (calculated from the 348 yard, 6oz skein x 3)

Palatte (again, a highland wool in the same price as the WotA), the fingering yarn (color 1) you'd need 930 yards. Here's where the requirements will be upside down from the acrylic requirements...the Palatte has 231 yards per ball...so you'd need 5.

That's just an example. Read your yardages and have the calculations of how much you need in front of you when you do. (Having a calculator handy can't hurt) Then buy 1 extra of each and use that to swatch so that you know you're getting the proper guage. Adjust needle size if it's coming out a bit off. Or leave it. An afghan is one of those things that doesn't need to fit 'properly' so guage isn't as critical as it would be in a garment.

[WolverineDG]

2. Thank you!!!

:loveya:

I want to do this in alpaca since I'm allergic to wool (my hands get red when I work on stuff for my family & friends) so you also found me a less expensive outlet to buy my wool. :)

dg

[knitter4democracy]

3. Hmm. Would it make more sense to get a bulky yarn?

Two worsteds make a bulky, so maybe it would be better to get a bulky yarn on sale for a similar gauge? The way that one is done, it'll have a tweedy look, so what if you looked for Misti Alpaca Chunky or Bulky in one of their tweeds at yarn.com (Webs) or Elann.com?

[WolverineDG]

4. I'll take a look!

Thanks for the suggestions! :)

dg

[KatyaR]

5. Is there a border or something that's worked separately

that only uses Color 1? That's the only thing I can think of.

[CraftyGal]

6. I was wondering if you would love to try cotton...

Peaches and Cream has become my most favorite yarn, please check out the site at DCScripts. They have some wonderful yarn in chenille and it isn't the crappy stuff that sheds. It is a good quality yarn and at a great price. I have had many of my crafty friends switch due to the softness and the easy care of their product. They also accept paypal which is a bonus.

CraftyGal

[Warpy]

7. Knit a swatch to get the gauge in the yarn you want to use

and check it against the plastic yarn gauge given in the pattern. Usually, you can substitute any worsted weight yarn for Red Heart plastic, but a 4"x4" swatch is the best way to go if you want the Afghan to be sized exactly as it is in the pattern.

The swatch will also tell you your yardage and you can multiply it out for the area of the Afghan. There again, I've found any worsted weight yarn can be swapped and you just need to buy the same weight.

I can't tell you why there is a discrepancy between the weight of each color without looking at the pattern.

I can tell you that I usually make Afghans out of plastic yarn because I made them mostly for sick parents and they had to be tossed into the washer frequently.