Skeinote
When a pattern yarn is discontinued, recover the exact old line's length per ball first. Multiply that by the pattern's ball count, then divide by the exact target yarn's length and round up. If the old length cannot be verified from the maker page or the physical label, do not invent it.
Berroco still publishes a page for Circus and marks it DISCONTINUED, which lets the original record be checked directly.
| Field | Discontinued source: Berroco Circus | Possible target record: Berroco Vintage Chunky |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Maker marks it discontinued | Current surveyed maker page |
| Length | 136 yds / 124 m | 136 yds / 124 m |
| Package mass | 100 g | Not printed on the surveyed page |
| Category | 5 - Chunky | 5 - Chunky |
| Knitting gauge | 14 sts = 4 in | 14 sts = 4 in |
| Fiber | 58% wool, 25% nylon, 17% acrylic | 52% acrylic, 40% wool, 8% nylon |
The first four rows look unusually close. The fiber records do not. That is why the quantity and fabric decisions remain separate.
Recover the original yarn record
Start with the pattern and any surviving label, project notes, or maker page. Record:
- Maker and complete line name.
- Pattern quantity in balls, yards, metres, or grams.
- Length per ball for the exact old line.
- Package mass when the pattern quantity is in grams.
- Published category, gauge, fiber, and care wording.
- The source URL or physical label and the date you checked it.
A family name is not enough. Cascade Heritage, Heritage 6, Heritage 6 Hand Paints, Heritage Prints, Heritage Silk, and Heritage Tie Dye are separate lines. A figure printed for one cannot fill a blank for another.
Read how to identify the fields on a yarn label when the words weight and mass are causing confusion.
Turn the old quantity into total length
Suppose a pattern calls for six balls of Berroco Circus. The maker publishes 136 yards per 100 g ball:
required length = old ball count × old length per ball
required length = 6 × 136 yd = 816 yd
The pattern requirement is now recorded as 816 yards. That total can be compared with an exact target line even though Circus is no longer sold.
If the pattern gives grams instead of balls, use mass and length from the same old record:
source packages = required grams ÷ old package mass
required length = source packages × old package length
This works for Circus because its archived maker page supplies both 100 g and 136 yards. It would not work from a mass remembered without the corresponding exact-line length.
Calculate the target package count
Berroco's surveyed Vintage Chunky page also publishes 136 yards / 124 m. For the 816-yard Circus requirement:
816 yd ÷ 136 yd = 6 target hanks
There is no fractional result to round in this example. The target record supplies the same published length per package, so six Vintage Chunky hanks supply the same stated total length as six Circus balls.
Use the Skeinote calculator when both exact lines exist in the catalogue. When an archived yarn is not selectable, keep the arithmetic in your project notes until its record has been verified and added.
Why the same count is not the end of the decision
Berroco publishes both lines as 5 - Chunky and prints a 14-stitch knitting gauge over 4 inches. Circus is also described as a thick-and-thin yarn, and the two lines use different fiber compositions. Circus is listed as 58% wool, 25% nylon, and 17% acrylic; Vintage Chunky is 52% acrylic, 40% wool, and 8% nylon.
Six hanks therefore answers one precise question: how many Vintage Chunky packages supply at least the old pattern's published length? It does not tell you that the fabric, care, or finished object will behave like the Circus version.
Use same yarn weight: will the fabric match? for the swatch decision. Work in the pattern stitch, measure against the pattern gauge, and assess the fabric after the care treatment you plan to use.
What to do when the old figure is missing
Do not borrow length from a current yarn merely because the name looks related. A retailer page, community database, or remembered figure may help you locate an exact physical band, archived maker page, or pattern correction, but Skeinote does not turn that lead into a manufacturer-published record by itself.
An exact physical label can preserve the original package figure for your private calculation. Photograph both sides and keep it with the pattern. The label supports that exact old yarn only; it does not transfer its value to a replacement.
If the original length remains unknown, stop the conversion and look for a version of the pattern that states total yardage or metres. A confident-looking target count built on an invented source length is more likely to make you run short than an honest blank.
Finally, keep the old identity, source, required total, target identity, raw division, rounded count, and swatch notes together. If you revisit the project months later, the reasoning will still be visible.