Big Project

Okay - Wish me luck! My husband Sam has been bugging me for a long time to knit him a sweater. I've been putting it off because it will be a really long project since he likes his sweaters to be very tightly knit (uhhh... a man's sweater knit in U.S. 2 needles... I don't think so!) I finally found a pattern that he liked that seemed manageable so today we went to our local knit shop, "Knit A Round" in Ann Arbor, and purchased some yarn. So here's the details of my project and I'll keep everyone updated on the progress:
Book: "Closely Knit": Handmade Gifts for the Ones You Love (I borrowed this from the Ann Arbor Library)
Pattern: "Simple Sweater"
Yarn: The pattern calls for "Peace Fleece" but Sam picked out a really soft 100% Peruvian Highland Wool from Berroco called "Peruvia" in navy (luckily an inexpensive yarn for the sale price of $6.40/skein x 10 skeins).
Needles: Calls for U.S. 7 & 8 but I must knit loose because my swatch indicates for me to go down 2 sizes for U.S. 5 & 6.
Estimated length of project: My goal is for Sam to wear the sweater for Thanksgiving (he thinks it will be ready by Halloween...)
Tonight I started the sweater and worked the back ribbing on the bottom. So I have 2 inches of the sweater done so far...