From Skein to Sweater: A Rhinebeck Adventure

The road to Rhinebeck starts here.
Well, it started at last year's Rhinebeck, but we'll get to that in a minute.

Rhinebeck is the location for a much celebrated sheepie, fibrey, yarny festival in New York State during the most beautiful time of year.
A powerful gathering place for knitters from all over the continent (and dare I say, even world!?), books have been written about it and the specific magic and drive that is: The Rhinebeck Sweater.

I've been to Rhinebeck twice; the first trip was sweater-less, but I cottoned on for the second year and am now riding high on inspiration and am going for the third.

Along with my friends at Handknit I'll be heading down for the whole weekend, hopefully bedecking in a very new, very lime green, sweater. At Rhinebeck 2013 I fell in love with this yarn (pictured: it's Maple Creek Farm Yarns "Sherman" in Lime; 80% superwash wool, 20% nylon, 400 y / 3.5 oz).
You knew I would, right? Totes. This is an amazing colour.
I was a bit trepidatious, if you can believe it; I did question at the time of purchase, "Will I be able to wear this in a sweater and not feel... overdone?"

Well my knitterly friends, I have the solution. To balance the eye-searing beauty that is this neon green, I've decided to go pretty damn traditional with the accompanying pattern.
I'm thinking a basic, classically-inspired aran sweater will do the trick.

With this is mind, I've been searching Ravelry for some cable-inspiration, mostly hanging around Alice Starmore's portfolio (designs like Eala Bhan and St. Brigid) and the lovely Vika by Veronik Avery (and I do indeed know it's for kids. I'm digging the cable combinations).

As for the shape and construction of the sweater itself, I'm thinking of my favourite sweater elements: a wide and deep scoop neck, top-down seamless, with elbow or 3/4 length sleeves. Maybe even get creative with the waist/bust shaping. We shall see. But certainly it will have some negative ease and my loveist of ribs, the 1x1 twisted.

I'm excited! And possibly ill-advised. Start a sweater NOW for mid-October? When I have plenty of other knitting that needs to be done? AND a Christmas present from last year that remains incomplete?
Naaaaah. I'm good. I'm gonna indulge. Because I don't believe it's technically a Rhinebeck sweater if you aren't stressing over it and desperately weaving in the ends during the road trip.

Magic, I tells ya. Magic.