How to Substitute Yarn Colors

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a yarn to replace a discontinued yarn, including color, thickness or weight of the yarn, texture, material and the ply of the yarn. In general, we recommend you buy the amount of yarn specified in a pattern plus a 10 percent buffer when you begin any project.

Weight/thickness: The weight or thickness of the yarn will impact how well the stitches cover the plastic canvas. When substituting yarn, compare the thickness of the original yarn to the replacement to make sure they are equal. 

Texture: Some yarn is shiny and some yarn is matte. Some yarns are smooth while others have a slight halo. Make sure your substitute yarn has the same texture as the original yarn. 

Material: Yarns are made of different fibers -- nylon, acrylic, cotton, wool and blends. Use the same fiber as the yarn you started with.

Ply: Yarn is spun with several strands of fiber. A 3-ply yarn is spun together with three strands of yarn, while a 4-ply yarn is spun together with four strands of yarn. 4-ply yarn is stronger than 3-ply. 4-ply is usually spun tighter together and is more rounded.

Color: Matching colors is challenging. If you find a yarn that matches all of the specifications above as your original yarn, you can start looking for similar and complementary colors.

The most common brands of yarn used for plastic canvas are Needloft Craft Yarn and Red Heart worsted-weight acrylic yarn.

Here are some substitution examples for Needloft’s discontinued yarn colors: