Finished Object! Knitty.Com Kyoto sweater:

Pattern can be found here:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTkyoto.html

I am mixing my Asian-ness (which is appropriate!): It is a Japanese inspired pattern with Chinese characters.
And: First time I did a whole piece in cotton. It is slippery and shows every flaw.
And: First time embroidery (considered FairIsle, briefly, but figured the red would show through-and be a waste of yarn. Considered Intarsia, briefly, but so many bobbins for one or two stitches? Nah...)
Embroidery pattern is Chinese calligraphy of my last name done by my Aunt using a brush and inkstone. Then scanned, placed to size on a grid, and using AutoCad, graphed out and printed. I love that it was both ancient calligraphy and modern Computer-Aided-Design. (Many Mahalos to my very artistic Auntie Vyolet and my AutoCad teacher and fellow knitter Kim! You rock!)



Pattern Notes:
I made this in a Large size, with Takhi Cotton Classic in Black with one skein of Red for the accents. Sweater turned out a bit too big for me, so I shrunk it in the dryer a little bit (ooooh: risky!)
I hate seaming so I did both sleeves in the round, and then left them on the needles until I could seam them to the body (avoided purling-added bonus!). I also did the sash in the round, and didn't bind off, just knit up the back and left the shoulders on the needles, then knit up both fronts, leaving them on the needles. I also integrated the seed stitch collar into the fronts, knitting it into the row, and just leaving the collar sections on the needles when I seamed the shoulders. This left just picking up the back collar stitches (also still on a needle) and creating the rest of the collar. When it came to finishing, I just had to bind off front and back shoulders together, set in the un-bound-off sleeves, seam down from the armpit to the top of the sash, and sew in only the back of the collar. Apparently, I will do alot to avoid rectangles, binding off, and sewing seams!
(I did all that out of fear: I don't think my seam-sewing is very pretty, and feared having the sash seam and the collar seams all sewn together smack dab in the front of my chest, where, quite frankly, the deep V and the cleavage revealed therein insured eye-focus. If I were to do it again, I would continue in the round up the body more to avoid the side seams as well. And the sleeves are just faster in the round. I mean, why bother with rectangles?)