Will it or won't it?

Here is the first section of my latest knitting project, which has been named "Will it or Won't it?" because I am not sure there is enough yarn. The pattern, from DROPS, and pictured above, has optional sleeves and a very interesting collar. The vee neck is picked up and the ribbed collar knitted onto it. I suspect there is a trick to doing that neatly so that the vee shape is retained. I really do want sleeves. I doubt I would wear it as much without them. However, I only have ten skeins which are either 61 or 73 yards long depending on whether you read the ball band or Ravelry, and I need more than 750 yards, since I am adding length to the sweater as well. I've E mailed the place I got the yarn to find out if they have more, and have guessed at four skeins being sufficient. Any extra left over will make a marvellous cowl or hat. Its a bit of a gamble though, as the yarn is hand dyed and has no dye lot. However, I've given a description and attached the photo I took of the yarn for Ravelry, and am hoping for the best.

The yarn is the gorgeous Araucania super bulky bought at the show last month. Doesn't it knit up into a gorgeous fabric? It isn't difficult to knit with, or at least it wouldn't be on metal needles I suspect. However, it is sticking quite badly on my Knit Pro wood circulars so I do spend a lot of time pushing the stitches about, and the tips on the needles are very pointy, so I've got a knitting injury. Luckily I didn't bleed on the yarn though. The yarn is well twisted and doesn't split or fluff up at all and the definition on the cables is excellent though hidden somewhat by the tweedy yarn.

I'd forgotten just how quickly bulky yarn knits up. The piece shown above was done over three evenings, and I've only got a few centimetres to knit before I split for the armholes, at which point front and back are knit separately. I am toying with the idea of kitchener stitching the shoulders together so there won't be a seam but need to look up in a book to see if that is even possible for shoulders.

Also, I have formed a mad plan to try and do a set in sleeve, picked up and knit downwards, like on the Tang sweater, so that if I have enough to start the sleeves, I can knit the sleeves simultaneously and if I run out of wool, there will at least be usable sleeves, even if they are shorter than would be desirable. The gauge of this sweater is roughly half that of the Tang sweater so I am guessing I could pick up half the number of stitches at each point and follow the Tang instructions. The yarn is well twisted so it should frog reasonably easily if I stuff up.