I've been knitting for a long time. Rarely do I get to use the original yarn. On the few occasions that I did it was part of a kit. Thanks to this informative lesson I understand how to make the correct yarn choice. No more guessing now that I have a formula 😊
Wow! The word grist has puzzled me forever. You are wonderful at explaining everything for yarn substitutions. Thank you thank you thank you!!! I saved this tutorial 🤗
I THOUROUGHLY enjoyed this. There is always little gems I learn from you along the way. Even someone who has been knitting for 42 years has something to learn. =o] I have to admit I have to pay more attention to the grist. That was not really on my radar before.
I wish I could give you an abundance o f "thumbs up" for this tutorial! I'm more of a spinner than a knitter so it was twice as helpful. Thank you for another great explanation.
I finally understand the importance of grist and how to figure it! I am constantly substituting fingering "weight" yarns to knit socks from stash. I've learned by trial and error, when my sock recipe and typical stitch count didn’t work as expected, that there is no standard size for fingering weight yarn. This is going to be very helpful to continue using stash yarns for projects instead of trying to purchase the recommended yarns. Thanks, Melissa! Janet H.
Thanks, Melissa. I knew it was going to be good when you pulled out the white board! I really appreciate your thorough explanations. I'm finally getting the gist of grist! :-)
Thank you so much. That's very helpful as I can rarely get the yarns recommended in the patterns I like. And as someone to whom color is important, even when I can get the yarn, it isn't in a colorway that I love.
Melissa, this is a GREAT video. It will hopefully go up there as one of the best videos to watch for substitution considerations. I love how you walk us through it, and I particular love your "high tech" "power point slide". ;-)
@@knittingthestash A year later, I'm watching this again, and I still REALLY REALLY love it. It continues to be at the top of my list of "what I learned the most from".
Thank you this was very informative. I have found that I am beginning to do this intuitively because I am in a constant state of not being able to get the recommended yarn. Sometimes is just cost that forces me to look at a substitute. I enjoyed this example it has helped me be a little more confident in going for something else.
This is a great lesson. The more research you do, the fewer surprises you get, right? As you were comparing the "mohairs", I was thinking that one reason the boucle has less yardage is that not all the grams go into the length, a small to fair percentage of the weight is in the loops. I'd like to add one factor to consider, which is care of the final item. You may have someone who is knitworthy, as long as they can throw the item in the washer and dryer. Subbing synthetics, or easy care natural fibers, for more finicky ones can be a chore if you are still trying to achieve a similar look or feel to the fabric.
Heya~ Yes, boucle yardage/weight seems a bit bound up with the extras :) And you raise an excellent point about ease and care for the FO. I have seen gifts go so wrong when washing machines are involved. I like to think I learned my lesson, but I Spencer is a felter, I'm afraid . . . just kidding ;)
Thank you for this video. I have been thinking about this for upcoming projects. The yarns listed were no longer available. Now I know what to look for. Thanks again!!
I want to thank you so very much for these tutorials. I went yarn shopping today and felt so confident and knew exactly what I was looking for and how to substitute. Thanks again!
Always so helpful - thank you for the ever so useful information!! Oh the pain of #5 and my lack of planning for picking discontinued yarns from my stash and having to deal with all of these every stinkin time…🎁
This was very helpful! I don’t think I understood the grist part. I also plan to try your recommendations in reverse. I have the yarn but need to find a project for it. Thanks for the tutorial!
Good idea on the reversal. Grist is a way of thinking about yarn beyond the band label. It just means yards per pound, and it's a way to compare one yarn to another even if the yarn is put up in different amounts. I hope that helps a little :)
I kind of figured out grist on accident, but I didn’t know it had a name. This whole video was very helpful. I’m trying to sub yarn for the Satellite shawl, where she used la bien Aimee helix held double. The pattern said a fingering weight yarn could be substituted. I’m stumped on how to figure out which fingering grist I should be looking for. Any thoughts on that?
