Fernwood Cardigan / Yarn Substitutions
The Fernwood Cardigan was designed with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn however I knew that my next cast-on would be made from luxury yarn from my local yarn store. I came home with a bag full of yarn, all in similar colours to the original sample knit in Fisherman.
Recommended Combinations
Drops Yarn Air + Drops Yarn Wish
Needle / 10mm
Gauge / 8.75 sts x 12.5 rows
Swatch Weight / 13g
This combination was by far my favourite. Wish and Air are different weights of a very similar blown yarn. This results in a perfectly uniform fabric when held together, you can't tell the individual strands apart.
Drops Yarn Melody + Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 8.75 sts x 12 rows
Swatch Weight / 13g
These two yarns create the nicest fuzzy fabric, it's light and soft. Well matched in colour, it's difficult to tell the swatch is multi-stranded. I had to go up needle sizes to meet the pattern gauge.
Drops Yarn Melody + Drops Yarn Wish
Needle / 10mm
Gauge / 8.75 sts x 12 rows
Swatch Weight / 14g
Wish has a soft, slightly fuzzy appearance which, combined with Melody, softens the texture of the Double Moss Stitch. The two create a very uniform fabric and a perfect colour match. I've also swatched with this stunning colour combination - Grape + Bordeaux.
Drops Yarn Melody + Drops Yarn Andes
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 7 sts x 12 rows
Swatch Weight / 19g
Although the stitch definition isn't crisp this combination seems to boost the texture of the Double Moss Stitch. It's the perfect balance between fuzzy and defined and the fabric feels light.
Not Recommended
I swatched with a few of the yarns above on their own as well as a few other yarns I had on hand and although many of them were lovely, they didn't meet all of the conditions I mentioned above. I've listed them below for your review. I wouldn't recommend using these yarns without modifying the pattern to suit them better.
Drops Yarn Kidsilk + Drops Yarn Wish
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 9.25 sts x 12 rows
Swatch Weight / 10g
This combination was quite nice however it didn't quite meet gauge without going up in needle size and compromising the structure of the fabric by making it too loose. Holding a second strand of the Kid Silk might be enough to bump this one up into the recommended category.
Drops Yarn Wish
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 9.25 sts x 12 rows
Swatch Weight / 8g
I fell in love with this yarn during my trials, which is why there's simply a lonely ball band in photos of swatches with this. Before combining it with others, I swatched this yarn alone, and unfortunately it didn't quite meet gauge on it's own.
Drops Yarn Andes
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 10 sts x 11 rows
I also swatched this yarn on it's own before combining it with others. It was not heavy enough to meet gauge and the fabric was very loose and uneven.
K+C Nordic Yarn
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 6.75 sts x 10 rows
Swatch Weight / 45g
This yarn was much too big. I really enjoyed knitting with it and loved the thick, squishy fabric it created. However it's not suitable to use as is and would require modifying the pattern.
Briggs & Little Country Roving
Needle / 12mm
Gauge / 7 sts x 12 rows
Swatch Weight / 22g
I really liked the fabric this yarn created however the gauge was too big to work with the Fernwood Cardigan as is.
Fernwood Cardigan / Sleeves
Fernwood Cardigan / Picking Up Buttonband
