Crossmax

Hello everybody, we are a couple of guys thinking of constructing our own rocket as a project in college. The thing is, we know very little about model rocketry, however we are quite skillful when it comes to building things. Whatever we'll need to know, we'll learn. Now to our idea: The plan is to build a rocket approximately 0,7-1 m long, with a diameter of around 10 cm. We think a smaller rocket is the way to go since it will be lighter and there should be less air resistance. But as I said, we are no experts, so if anybody has another suggestion, please step forward. We are planning to use carbon fibre to build the casing, as we think it's the ideal material for the purpose. However, it's quite expensive and again there's the issue of the lack of expertise, so how hard is it to use carbon fibre if you've never dealt with it before? And is it the best material for the task? With the given dimensions, how much could this rocket weigh? Are we talking <1 kg or around 2-3 kg? When it comes to the interior we haven't decided on anything yet. It would be fun to build our own engine, though it seems rather difficult, and our school might not permit us to deal with the substances required for the engine. Has anyone ever tried to construct an engine and would you recommend us to try? Then there is the matter of controlling the rocket in the air. We reckon that some fins for stability should be enough, and we'll just launch if off some kind of slide tilted away from us. It should keep steady in the direction we launch it, shouldn't it? Finally, we're thinking of a parachute to retrieve the rocket. Is it hard to get that working in a fool-proof way? Is there any other/better way to retrieve a rocket with such dimensions? As you can see, we are at the very early stage of planning the whole project and would appreciate ANY kind of advice. Best regards!