Good question. Check out the specs of the Aimee helix and see if you can find a fingering weight yarn that's similar. Otherwise, you could likely sub any fingering weight yarn that would work with the design details (i.e. lace or cables often look better when worked in differently plied yarn). Shawls are less finicky about gauge :)
Ahhh yes, and I totally mispronounced the Irish yarns as well . . . sigh. Usually I verify these things, but I was caught up in the yarn moment. Thanks for the reminder :)
Good lecture on yarn and finding a substitution. However, I am not fully agreeing with the way you handle grist and concluding the difference in thickness of the yarn. Because as you say, you need to compare apples to apples. So saying that the alpaca yarn is thicker because it has is less metrage than the mohair yarn, might not necessarily be the case. Alpaca might be literally heavier than mohair and thus produce less meters per gram while being the same thickness yarn. So concluding that a yarn is thicker by a difference in grist, you can only do if the composition is comparable. =)
I completely agree with you! That's why I included composition in the list of five. And I appreciate that you've added a nuance to the conversation here: that these characteristics impact one another in you really, truly want to compare apples to apples :) Great tip!
Long time knitter still struggle with yarn choices thank you
Thank you for helping me learn more about yarn and how to make substitutions. What an excellent video.
I've been knitting for a long time. Rarely do I get to use the original yarn. On the few occasions that I did it was part of a kit. Thanks to this informative lesson I understand how to make the correct yarn choice. No more guessing now that I have a formula 😊
Awesome! Thanks so much :)
Wow! The word grist has puzzled me forever. You are wonderful at explaining everything for yarn substitutions. Thank you thank you thank you!!! I saved this tutorial 🤗
Wonderful to hear! Thanks, Julie :)
Thank you Melissa. That was great. Especially explaining grist. That's always confusing to me.
I THOUROUGHLY enjoyed this. There is always little gems I learn from you along the way. Even someone who has been knitting for 42 years has something to learn. =o] I have to admit I have to pay more attention to the grist. That was not really on my radar before.
I always appreciate your comments, Mary--especially because you have been knitting for a long time and know your stuff!
@@knittingthestash 💕✨ thank you
I wish I could give you an abundance o f "thumbs up" for this tutorial! I'm more of a spinner than a knitter so it was twice as helpful. Thank you for another great explanation.
Thanks so much, Jacqueline!
I finally understand the importance of grist and how to figure it! I am constantly substituting fingering "weight" yarns to knit socks from stash. I've learned by trial and error, when my sock recipe and typical stitch count didn’t work as expected, that there is no standard size for fingering weight yarn. This is going to be very helpful to continue using stash yarns for projects instead of trying to purchase the recommended yarns. Thanks, Melissa! Janet H.
Yes, use the stash! Always a fun place to play and look for project yarn. Thanks, Janet!
Melissa…you are a “wizard”! Thank you again for such clear and concise explanations! You make it sound so easy!
Thank you, Cathy :)
Thanks, Melissa. I knew it was going to be good when you pulled out the white board! I really appreciate your thorough explanations. I'm finally getting the gist of grist! :-)
:) lol yes! the white board is the best!!
Melissa ...thanks for the excellent explanation of how we should substitute yarns. So much to think about. :)
Thanks, Debra! I hope all is well with you :)
Such a helpful, clear explanation.
This was great Melissa! It will certainly help me to make wiser yarn choices for my projects than the hit or miss method I’ve been using! Thank you!
Awesome, Patricia! Thanks for saying so :)
Thank you so much. That's very helpful as I can rarely get the yarns recommended in the patterns I like. And as someone to whom color is important, even when I can get the yarn, it isn't in a colorway that I love.
Linda, I know what you mean. Color is so important to our projects . . . if I can't get it right, sometimes I just won't make the thing!
Brilliant explanation 💫thank you for taking the time to do this.
Thank you so much for that video, Melissa! I finally understand what grist is. :)
Yay! Awesome, Annika :)
Melissa, this is a GREAT video. It will hopefully go up there as one of the best videos to watch for substitution considerations. I love how you walk us through it, and I particular love your "high tech" "power point slide". ;-)
Thanks, Jillaine! Means a lot coming from you :) And whiteboards for the win!
@@knittingthestash A year later, I'm watching this again, and I still REALLY REALLY love it. It continues to be at the top of my list of "what I learned the most from".
Thanks, Jilliane! @@manicspinner1959
Thank you this was very informative. I have found that I am beginning to do this intuitively because I am in a constant state of not being able to get the recommended yarn. Sometimes is just cost that forces me to look at a substitute. I enjoyed this example it has helped me be a little more confident in going for something else.
