In my latest podcast, I talked about Joann Fabrics filing bankruptcy and how, if they can’t find a buyer to carry on that legacy, they might very well go out of business. Yes, that means that all that Big Twist yarn that we’ve come to love, it might not be no more.

As a crochet designer, having your favorite yarn discontinued causes so many issues, doesn’t it? We will have to find a new yarn to work with in our designs. What about our previously published patterns? Will we have to rework our patterns or change the yarn information in our patterns?

Listen, don’t freak out, I have a solution for all your discontinued yarn woes.

Pin it Now, Read it Later!

One of my client friends, Samantha from Squibble’s Crochet Corner, asked a great question in the comment section of my podcast. And y’all know, I probably could have easily answered the question in the comments, but I’m all about the education here at Sweet Bird Crochet.

Here’s what she wrote:

Thank you so much for an informative podcast. Hoping they don’t go out of business. If Joann’s were to go out of business, or any yarn company, and you use their yarn in one of your designs, should you put a note in the pattern that the yarn used in the pattern is no longer available and make recommendations for a different yarn? How would you best go about that?

Yarn is always changing and evolving. You might visit your local craft shop one day and see the shelves of your favorite yarns. I’m sure you’ve walked into Michael’s and seen one shelf after the other lined with Bernat Blanket yarn…..then, after two weeks, you go back to that same Michaels, and the shelves are bare!



This recently happened to me. I visited Michaels a few days ago to pick up a few skeins of my favorite yarn and was shocked to see hardly any yarn on the shelves. I know this wasn’t because of discontinued yarn but rather because of inventory issues. However, I had a slight moment of panic.

And what will happen if Joann Fabrics goes out of business? I think they probably will. The next hearing is around February 12th, so we’ll find out soon enough. So, if they do, they’re going to liquidate everything, and we will not be able to find the yarns they specifically carry.

Watch it Instead!

The yarn gets discontinued all the time. We saw this with Hobby Lobby. A few years ago, they had implemented that they would only carry their yarn line. What used to be 3 to 4 aisles of yarn soon became one lonely aisle of just Hobby Lobby Brand yarns. This will definitely be an issue if you or your customers live in an area without Joann Fabric or Michael’s near.

Some yarn brands or yarn lines are tried and true. Certain brands have been around forever. Red Heart is a line that’s been around for over 90 years. Lion Brand, Vanna’s Choice, is another line that has been around for a while. Vanna’s Choice has been around for over 30 years. Certain things may change, like the available colors. Sometimes, the branding can change, like the labels. But for the most part,  those certain yarn lines stay tried and true, but some yarn lines are not so lucky.



So, how do we, as crochet designers, navigate yarn information in our crochet patterns? And if you’ve ever worked with me, you already know the answer to this question. It’s really simple.

We need to give our readers as much information about the yarn as possible.

Something to keep in mind that’s really important, and I don’t think that this is talked about enough: not everyone who purchases your pattern has access to the yarn you used in your design. So, this isn’t just about discontinued yarn. It’s about the yarn that’s available to your customers.

Customers in various countries may not have access to the yarn you use in your pattern. For instance, people in Australia have different yarn brands and lines available to them compared to those in America, and vice versa. This is true for any country outside of the U.S., as each has its own unique selection of yarn brands and lines.

Let’s say someone from the UK purchased your pattern; they’ll need to know as much information about the yarn you used as possible because they won’t be able to find that yarn in their country if they prefer to buy locally. Additionally, some people may not want to purchase yarn online due to the exorbitant shipping costs.

And then there are also people in our same country who may not have access the certain yarns. They might not live near a craft store or local yarn shop. They may not be able to afford the yarn that you used, so they are using yarn given to them by their family or friends or yarn they already have in their stash.



So, writing yarn information in the ways that I’m going to show you is going to help all your customers, no matter where they live.

I always discuss standards when working with my clients and editing their patterns. I emphasize writing patterns according to industry standards. Regarding industry standards, there isn’t a “standard” way to list yarn in your patterns. However, there are some key points that you should consider before you list them.

Yarn Brand and Name

The first thing to consider is the yarn brand and yarn name. I cannot express strongly enough how important it is to provide this information. Every customer who purchases your pattern wants to know this information. Here’s why:

It’s going to help your readers replicate your design.

Some customers who purchase your pattern want to know the exact yarn you used because they want to purchase the EXACT same yarn. They want their project to look exactly like how it does in the photo. I find that a lot of beginners do this because they may not know how to navigate yarn substitutions.

It provides clarity and reduces any guesswork for your readers.

When the basic information about the yarn you used is missing, then your customers have to guess what kind of yarn to use. If you don’t list the brand and name and just list “any size 4 weight yarn”, they may not know what that means.

You have no idea who is on the other side of your pattern, navigating their way through it. That’s why it’s so important to provide AT LEAST the yarn brand and name.

If your readers have this information, they can look up the specific details about the yarn to make the proper substitution or see if they have something suitable in their stash.

