DMC don’t often release new colors but the batch that they released in 2013 still seems to be difficult to find in stores (and, confusingly, is often still labelled as “new”). I have only managed to find them as a pack online at 123 stitch and also directly from DMC via their website, and they are not available at all in Europe/UK I think possibly due to EU regulations because of the dyes used.

See this great comparison of the new colors and how they fit into the DMC palette range.

Here are the closest 1:1 matches. Although they should be good substitutes if you already have the pattern, it’s better to have a pattern created with the palette incorporated - it could mean different colors may be used in the context of the image:

• 3880 can be replaced with 223
• 3881 can be replaced with 164
• 3882 can be replaced with 839
• 3883 can be replaced with 722
• 3884 can be replaced with 535
• 3885 can be replaced with 312
• 3886 can be replaced with 3685
• 3887 can be replaced with 208
• 3888 can be replaced with 3740
• 3889 can be replaced with 445
• 3890 can be replaced with 3766
• 3891 can be replaced with 995
• 3892 can be replaced with 740
• 3893 can be replaced with 543
• 3894 can be replaced with 907
• 3895 can be replaced with 646

Updated as of February 10, 2021

DMC confirmed the above colors were officially discontinued and they have provided an alternative list of replacements which make use of the new 01-35 colors released in 2017:

• 3880 can be replaced with 3722
• 3881 can be replaced with 3364
• 3882 can be replaced with 801
• 3883 can be replaced with 722
• 3884 can be replaced with 04
• 3885 can be replaced with 312
• 3886 can be replaced with 035
• 3887 can be replaced with 3837
• 3888 can be replaced with 3041
• 3889 can be replaced with 445
• 3890 can be replaced with 3846
• 3891 can be replaced with 3844
• 3892 can be replaced with 970
• 3893 can be replaced with 543
• 3894 can be replaced with 907
• 3895 can be replaced with 648

Also DMC occasionally discontinue colors altogether. Here is a list of discontinued numbers and the colors they can be replaced with should you have an older chart that uses them:

• 776 is replaced by 3326
• 781 is replaced by 782
• 971 is replaced by 740
• 504 is replaced by 3813
• 731 is replaced by 732
• 806 is replaced by 3760
• 3773 is replaced by 407
• 868 is replaced by 801

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