yarn recomendations and/or subsiututes please

I have two sweaters I want to make that are knit/crochet combos.

The Beachcomber, Interweave Crochet Spring 2007, requires Garnstudio Silke Tweed (wool/silk blend) which the best I can figure is a sport/DK weight not sure where it really falls. I think this one might work Felted Tweed DK by Rowan but I am not sure.

Josephine Pullover, Interweave Crochet Winter 2006, requires Rowan 4 ply soft which I am very much leaning toward using as my LYS has it. I can get it at a discount. I'm open to other suggestions.

I'd especially like to know of yarns you have used or at least petted ;)

Sammimag, I often knit sweaters in yarn that is different than the suggested yarn. I don't even stick with the same weight necessarily. I find as long as I do a swatch and either get my gauge to match theirs or I'll do the math to adjust the number of stitches to get the size of the sweater right.

So far it has all been pretty successful.

Just general yarns I've used are many (I confess up front I am a big fan of Rowan yarns- I check ebay for them or just google the name of the yarn I'm looking for and sale to see if any online sellers have sales on that yarn I got rowan yorkshire tweed for two sweaters that way 40% off)

I used to shy away from bulky yarns because it seemed to easy to knit with big yarn and I liked delicate stuff and tiny needles but lately I did a couple of projects with Rowan Big Wool which was fun to use and Lopi Alpaca.

I love Rowan Kidsilk Haze and I have found a similar weight of Mohair and Silk from Afganistan that has a lovely ombre dye to it that means the finished project shifts from one shade to another (I can't remember the brand because all my tags are at home). I tried a similar yarn that had a synthetic fiber in there and it stunk -it snagged and pilled even as I knit with it.

I have used Rowan Magpie (now discontinued) and Rowanspun DK.

I got a bunch of single sale skeins of Lamb's Pride in a worsted weight that have been perfect for making hats and one of my hats I've had four years now has never pilled. It is reasonable and sturdy and comes in a wide variety of colors.

I used a yarn that had vegetable dyes that came off on my bamboo needles while I was knitting.

I have also used Manos del Uruguay, Berocco Ultra Alpaca both nice, a wool cashmere for a scarf for my fiance (who doesn't like itchy things) that (pilled horribly whenever he had stubble, and some merino wool yarns, as well as some cone yarns (from the pendelton outlet store in Portland, OR)

I'm going to have to check all my tags again tonight and repost.

I get a soothing feeling just thinking about yarn.

Try the forums at http://craftster.org. Sometimes I'm pretty sure that there is someone on there who has knit pretty much every pattern ever made :) And there are always people willing to help with substitutions, etc.

If the yarn is of similar thickness (yards to ounces ratio), and you're willing to play around with swatching, it shouldn't be too hard to find a replacement.

wiseneedle.com has really good reviews of different yarns, though it takes a bit of fiddling to figure out how to navigate the site.

I got the yarn I needed for both projects.

Some else is doing the Beachcomber in Hempathy a cotton hemp blend and I went with the yarn that it calls for in the Josephine Pullover. I got a great deal for both on Yarnbow an ebay shop.

I just got it in the mail today and ordered it Friday. I need to get in the right mood to swatch for the beachcomber. I'd love to get it done for when fall really kicks. I think it will be a great fall/spring sweater.