Pre KAL Resources
Hi Sheep Camp Sweater KAL Peeps!
I am so excited to knit along with you over the coming weeks - when I knit my first Sheep camp Sweater I knew that it wasn’t going to be my last, and I hope that you have the same great experience that I did.
For my project I am going to be using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor and am so dang excited to finally get a chance to knit with it. My first Sheep Camp Sweater was knit with superwash DK from my stash.
I wanted to give you some tips for yarn selection and provide support on planning out your project.
Superwash or non superwash? This pattern was designed specifically using superwash wool which is great news because this means that you can use either a superwash yarn or a non superwash and your project will turn out equally awesome. Because the pattern uses DK weight yarn but the body is knit on a 4.5mm needle (or the needle needed to nail gauge), it is a stretchy sweater. If you opt for superwash yarn, be aware that the more length that you add to the body the more the superwash will stretch, so don’t add too much length or you might get more length than you bargained for! My final tip for superwash yarn or non superwash yarn is to pick a lane - it is ideal if the main colour and contrast colour are both superwash, or are both non superwash - don’t mix the two.
Different bases of yarn? The best recipe for success is to use the same base in different colours for the project, but if you take care while choosing your yarn it is perfectly fine to use yarns from two different companies/lines/bases. Do you want to use 4 skeins of Berrocco Fika and one skein of The Farmer by Gathering yarn? As long as the two yarns have similar care instructions, are the same weight, and have a similar ply then you are good to go!
Multi ply or single ply? I strongly recommend using a plied yarn (two or more strands that have been plied together to achieve a specific yarn weight) for this project rather than a single-ply yarn (fiber spun as one big ply to achieve a specific yarn weight). I also recommend against mixing a plied DK weight yarn with a singly ply DK weight yarn. I did this with a different sweater and was not happy with the results - the colourwork portion looked lumpy and weird. Single ply is beautiful but sometimes does not hold up well when knit a bit loosely or knit into a garment, as it is prone to pilling.
Not sure if you have enough yarn? If you are trying to bust your stash then you have options to keep your sweater cropped, or to shorten the sleeves to save on yarn. Even if you think you are going to play yarn chicken, still do that swatch! Swatching will allow you to nail gauge which is an important step in staying on track with your yardage needs. For example, if your gauge is too tight/small per inch then it will take more yarn than expected to achieve the body and sleeve length that you want. If you purchased/are purchasing yarn for this project then please consider getting an extra skein or two of yarn just in case.
Once I get my swatch finished I will share pics on Instagram, Facebook, and via a short email. If you would like help with your materials/gauge/ other resources to get started, then please reply to this email, call STASH at 403 457 0766, or pop by for a visit! We will do our best to help you out and set you up for knitting success 🙂
Stay awesome and happy knitting!
Veronica