I had the opportunity to scour the shelves of the shop today, and I'm coming to the stark realization that sport weight yarn is really not that easy to come by. It's not hip, it doesn't go by that fast, and I'm looking for what most would consider fairly boring yarn. Plain wool or wool like fiber. So be it. Additionally, I learned that the shop isn't going to be stocking Dale of Norway in the future, so getting yarn for the St. Moritz sweater is out. (I'd have to buy the colors we don't have in bags of 10, which won't do if I need 2 balls of one color) Furthermore, the chances of a cherry tree hill order coming in while I'm still here are slim, especially if I want this to be my next project. So my current plan of attack is to: hold off on the dale pattern: I'm not ready to make it yet anyway, and it looks like I'm going to have to order that on line, anyway. As for the other sweater, I have a number of options, and mostly for my own purposes I'd like to review them:
Lets keep in mind: Cheap is good, but I'd like to avoid skimping. I'm aiming for sport weight yarn. Because I intend to knit all-over stranded color work, I want to use fine yarn so the end garment isn't too thick, and because I want this to take a while. I need about 1000-1200 yards of each color. I've thought about having one variegated strand against one black strand. So that's where it stands
Elann Alpaca Option: I'm really a huge fan of alpaca. Its such a nice fiber, and really I'd like to try and use it when possible. I'm not going to pay a lot out of my way to use it, but given the nature of this project I have been considering it heavily. This yarn is 70/30 Baby Alpaca/"Fine" Merino, and I've been thinking about a Juniper/Celestial Blue combination, or a Pearl Grey Tweed/Saxony Blue. The total price would come to $49.84, before shipping. Pros: price, fiber content. Cons: color.
Knit Picks Andean Treasure Alpaca Sport: This has been the alternate to the yarn that I would find in the shop. I've not actually experienced it, but I trust Knit Picks' reputation. I'm leaning towards Summer Sky/Mystery color combo, with a fog/granite option running a close second. Total Cost: $75.80. Pros: Fiber, Color, Free Shipping. Cons: Price, Slightly Limited Color Options, and heat (too warm to work on in the summer).
Top of The Lamb Sport:I've been really fond of this Brown Sheep Yarn for a while. It's sport weight, knits up real nice. It's like their much more popular lambs pride yarn, except without the mohair, it has less guard hairs, and I think that makes it feel nicer. It would be in my best interest to buy two 1 lb cones, undecided about the color, but I like this color card more. I'm partial to some combo Charcoal Heather, Cobalt Blue, Blue Flannel, or the Teal. But I'm open to suggestions. Total Cost: ~$52. Pros: Color, Cool Looking Yarn, Possibility for leftovers (and not having to worry about running out); Cons: Just plain old wool, less portable.
Webs Option:The colors aren't great, but gosh the price is. If I can go into an order with someone, webs gives 20% off orders over 60 dollars. It wouldn't take a lot of convincing for me to get a cone of this for a shawl, I'd jump on this for this project, but there really isn't a good color for this sweater. Anyway, I digress. The colors are limited but I'm thinking about Sage/Teal or Blue/Moss. Total Price: $3o. Pros: Price! Cons: Limited Color Selection, don't know how it feels, maybe a very slightly bit bulkier than I want.
I think that's all the options at the moment. The Elann Alpaca option seems to combine a number of good features, but I'm unsure about the colors, I like top of the lamb as an option, and it might be light enough to work out in this season. The TotL is a yarn that's always going to be around, and the Webs option is the right price and it's closeout so that might be nice. I think the Knit Picks option is loosing at the moment though.
Anyway, I expect people to comment and give me strong advice, none of this "you'll decide the best option" stuff. Be firm, if I don't like it, I won't listen to the advice, but I need help here. So yeah. There you go. Cheers.