3 Clever Ways to Find Discontinued Yarn

Whether you found an irresistible deal on a few skeins of discontinued yarn or your favorite yarn was suddenly discontinued, finding a bit more of a discontinued yarn can seem daunting. Your gorgeous project is sitting there, 3/4 of the way complete, just waiting for more yarn. 

While you may need to be patient and persistent, finding discontinued yarn isn't impossible. Always visit the manufacturers website and also call them directly first. Many times they have some available. If you are desperately searching for more yarn to finish your project, here are some places to try. 

Online Marketplaces

You may be surprised to learn that eBay is a great place to search for vintage or discontinued yarn. You may get lucky and find a whole bag and then sometimes you will find a ball or partial ball. Use various search terms because many times, the exact yarn you need will be bundled with other yarns in a mixed lot for sale. 

If you can't find what you need on eBay, search for the yarn name on Etsy. Also try to search "destash yarn" and then sift through the yarn for sale. 

Occasionally, Amazon will surprise me and have some discontinued yarn available. In this case, a supplier stocked up on the yarn. Even though the manufacturer isn't making it anymore, they still have some in a warehouse somewhere. 

Crowdsource on Forums

Join a few fabric art forums on Reddit or Quora and post about your search for discontinued yarn. Yarn Addicts is a fun group of yarn crafting people who come together on Reddit and help solve most any yarn problem. Many yarn questions on Quora have hundreds of responses, so it is a smart place to ask where you can find your particular yarn. With a bit of luck, someone will come forward with your desired yarn.

Ravelry discussion boards are also a great place to put out a call for a specific yarn. 

Yarn Resale Websites

The search for discontinued yarn is so common that there are several websites that specialize in selling it. Yarn Paradise is one of those sites. Their Garage Sale page has close to 100 discontinued yarns at any one time and rotates frequently. Discontinued Yarns is another website with a decent assortment of hard to find yarn. If you have exhausted the yarn resale websites, substituting a different yarn may be your only option.

Substituting Yarn 

While it is always preferable to find the exact yarn, sometimes it is impossible. So, what can you do? You certainly don't want to give up on your project. 

• YarnSub. Visit this website and enter in the brand and name of your yarn and their database will match it to the next best yarn brand and color. It is a bit like magic.
• Dye to Order. When all else fails, consider having yarn hand-dyed to match your current yarn. Yarn specialists, like Zen Yarn Garden, hand dye yarn of every type and may be able to get close to what you need. 

If you've ever been on the hunt for discontinued yarn, it has likely taught you to buy more than you think you will need. What other resources do you use to find discontinued yarn? Let us know in the comments.