100% of the proceeds from this pattern will go to the Red Cross for its work in Japan following the Tohoku region earthquake and tsunami.

The character (kanji) on the sweater means “love” in both Japanese and Chinese. It expresses my affection for Japan, where I lived for four years, and my desire to do some small thing to help it during its current tragedy.

There’s a bonus to the pattern in that by buying it, you also buy the rights to re-use the intarsia chart in your own work:

Copyright and licensing information: By purchasing this pattern, you also purchase the right to use the intarsia chart for your own designs, free or for sale, as well as the right to sell the finished sweaters on a cottage-industry basis…
It is the designer’s hope that if you profit in any way from this pattern that you will donate some portion of the money you make to earthquake relief, either in Japan or elsewhere. There is no way I can track or enforce this: it is strictly on the honor system--but since knitters are honorable people, I see no reason for concern.

The pattern is currently available in only one size but I’ll be adding more sizes over the next few days and updating the pattern regularly.