On my needles

It's been a while since I've done much posting, but I have been knitting. I have started 2 new sweaters. Today I will share my cashmere sweater.

I have been planning this simple sweater in my head for years. I really wanted an accurate swatch so I started by making a very basic cowl. I used one skein of cashmere. I cast on 120 sts, joined in the round, and purled the first 2 rows. Then I knit until I had very little yarn left (about 10 1/4 inches from start), purled 2 rnds and BO purlwise. Here is the result:

My gauge before blocking was 5.5 sts/inch, after blocking 5 sts/7.5 rows/inch with US#7 needles. This was great as a quick, luxury cowl, but if I made it again, I would add an eyelet row approximately 1-2 inches from the start and make an I-cord so the top can be closed if desired.

And now for the sweater. It is a heavy modification of the Cashmere Pullover pattern from Hand Maiden. My version is a top-down, in the round, with light shaping through waist/midsection. Here's my progress:

I really love working on this. And since it is basically simple knitting in the round, it's a great carry-with-you project. I hope to have this finished in January.