Men Who Knit Promoting and inspiring the art of knitting amongst men.

Firstly can I say what a fantastic site uniting knitters worldwide.  Does anyone know of an alternative yarn to use instead of Rowan Big Wool?  My reason for asking is because I'm a relatively new knitter and am expecting to make many mistakes on my first jumper and the thought of spending £120 ($200 ish) on a first attempt is too frightening!