Awesome, Jenny! That's great to hear and I know what you mean about cost. I love finding an alternative that's just right--and cheaper!!
This is a great lesson. The more research you do, the fewer surprises you get, right? As you were comparing the "mohairs", I was thinking that one reason the boucle has less yardage is that not all the grams go into the length, a small to fair percentage of the weight is in the loops. I'd like to add one factor to consider, which is care of the final item. You may have someone who is knitworthy, as long as they can throw the item in the washer and dryer. Subbing synthetics, or easy care natural fibers, for more finicky ones can be a chore if you are still trying to achieve a similar look or feel to the fabric.
Heya~ Yes, boucle yardage/weight seems a bit bound up with the extras :) And you raise an excellent point about ease and care for the FO. I have seen gifts go so wrong when washing machines are involved. I like to think I learned my lesson, but I Spencer is a felter, I'm afraid . . . just kidding ;)
Thank you for this video. I have been thinking about this for upcoming projects. The yarns listed were no longer available. Now I know what to look for. Thanks again!!
Great, Teresa! So nice go hear!
Thanks, Melissa, a most helpful video!
Thanks, Margaret!
Very helpful. Thanks from NZ.
Thanks, Tracey! Winter where you are, right?
excellent episode. thanks!
This is making a lot of projects way easier, thank you so much 😄🪄
Thanks, Maja!
I want to thank you so very much for these tutorials. I went yarn shopping today and felt so confident and knew exactly what I was looking for and how to substitute. Thanks again!
This makes me smile! Thanks, Kim!!
This was a great lesson! Thank you for taking the time to throughly explaining🥰
Thanks, Rachel!
Great info really appreciate it!
Thanks, Teresa!
Always so helpful - thank you for the ever so useful information!! Oh the pain of #5 and my lack of planning for picking discontinued yarns from my stash and having to deal with all of these every stinkin time…🎁
Sigh, I hear you Carol! I have a few stashed projects just like that--I know I'll be playing yarn chicken, too!!
This was very helpful! I don’t think I understood the grist part. I also plan to try your recommendations in reverse. I have the yarn but need to find a project for it. Thanks for the tutorial!
Good idea on the reversal. Grist is a way of thinking about yarn beyond the band label. It just means yards per pound, and it's a way to compare one yarn to another even if the yarn is put up in different amounts. I hope that helps a little :)
@@knittingthestash Sorry, I meant I hadn't understood the grist part before watching your video. You explained it perfectly. Thanks again!
Would one strand of lace mohair stabilize a Superwash merino from growing if used together?
I kind of figured out grist on accident, but I didn’t know it had a name. This whole video was very helpful. I’m trying to sub yarn for the Satellite shawl, where she used la bien Aimee helix held double. The pattern said a fingering weight yarn could be substituted. I’m stumped on how to figure out which fingering grist I should be looking for. Any thoughts on that?
Good question. Check out the specs of the Aimee helix and see if you can find a fingering weight yarn that's similar. Otherwise, you could likely sub any fingering weight yarn that would work with the design details (i.e. lace or cables often look better when worked in differently plied yarn). Shawls are less finicky about gauge :)
Nice tutorial for those of us who rarely use the called for fiber. By the way, Qing is pronounced “Ching” not “King”.
Ahhh yes, and I totally mispronounced the Irish yarns as well . . . sigh. Usually I verify these things, but I was caught up in the yarn moment. Thanks for the reminder :)
Good lecture on yarn and finding a substitution. However, I am not fully agreeing with the way you handle grist and concluding the difference in thickness of the yarn. Because as you say, you need to compare apples to apples. So saying that the alpaca yarn is thicker because it has is less metrage than the mohair yarn, might not necessarily be the case. Alpaca might be literally heavier than mohair and thus produce less meters per gram while being the same thickness yarn. So concluding that a yarn is thicker by a difference in grist, you can only do if the composition is comparable. =)
I completely agree with you! That's why I included composition in the list of five. And I appreciate that you've added a nuance to the conversation here: that these characteristics impact one another in you really, truly want to compare apples to apples :) Great tip!