It builds trust with your readers.

I know you might be thinking, “Well, how can listing yarn build trust with my readers? “

If people see from the very beginning of your pattern that you have all the information they need before they even start to read the instructions, it reflects a designer who cares about the details and, in turn, their customers, and they will appreciate that.

Yarn Weight and Fiber

Helps your customers make accurate yarn substitutions

If your readers know the yarn weight you used, they can find alternatives that match the pattern’s gauge. As we all know, yarn weight directly affects gauge. Additionally, they can choose a matching fiber content to achieve the same outcome as the design. Fiber content has a significant impact on texture, stretch, drape, and how the fabric lays on the body. This is true even for amigurumi; different yarn weights can change the appearance of your toy. By understanding the fiber content, your readers will be better equipped to match it, ensuring they achieve the same look and texture as the original design.

Yardage and Meterage

A question I often receive is, “Should I include the yards and meters of the skein? Or how much I used in my design?” The answer is yes; you should list both. Keep in mind that there is no standard for listing yarn, just as there is no standard for including yards and meters in your pattern.

If your writing style allows for it, you can list both the yards and meters for the skein, as well as the yards and meters for how much you used in your design. However, if you need to choose one measurement, I recommend listing the yards and meters for the entire skein. This will provide your customers with enough information to make suitable substitutions. Keep in mind that skeins of yarn can vary in yards and meters, even within the same weight category.

Four Ways to List Yarn

I’m going to show you four different options for listing yarn in your crochet pattern. Among these, I have two preferred methods, and one that I specifically recommend most.

OPTION ONE:

Yarn Weight [% fiber; X yards / X m per Xg skein]; color: Color Name; X skeins

Here’s how it would look if you used Vanna’s Choice as an example:

Medium Worsted Weight Size 4 [100% Acrylic; 170 yards / 156 meters per 100g skein]; color: Brick; 2 skeins

OPTION TWO:

X yards of [Yarn Company, Yarn Name] – [% fiber], X yards / X g. (Total balls used). Color Name

This is great to use if you want to list how many yards you used in your design. Let’s say I used one and a half skeins of yarn….each skein of Vanna’s Choice yarn is 170 yards, so that would be 170 + 85 = 255 yards. This one would be my second favorite way to list yarn.

Here’s how it would look if you used Vanna’s Choice as an example:

255 yards of [Lion Brand, Vanna’s Choice] – [100% acrylic], 170 yards / 100 g. (1.5 skeins used.)

OPTION THREE:

This by far, is the way I would recommend you list yarn the most. It gives all the information needed so your readers do not have to guess about yarn substitutions.

Yarn Company, Yarn Name, Yarn Weight [% fiber; X yards / X m per Xg skein]; color: Color Name; X skein(s)

Here’s how it would look if you used Vanna’s Choice as an example:

Lion Brand, Vanna’s Choice, Size 4 [100 acrylic; 170 yards / 156 m per 100g skein]; color: Brick; 2 skeins

OPTION FOUR:

X Size, X Weight with a gauge of X sts and X rows with a size X (Xmm) Crochet Hook.

Here’s how it would look if you used Vanna’s Choice as an example:

Size 4, Worsted Weight with a gauge of  12 sc and 15 rows with a sizes J-10 (6mm) Crochet Hook.

I want to let you know that this is my least favorite way to list yarn because it provides the gauge of the yarn used along with the recommended hook size set by the Craft Yarn Council. Your customers may pay more attention to that information than to the gauge and hook you used in your pattern.

Should I Update My Yarn Info in My Previously Published Pattern?

Here’s my advice: If you’ve already worked with the tech editor, your yarn information likely doesn’t need updating. I can almost guarantee that your tech editor has provided you with the information you needed to list your yarn, or you’ve already figured out your style for listing it.

But if you haven’t worked with a tech editor, I recommend starting with your next pattern. Choose which one of the four ways I’ve listed yarn is your favorite, and list yarn in that manner from your next pattern forward. But make sure that you format it the same every single time because consistency is key when writing crochet patterns.

If you want to update previously published patterns, I would not recommend making small changes in your pattern UNLESS your pattern has been professionally edited and there was a mistake found or clarity needed in a section.

When it comes to your earlier patterns, it’s probably best to avoid changing the yarn info unless your pattern hasn’t been tech-edited yet and you want to do a full update with a tech editor.

Doing small updates to a pattern can be time-consuming and often requires reformatting, re-exporting files, and notifying customers who already bought your pattern.

I would strategically plan your pattern updates and work with a tech editor when doing so. P.S. Start with your most popular pattern and work to the least popular. Updating patterns is a great marketing strategy. But please work with a tech editor when updating your pattern.

When updating your patterns, there are particular ways you need to document them. There are versions you need to list, and then the errata documentation. A tech editor would know how to navigate all of this.

Speaking of updating patterns, I am currently open to new clients and would love to help you update your patterns or edit a new one! Just fill out my CONTACT FORM and I’ll reach out to you!