DROPS Baby Merino vs DROPS Flora

Technical verdict: DROPS Baby Merino vs DROPS Flora

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

DROPS Baby Merino and DROPS Flora are both Super Fine (CYC 1) yarns, so on paper they are interchangeable in the same patterns. The weight class only tells half the story, though: the ball band data below shows how much they really differ in thickness, yardage and behaviour once they are on the hook.

DROPS Flora is the longer yarn per gram, with 420 m per 100 g against 350 m per 100 g for DROPS Baby Merino, a difference of 20 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 286 g in DROPS Baby Merino and 238 g in DROPS Flora. A lower m/100 g figure means a thicker or denser strand, so the heavier yarn will also make a slightly thicker, warmer fabric.

Per ball, DROPS Baby Merino holds 175 m in 50 g and DROPS Flora holds 210 m in 50 g. Five balls of DROPS Baby Merino (875 m) are replaced by 5 balls of DROPS Flora, and five balls of DROPS Flora (1,050 m) by 6 balls of DROPS Baby Merino. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

DROPS Baby Merino is 100 % wool. Merino is soft, warm and elastic: it blocks beautifully and recovers after stretching, which makes it a classic for garments and baby items; non-superwash merino must be washed by hand to avoid felting.

DROPS Flora, on the other hand, is 65 % wool, 35 % alpaca. Wool is elastic and warm and keeps its shape well; it blocks easily and forgives uneven tension, but non-superwash wool can felt with heat and agitation.

Within the same weight class, DROPS Flora has noticeably more meters per gram, so its fabric will be lighter and drape more softly, while DROPS Baby Merino will feel denser and more structured. Choose the lighter one for shawls, tops and baby items, and the denser one for bags, amigurumi and pieces that must hold their shape.

They also share the same construction (Plied), so stitch definition and the way the yarn behaves on the hook should feel familiar when you switch.

Hook size and gauge

Both ball bands recommend the same hook, 3 mm, so you can start your swatch with the hook size the pattern already calls for.

Both labels give the same reference gauge of 24 stitches in 10 cm, a strong sign that a pattern will come out the same size with either yarn.

Verdict: can you swap them?

DROPS Flora can replace DROPS Baby Merino with some adjustments (Match Score 68 %). Expect small differences in gauge or drape: swatch first and be ready to change the hook by half a size.

DROPS Flora gives more meters per ball, so you will usually buy fewer balls. DROPS Flora makes the lighter fabric; DROPS Baby Merino makes the denser one.

Whichever you choose, buy all the balls for a project from the same dye lot and keep the ball band for its care instructions.

Full DROPS Baby Merino data sheet → Full DROPS Flora data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →