An Aran for Frederick: The Beginning

Well, as much as I would love to say that I have high hopes that I will be able to spin and knit for the KAL that runs from January through the end of March, I don't think I can say that. I can say, though, that I'll have at least spun and knit a little bit! I'm going to do my best to finish all of the yarn and most of the knitting by the end of March. I'm going to be posting progress throughout the combing, spinning, and knitting.

The Pattern
The pattern is An Aran for Frederick by Kathleen Dames. The suggested yarn is worsted weight, but I find that worsted weight sweaters don't get much wear by me. I prefer lighter weight sweaters. There have been a few people who have modified the sweater for DK weight yarn. The designer has offered her help via the KAL thread in her Ravelry group. I'm going to modify the sweater to have a textured back with fewer cables, and a lower neckline.

The Fleece
I have an absolutely magnificent fleece from a Shetland lamb, Ondine. She is one of the Shetland in a friend's flock. It's a lovely dark color, with very slightly bleached tips. I think I want to see what her fleece looks like next year too...

The Yarn
Is yet to be spun, but it will be a DK weight n-ply.

The Sample
It's hanging to dry in the bathroom... it isn't a very big sample, by any means, just a few yards. But it will at least let me know what WPI the singles should be for a DK weight n-ply. I don't expect that the sample that I've spun will be the only one - the sample yards will probably bloom way more than I expect!