I love how this turned out! I was a bit worried about the fit before blocking, but it loosened up just enough after it dried to have a bit of positive ease as planned. Thank you all for your encouragement. What a great community!

In January, my husband convinced me to make it my new years resolution to go *way* outside my comfort zone and do this mystery knit-a-long. 2 1/2 months later (after delays getting a zipper) it's finished. So many challenges met - the picking of l colors without knowing what the finished project would look like, putting a zipper into a knit garment, steeking for the first time, figuring out how to make a knit double sided zipper facing so that all my raw edges and zipper tape were completely enclosed when I couldn't find a tutorial for it, trying to source an antique brass two way zipper, etc. After a few sessions of tearing it out and reknitting (one because I changed sizes, another because I decided that transitioning from red to navy really should have hand-dyed purple in between :) and another because I decided I wanted it 3" shorter than I had it after I had finished the ribbing), my Rujuu sweater that I started on January 15 is done!

This was fun 😄 not bad for a first sweater, mistakes and all ❤️

Clearly I still do not know how to button up a cardigan correctly ( and my husband taking the photos didn’t notice it or mention it if he did!) but the lighting in the first picture shows the colors the best!

As an encouragement to anyone else also not finished-I’m not done either! I almost finished one sleeve only to realize that bc I have shorter arms I need to be doing the decreases much closer together so I don’t end up with super baggy sleeves by the end. I’m still working myself up to tearing that sleeve out and starting it over. Once I get that figured it should go fast though I hope!! Hang in there everyone!