Epic Sweater Cast-On

You know when you start a new hobby and find that one masterpiece of a project that you WILL be able to make someday? For me, that is the Central Park Hoodie. Cardigan. Cables. Hood. I had to have it. I've been coveting this sweater since I started knitting in the beginning of 2009. I finally decided to jump in last month.

WARNING: This is NOT a free pattern. This is NOT stash yarn (though I got it clearanced, so I don't think it's a total loss). That is how much I want this sweater:

It had one aspect that intimidated me as a new knitter: cables. Now that I've pretty much got a handle on those, there are 2 much more intimidating aspects I know of now: fit and assembly. This gauge thing is a little tricky. I ended up going up a needle size from the pattern's suggestion, but I still think I'm a little off. (Does that feeling ever go away?) The assembly makes me a little nervous too. I've seen magic worked with mattress stitch, but I'm still concerned about lumpy shoulder seams and things.

The yarn I'm using is Cascade 220 Superwash. If I'm making the epic sweater, I don't want to chance ruining it with water. If this sweater fits, I'm wearing the crap out of it. If it doesn't, I hope someone else will love it.

It's actually working up much faster than I expected, even with all the cables. I started it on Mother's Day, and finished the back in 2 days. The 2 sides of the front were finished by the end of the week.

The sleeves are taking a little bit longer since I'm doing them 2-at-a-time. I know, I swore never to do that technique again, but I really want the sleeves to be perfectly even.

So here's hoping to a great sweater that I can actually wear in public.