It's a done deal

Lookin' good, huh!  It's bright without being gaudy or loud.  The Cascade 200 Paints pulls it all together.
It's no longer a UFO, but a wearable art textile, a lovely hand-knit sweater which I will wear with joy.

Adding the variegated yarn helped with the 'interest' factor,
I think.  Touches of it on the sleeve to pull it
all together.

I made some changes in the pattern.  

Moved the buttons from shoulder to center right.

Added the attached (knitted on) I-cord around the neck so the neckline would appear more 'finished' and be connected to the rest of the sweater.  Check Nancy Wiseman's The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques.  If you are limited in what you can spend to add to a knitting library, make sure you include this one.  Essential techniques for beginning and ending knitted garments.  Good pictures, too.

I-cord requires DPN's and a fair bit of patience, but
it's worth it for finishing either a neckline or a front
edge, especially if there are no buttons.

I added the Cascade 220 Paints to coordinate with the Cascade 200 Superwash blue.  Paints in the lower ribbing, the yoke, and an accent on the lower sleeve.

In this case I prefer more ribbing to less -- makes for a
fit that is more precise.  This sweater didn't even
approach the 'classical sloppy' look but rather
seemed to be designed for a fitted look.  (IMHO, of course.)

So I will spend this afternoon and evening weaving in ends.  Since the yarn is washable, I will likely throw it all in the laundry (in a large mesh lingerie bag) and then in a low-temp dryer.  How convenient is that.

There are no, underline no, seams.  How wonderful is that.  Knit from the yoke down, this sweater is all done when it's done.  Sleeves are done on DPN's from the yoke with picked up stitches under the arm so there isn't even a tiny seam there!  

But still, all those pesky tails.  

On the special gift front:  I have several folks who are lovers of the garage sale experience.  These friends have been on the lookout for knitting books.  The books arrive by mail or hand delivery (from friends close, geographically.)  

I have books from the 60's and 70's (yes, we did wear some of those awful clothes and colors!)  And today I received two books from 1942.  Every design is classic -- cardigans, car coats, skirts, jackets, even an argyle cardigan.

Reckon I'll make a trip to my LYS -- there are at least three designs that deserve to be knitted in the 21st century.