Leaf Yoke Cardigan Finished!

I bought the book, "Bloom" by Nashua Handknits in the Spring of 2007 at my local yarn store because I loved so many of the timeless but fun patterns. I knitted the "Patchwork Blanket" first and enjoyed it very much. But the book found itself hibernating in my knitting book stash for a couple years. I finally pulled it out again because I was looking for a little pattern that packed a punch. I wanted to knit something fun, different, and slightly challenging. From the 10 patterns that were available it was hard to choose. So instead I looked at my yarn stash and found 3 skeins of Rowan RYC Cashcotton 4 ply (cotton, angora, nylon, and cashmere blend) in a heathered purple that helped point me in the right direction. I ended up deciding to cast on the project "Leaf Yoke Cardigan". Since I didn't have the right weight yarn (the Cashcotton is a fingering weight yarn and the pattern calls for a worsted weight), I decided to double the strands. I knew that would make a bulkier yarn than a worsted weight so I went down to U.S. 4 needles instead of the U.S. 6 needles that are recommended. I chose the 0-3 month size to knit since I only had 3 skeins (which again were being double knitted) and was afraid I would run out of yarn. But since my gauge ended up being a bit bulky, I noticed that my knitting the 0-3 was actually giving me the 6 month old size. So I followed the 0-3 but knit the lengths to the 6 month old size and ended up with a perfectly sized 6 month sweater!The cashcotton is a bear to knit with. It's soft and pretty but I HATE knitting with cotton sometimes since it has no give and can really hurt your fingers and hands. I've never had such hand cramps! But the pattern is addictive and I found that I couldn't stop knitting the first night until the whole leaf section of the yoke was finished. So in 3 nights I had the whole sweater knitted. There weren't any mistakes in the pattern and the leaves were all perfectly placed and the sweater turned out pretty cute. I have no idea what I will do with it. This one is so cute I might hold on to it myself... I'll have to pack it away somewhere until perhaps there is a use for it.
All in all, give this pattern a go. It's fun and I believe it can easily be a girl or boy sweater. If I was making it for a boy I would make it in a natural color and add buttons down the whole front of the sweater. Cute!