FO: judge me by size, do you?

Yarn: Patons :: Classic Wool Merino [229]; Knit Picks :: Swish Superwash [Wisteria (35280)]; Knit Picks :: Wool of the Andes [Avocado (31887)]
Needles: Knit Picks Nickel Plated Options :: US 8/5.00mm; Knit Picks Nickel Plated 8″ DPNs :: US 8/5.00mm
Start: 12 June 2010
Finish: 18 July 2010
Made for: Soon to be baby girl
Pattern: Baby Yoda Sweater [Cari Luna]

It’s my very first completed sweater!!  What do you think?  A little small for me…

But that’s ok because it’s for a baby that still hasn’t laid eyes on the outside world.  Andrew’s sister is pregnant and expecting a baby girl sometime in early September.  It’ll be her first baby and my first niece.

We recently attended her baby shower and what a shower it was!!  There were lovely decorations:

These clothes used to belong to the mom-to-be.  Alongside each outfit was a photo of her wearing it.  It was a wonderful idea for baby shower decorations!  Here’s a shot from the other side of the clothesline:

The whole thing was so well coordinated by the grandmother-to-be that there was even a matching cake:

Isn’t it one of the cutest cakes you have ever seen?!  I had a wonderful time and I hope that Andrew’s sister gives birth to a happy and healthy little girl.  But this post isn’t really about the baby shower; it’s about the sweater!!

Since I was able to gift the sweater at the shower, I can now talk about it!

As soon as I heard that there was a new baby on the way, I did what any sensible knitter would do: started looking for stuff to knit!!  I knew that I didn’t want to take on trying to complete another afghan but I also wanted to try something a bit more substantial than a hat.  So, I started surfing Ravelry…  and came across the pattern for the Baby Yoda Sweater.

I instantly fell in love with the pattern.  The design has a distinctly East Asian feel, reminiscent of kimonos or martial arts gi.  Given that the parents-to-be have strong personal connections to Japan and a love of Japanese things, I thought that this would be the perfect sweater to make!!  My own addiction to most things Japanese also didn’t hurt in the decision making process…

I made a few modifications to the pattern.  I added the stripes to break up the sea of beige a little bit.  I also added a garter stitch band that runs around the neckline and edges of the fronts to match the edging called for on the neck, cuffs and bottom edge and to help tame the curling of stockinette:

I also changed the ties around a bit.  In order to make the ties, I crocheted a chain of appropriate length and then slip-stitched my way back down the chain.  I think this resulted in ties that are a bit less bulky than the i-cord ones called for in the pattern.  I also personally feel that they are more pleasing visually than i-cord would have been:

All-in-all, I really enjoyed knitting this sweater!  The pattern was fairly easy to understand and straightforward, allowing for a myriad of modifications if one feels the need.  The knitting went really quickly, although my start and end dates for the project don’t give that impression.  I finished all of the knitting in under two weeks and then avoided weaving in the last of the ends and the blocking until the bitter end…  Actually, I waited so long that the sweater was still a bit damp when I put it in the car for the trip to the baby shower…  Thankfully the roasting sun dried it out and I was able to package it up during the shower in a lovely box and tissue paper provided by the grandmother-to-be.  The sweater was very well received, a fact for which I am grateful.  I have to confess that all the oohing and aahing and attention made me blush a little…

Anyway, it feels good to finally be writing about a finished object again!  (Heck, to be writing again in general…)  The best part?  I have some more finished objects to talk about over the coming week or two.  I also have some other material and ideas to play with here on the blog.  So, stay tuned.