Mmmmmm....yummmmmmmy

I've already picked out the yarn for my next sweater; I've been yearning for this yarn forever, and I finally broke down and bought it. I didn't have a pattern in mind, so I just popped over to Knitting Fool and asked "How many skeins?" The Fool recommended 8, so I bought 9 to be safe.

How about an extreme closeup?

It's so soft and wonderfully squishy; I can hardly wait to be able to wear it. If it was in hanks instead of center-pull skeins, I'd probably walk around the house with it draped over my shoulders.

I was looking at the aforementioned issue of Knit 'n Style, and my eye was caught by this pattern:

Not because I liked the sweater, but because it is knit from the top down. That's the direction I want to go in for my next sweater, so I was looking at the instructions, and wondering if I could substitute my yummy, plummy, Silk 'n' Wool. It would be a tough conversion, since the pattern uses a gauge of 8 stitches = 4 inches, and my yarn recommends 19 stitches = 4 inches. I was doing some ciphering, when I noticed something. Checked a few numbers...aha! They used Elizabeth's Percentage System! Well, shoot, I don't need a pattern for this; what was I thinking? I'll just refer to EZ and use the yarn I want with the gauge I want. After all, it's just a raglan sweater with a simple rolled edge for the neck, cuffs and hem. EZ generally worked from the hem up, but she did cover top down construction in Spun Out #7. Once again, I'm glad I sprang for all the Spun Out designs; they just keep coming in handy.

So, my second sweater is poised in the starting gate...ready to start any time...but I have to finish the first one first! Well, I suppose I don't have to, but I want to, so I can evaluate decisions I made about length and width. I have to work Saturday, so I hope to make some progress on those sleeves.