Ugly Christmas Sweater

Last Christmas the office where my husband works had an ugly Christmas sweater contest.   My husband was not part of that contest.  He expressed interest in doing it next year.  So I told him I would make an ugly Christmas sweater.  Let's face it, any excuse to buy more yarn is a good excuse to buy more yarn. 

I'm using the Sweater Wheel to generate a pattern - set-in sleeve, pullover.  I'm starting on the front of the sweater.  Not sure what I'll do on the back.  Do Christmas sweaters have to be decorated on both sides?  Is there an International Ugly Christmas Sweater Society that has promulgated the rules and regulations for ugly Christmas sweaters?  If not, can I start one?   Where do all the ugly Christmas sweaters come from?  Is there a prison in China where all the inmates are slaves to the production of ugly Christmas sweaters?   Who designs these hideous creations?   Is the compulsive designing of ugly Christmas sweaters a condition  that has its own DSM-IV-TR Code for Psychiatric Illness?  I may need to know that before I complete this project.  Are there dark forces now poised to unleash a legion of ugly Halloween sweaters?   --  I've already seen a few.

But I digress [whenever possible].

I'm going for a Christmas tree theme.  After starting off with a couple inches of ribbing, I made 8 blocks of different colors in two different sizes alternating.  These are going to be the presents under the tree.  Before it is over they will be dressed up with ribbons.  The tree is developing from a stack of trapezoids that are smaller as I go up the tree.  The lower edge of the trapezoid is adorned with the Three Flowers pattern to emulate strings of lights.  There is plenty of space left on each trapezoid to tack on ornaments that I plan to make later from my novelty yarn remnants stash.

This is a picture of what I've done so far: