Ok, so I realized that I wasn’t incredibly clear in my first post. I’ve since written a “here’s what you have to do to get started post, but I think that in my eagerness to get started (and for you to get started,) there’s some prep work that needs to be taken care before folks can start. So I might as well get that out of the way before I dive in.

And besides you all need time to get things in order.

Other than the beginning cast on directions, I think I’ll post a little bit here and there about other things that might be important to touch upon. Like things to consider for making a cardigan version, or tips for resizing, stuff about the design process, fitting, and so forth. I want to pace the project out so that I don’t overload you all with information that you won’t need for many weeks, but also, as there are large stretches of time when the main direction will be “knit on in pattern,” for a long time, I want to make sure there’s stuff to post. Remembering of course that my writing of the pattern depends at least a little on my knitting speed.

If there’s a question or issue you want me to cover be in touch about that and I’ll do my best to fit it in.

Here are some answers to the questions and issues that have come up (below the fold):

  1. There are a lot of yarn options that will work, and I encourage you to resort to your stash if possible. There’s more on this coming, but just some options.
    • Harrisville Designs Shetland (2/8) (it’s 17 dollars--discountable--a cone at webs, though there are other vendors)
    • Domy Heather -this is what I’m using. It’s smaller gauge than most other yarns suitable for this project (sort of in the “light fingering weight” category) so that will effect sizing, but it’s a great softer, but still hearty wool.
    • Jamieson’s Spindrift and Jameison’s and Smith Jumper Weight. Good two ply yarn, great for this kind of garment. More colors than HD, and the sheep grew up on Scottish soil, if that matters to you. (Jamieson’s also makes a 3ply DK weight yarn that’s great if you want something a little thicker.)
    • A user on ravelry suggested Ruama finullgarn, which is a sturdy fingering-ish weight yarn that looks like it would be great for this kind of sweater. Since this is a Latvian pattern, I think the scandinavian/baltic yarns fit a bit better than the shetland yarns I’m prone to. But it’s another good option. She also carries some other scandinavian yarns of various weights which might work well for you
  2. I ballpark-ed 2800ish yards, as a yarn requirement, but really weight is a more effective measurement. Figure how much by weight you think a light-medium weight sweater should weigh (experiment with a scale), and calculate backwards from here. A little bit more than half of this weight should be the background color (darker) and a little bit less than half should be foreground. I usually buy way more than I need, even though dye lot is usually not a huge issue with such large-run yarns, and in color work it’s even less noticeable.
  3. The key number is 344, which you should divide by your gauge to get the expected size. If you can modify your gauge at all, and really do need to resize, figure out by how many stitches. If you think you can do this adjustment to the pattern then have fun, if you need help, contact me sooner rather than later.
  4. There is no start date. You can start whenever you want.
  5. I mentioned this is going to be a sweater, right? Pullover too. You can make it into a cardigan, but we’ll get into that later.
  6. My sweater will use two colors. I’m color blind, and very much a boy in terms of dress, so I like the simple/plain (drab? I’ll accept that.) If you want to do a more complex shading, please feel free, and please do share it with the rest of us, but it’s not something I feel able to design much less support (write about).
  7. Tell your friends and share the love. For real it means a lot to me!
  8. Check the comment threads, they’re generally informative.
  9. Be in touch with me about when you start and about your progress, as much as for my own edification as anything, but I’d love to be able to post a shout out to you all, and keep track of your progress and experiences with the rest of the project materials. I’m an archivist like that.

Thanks for your support and I look forward to knitting with you!