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Compare textile resources.
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| Decision field | Free accountFOURSOURCE Supplier NetworkGlobalRemove | Open accessKnittyGlobalRemove | Open accessApparel Measurement Tolerance Setting RecordGlobalRemove | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | ||||
| Primary job | Source production | Find patterns & fit | Source production | Choose materials |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Production | Yarn | Production | Yarn |
| Best for | Searching global apparel and textile production capabilities | Free editorial knitting patterns and techniques | Turning an inherited or proposed garment tolerance into a controlled POM method, capability study, decision boundary, inspection rule, and change record | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch |
| Know before using | The company count is a changing platform claim. Search fields, profiles, certificates, locations, and account access do not independently verify the legal entity, factory ownership, capability, capacity, certificate validity or scope, compliance performance, delivery, or project fit. Confirm the site and subcontracting, credentials with issuers, samples, audits when appropriate, specifications, contracts, and commercial terms. | Free access does not grant commercial reproduction or sale rights; uses beyond one personal copy must be resolved with the designer or author. Knitty says it tries to avoid errors but disclaims responsibility for pattern and technique inaccuracies. Check the live page for corrections, verify gauge and measurements, and confirm permission before any commercial use. | The record does not supply universal POM values, validate fit across a population, prove process capability, choose a statistical study or sampling plan, reproduce licensed standards, or replace qualified technical, fit, quality, statistical, safety, compliance, and legal review. | A suggested match is a data-based shortlist, not proof that the yarn suits the pattern or maker. Records can be incomplete or wrong, price bands are approximate, availability varies by country and seller, and shade-level matching is unavailable. YarnSub says affiliate status does not change suggestions, but equally rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. Confirm required gauge, total length, fibre behavior, construction, care, colour, dye lot, accessibility, price, availability, and seller terms, then make and assess a representative swatch before committing. |
| Practical access | ||||
| For | Apparel brands | Makers | Apparel brands | Makers |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Access | Free account | Open access | Open access | Open access |
| Format | Marketplace | Reference | Stitch Authority | Reference |
| Source type | Commercial marketplace | First-party platform | Stitch Authority | First-party platform |
| Account, payment, and exit | ||||
| Access scope | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. |
| Before an account | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Search a named yarn, inspect suggested substitutes, and filter by fibre and approximate price band without creating an account. |
| Free-account boundary | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | The checked core substitution route does not require an account, and the FAQ does not offer user-entered yarn records. |
| Payment boundary | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | No subscription is presented for the core route. Affiliate retailer links and optional donations help fund the site; equal-rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. |
| Cancellation or exit | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | There is no account or recurring plan to cancel for the core route. The newsletter has a separate unsubscribe link. |
| Saved work and data | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | YarnSub does not expose an API and does not accept user-entered yarn details. Use the data-issue link on a yarn page for corrections. |
| Source and review | ||||
| What the source establishes | FOURSOURCE's current public network page presents an operator-reported global company count and country or territory search. It says logged-in users can narrow results by compliance certificates, product groups, fabric types, target groups, minimum order quantities, and other fields, with a free-trial and supplier sign-up route. | Knitty currently publishes web-only editorial issues containing original knitting and crochet patterns and articles. Its legal page states that patterns are free for one person's personal use, identifies each designer or author as the copyright holder, and explains that verified pattern corrections are posted in bright pink on the pattern page. | The guide cites current ISO, AATCC, and NIST sources for body and garment measurement boundaries, textile conditioning, dimensional-change testing, repeatability and reproducibility, and AQL-indexed sampling, while requiring the live product owner to set rather than inherit numerical tolerances. | YarnSub's official FAQ says its matching software compares gauge, texture, yarn weight and density, fibre content, and fibre qualities such as drape and softness. Discontinued yarns remain searchable as starting points but are excluded from suggestions. Result filters can exclude animal, animal-derived, synthetic, or plant fibre groups and use a subjective $ to $$$$$ price indicator. The site does not accept user-entered yarn details, individual shade cards, or expose an API. Each yarn page provides a data-issue route. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 21, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 | Jul 15, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jan 17, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | Jul 15, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 |
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