Sweater Diary: Camel Gansey

I'm going to try an experiment: create this one post as a placeholder for notes, updating it as I progress. I think this is a better plan than separate posts that no one really cares about or wants to read, but it lets me create a record for myself. See my Camel Gansey Flickr set for pictures.

After my recent happiness using the Zimmerman Percentage System, I wanted to jump right in and do another, possibly one with ribbing like the Leo sweater from Knitty.com. But I bought the yarn a couple years ago specifically because I thought it would make a good gansey/guernsey/jersey, possibly the one by Penny Olman on page 78 of Arans & Celtics.

Yarn: Jo Sharp Luxury 8 ply DK Pure Wool
Shade: Camel (005; dye lot 2)
Gauge: 5.75 st/in on size 6 (4 mm) needles

Chest: 41 + 2 inches ease = 250 stitches
Ribbing: 224 stitches

I want split welts at the bottom, in a double-garter rows (purl rows 1&4, knit rows 2&3). So I cast on 113 stitches (doubling the tail for a stronger edge), knit the welts, then combined them into a circle, overlapping two stitches on each side for a tighter join. Rather than increasing all 30 stitches at once to get the chest measurement, I'm creating a more tapered look by increasing gradually, 4 stitches (a stitch on either side of the side seams) every inch (eight rounds).