Have You Any Wool?

Remember when I hatched the cunning plan to knitalong to Janet Szabo's F.L.A.K recipe?  Looks like there are quite a few takers.  And I *may* have invited one or two (or a hundred) more to join in, while I've been out and about teaching.  And if you've been reading the comments, you know that the one-and-only, real live Janet Szabo even dropped by to register her approval and offer support.

YAY.

As for the timeline, I won't be able to start until late summer or early fall, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't immediately start considering yarn possibilities.  That's right, Gentle Readers: I'm advocating a little Retail Recognizance.  Let the yarn shopping commence. You're welcome.

Our yarn has to meet certain criteria. Such as:

Lots Of It
The FLAK workshop suggests between 1600 and 2500 yards of yarn, depending on the size of your sweater.  Cables, as you know, gobble up scads of yarn, and you'll also want to do some fairly assertive (large-scale) swatching, in order to choose your cables/combinations.   And I won't insult you with speeches about consistent dye lots.  'Nuff said.

The Right Weight
Target gauge for the FLAK is 22 sts & 28 rows = 4"/10cm over Moss st.  So a medium-weight worsted seems like a good bet, (CYCA symbol 4), or something like it.  Janet's original was done in 100% wool, so if you are substituting another fiber or blend, make careful decisions, such as:

• Compare the weight per 100 yards/meters.  If the yarn you are considering is vastly heavier, proceed with caution.

• Do your math.  Count actual yards/meters, not skeins/balls.

• The original yarn had 3 plies.  Change the roundness/number of plies only after considering the possible outcomes.

And of course; Fiscal Impact.

If the sky's the limit for you on this one, God Speed and off you go.  If not, I have happy news.  I did a little shopping for us.  Just one more service I provide.  To Wit:

elann.com, sponsor of the original FLAK has some dynamite values on full bags (10 balls) of yarn.  My pick for the project is A-Series A01 Pure 28 Micron Punta Arenas Wool.  CLICK HERE to see the gorgeous colors.  Did you notice it's only $28 US for a full bag of 10 balls?  It's made in Italy and has 5, count 'em, 5 plies.  That, my friends, is some round yarn.  Stitch definition, anyone?

Got Mine:

At 87 yards per ball, I went for the quintessential Three Bags Full, which will give me 2610 yards to play with.  More than enough for a dream sweater, and still well south of the $100 mark.

Oh, and it *may* have brought some of its friends:

Dreamy! Creamy! I think it should be a prize for some lucky knitter in the KAL.  You game?  

How about now? 

Yeah, I thought so.  I'll give away the yarn in plenty of time for the winner to use it in the KAL, so stay tuned for the contest.  Who knows, maybe some other fabulous prizes will accumulate between now and our start date...