8-bit Mario sweater is incredibly nerdy yet cute

How many of you asked for an Mario themed sweater this Christmas but didn't get one?  I see you raising your hands.

Well, here's a possible alternative to those babies out there still craving warm geek clothing.  A rather talented seamstress is showing the world how she does nerd-attire, including a lovely custom 8-bit Super Mario Bros. knitted sweater.

I say "custom" because it's her own pattern, with some bright green yarn she actually dyed herself.  The photos she posts come with commentary, obviously, for those who are curious about the process.  Not quite step-by-step, but good enough for the time being:

I just made up the armhole and neckline shaping as I went along, and held up the half-finished sweater in front of my hubby to make sure the shaping was working. I left live stitches on the shoulders on stitch holders while I finished the rest of the sweater, so that they could be grafted together at the end for a seamless finish, and then picked up stitches along the armhole and neckline edges with a circular needle to knit the ribbed trimming.

The design wraps seamlessly around the sweater from front to back. I originally knit the row of rocks (or are they bricks?) around the bottom of the sweater using a Fair Isle technique, but the whole thing ended up bunching up to about half it’s intended width. So in the end, I cut that section out, knit 16 rows of plain brown, seamlessly grafted the two sections back together again and then embroidered the pink and black lines that make up the pattern of bricks using a stitch that mimics knit stitches.

If you are interested in making one yourself, she's posted a "What You'll Need" list of materials, with the actual pattern coming within a week.  It's actually exceptionally accurate and better than what you'll find at most retailers (if you can find such a store).