I never regret swatching

I'm still enamored with the sweater I mentioned several posts ago. I think I could make modifications to this pattern (which I knit a while ago) that would approximate what I'm aiming for. But what kind of stitich to use?

I started with one called Ringwood, on a heathered brown yarn, but the stitches barely showed up. I switched to some Lion Brand Fisherman's wool in natural and I switched to a basketweave stitch. The stitch shows up much better on the lighter wool, plus the stitch pattern is a bit easier.

Interestingly, I find the wrong side of the fabric to be more interesting than the right side. Several friends I've canvassed agree. The sweater pattern is knit in reverse stockinette, so it should work well.

Now the question is whether to purchase more Lion Brand yarn, or make do with something I already have. There is some yarn I bought many years ago, some in natural and some in maroon, but there is not enough of either color to make a sweater. So now I am going to knit a swatch using this yarn in stripes. Hopefully, after that I will feel confident enough to cast on.

Knitting: My SO had hand surgery this past week, so I made some progress on the socks while sitting in the waiting room. The pocket square for the latest L-bag is almost done.
Spinning: It occurred to me that the roving I purchased at the last weaving guild meeting was priced per ounce, whereas I thought the price was for each bag. I fretted about that, but the seller assured me the price on each bag was for the bagful. Whew! The merino that I am now spinning came from her.

The local parks and rec department discontinued the spring fiber fest at Salomon Farm (attendence was too low after the pandemic). Instead, the guilds will have a presence at the Fall Harvest Festival. I'm digging out some unwanted knitting to sell, pricing each item around $5 per ounce, which of course does not cover labor. We'll see how that goes.