When looking for a substitution myself I had assumed there would already be a website to help. I found lots of articles on the art of yarn substitution, but I couldn't find anywhere that I could just enter a yarn name and receive accurate suggestions for a replacement.
I thought something like that might be useful.
Luckily for me, my husband is a bit amazing at writing software and he liked the idea too. While he was working on the tech side, I got to work on some yarn research. (It was a tough job, but someone had to do it!) I researched different fibers, swatched, experimented with gauge and tried out all manner of exotic and not-so exotic yarns. I looked at textures, drape, warmth, elasticity, absorbency, durability, luster and softness. And then we condensed the knowledge into a form that could be processed by the software to find accurate substitutes.
Eventually, we are aiming to provide "buy it now" links to retailers from yarn pages. This will help us cover our costs and allow us to keep Yarnsub available and up-to-date far into the future.
But for now, I'd simply like to start getting the word out. Currently the website doesn't come up high in Google searches. To change that I need more sites to link to it. Would you be able to mention Yarnsub.com on your website, blog or on Facebook or Twitter? I would be extremely grateful! Do you have any other suggestions about how to get the word out? I'm not in any way a marketing expert, so any ideas you have would be very helpful.
I'd also like to improve the usefulness of the website, so if you have any suggestions or if you have any problems, please let me know. Already I've had the suggestion that more images would be helpful - those are being added as fast as I can get copyright permission from yarn manufacturers.
I'd love to hear if you like the site and if you find it useful, but I'd also really appreciate any criticism or feedback about it. Are the notes on a particular substitution clear and do they give you confidence? Are there any matches you don't agree with? Have I missed an important brand? Please don't hold back! The sooner I know about issues, the better.
Email me: [email protected]
Thank you!
Wendy