Choosing Yarns by Gauge: Start by narrowing your choices through the elimination of gauges that won’t work. What will work is worsted weight and light worsted weight yarns.

Swatch to Confirm Your Choice of Yarn (Brand and Gauge): Maybe you know just what color you want. . . but if you do not, best to find the right yarn and then worry about color. I would hate for you to choose a pile of colors only to swatch and find out you can’t get the gauge you need. So, pick a color you might like or the same yarn from your stash and set about making a swatch to test your gauge.

Start with the recommended needle size for this project: Size 9 (4.5mm) and cast on 24 stitches. Work in St st for 24 rows. By this time, or long before, you will have a sense of whether you are knitting to gauge. More than 4.5 stitches to the inch? Go up a needle size. Stitches bigger than they should be? Go down. You know the drill. Get as close as you can to the stitch gauge, though, or you are going to have issues with reaching the finished measurements and with fit.

You have plenty of time to decide colors yet. We cast on together Jan. 16th, so swatch and check. {Repeat if need be…best to get it right now}

Here are some color pallet suggesting to help you Make Ella Yours!

Shepherd's Wool: Baby pink, pink, zinnia pink, hot pink, antique rose, orange. Flurries in Hibiscus, Stargazer Lily and a medium pink

Shepherd's Wool: Baby Blue for body with accents of Mint, Spring Green, Light Turquoise, and Misty Blue

Autumn in Shepherd's Wool" Midnight Lake, Brown, Milk Chocolate, Berries, Garnet, Roasted Pumpkin, and Harvest Wheat. I'm hungry for squash soup!

A classic in shades of grey: Shepherd's Wool in Black, Storm, Granite, Pewter, and White

Fun accents: Shepherd's Wool body in Granite with stripes of Hot Pink, Lilac, Raspberry, Violet, and Pansy at the hem and cuffs.