Explanation
Here is the design for the 1 year old sweater with the trim drawn on. It's using Saucy Sport. The green is pistachio, the pink is peach (really closer to salmon) and the red is cherry.
The countries seems a little small to me but they are 7 inches wide which seems all that a one year old's torso could hold.
Front: (It has a Chinese front closure. I'm planning to get ladybug bottons from Danforth - this goes with the "lucky ladybug" theme on the Chinese adoption pages. I haven't decided yet whether I should use i-cord or elastic thread. The red thread matches the Chinese belief in "yuen" the fate that brings people together. This will be embroidered on after and will start in the child's birth town.)
Back: The red thread leads to the child's home. I made my thread pass through Redwood City (my sister and friends), Texas (the adoption agency), Florida (my friend Diane), Maryland (family) and New York (family) before going to Vermont.
Sleeve: This is the character for happiness. I want to use the character for "yuen" but the Japanese character is different from the Chinese one. Once I figure out how to use the Chinese Language Kit, I'll chart it. I'm also charting the character for older sister which Chinese kids call older sisters, older cousins and older family friends. I thought that way the sweater could be made for other kids. Eventually I want to make an adult version with the characters for mother, aunt or grandmother.
This is the right front:
February 12, 2002