First mead...

So I have read alot on this board, and on others, probed many minds, and decided I want to try a mead. I figure it will also tie up a fermenter so I won't feel guilty about it being empty.

I was at the public market the other day and got 16 quarts of cherries for $9!!!!

Looks like it is going to be cherry mead. I have 12# of honey, and probably 10-12 pounds of cleaned, pitted cherries (my girl is the freakin best!), and an activator of champagne yeast.

I am pretty notorious for just winging it, even after I've done research, so I am open to any and all suggestions. If I had one question it would be this:

I'm planning a 4 gallon batch. Is 12 pounds of honey and 10 pounds of cherries a good idea? Maybe not a good idea necessarily, I'm shooting for sweet, very cherry, high alcohol... Any thoughts?

All of your ingredients will work EXCEPT for the champagne yeast. The champagne yeast will ferment out very dry (FG .996). DO NOT USE IT.

Do you want to carbonate it or have it still (uncarbonated)?

If you want a sweet mead you'll need a yeast with an attenuation of 70-80% which will leave 20-30% residual sugar behind.

You can always backsweeten the mead (after using potassium sorbate), but it will have to be flat unless you're kegging it.

Yeah, I'm actually going to use that champagne yeast to booze up a cran-wheat brew that didn't turn out the way I wanted so the second half is going to get a honey/brown sugar mixture and then in goes the champagne yeast. It's pretty dry already so I figure the champagne yeast will help get it bone dry and bump the alcohol up....

Anyway, I have to go to the homebrew shop for nutrient today so I'll pick up a new yeast and go with that. As far as still or sparkling, I'm not sure... I think I might actually split the batch and do half and half. Best of both worlds right?