Rowan Polar sweater

I finally finished finishing this sweater! Here it is in its unblocked glory:
Yarn: Rown Polar and Gedifa (?) novelty yarn
Guage: 3 stitches/inch
Needle: #10.5 and #10 Susan Bates circulars

I was commissioned to finish this sweater from the armpit up. I used a 2x1 rib on the shoulders to echo the ribbing at the bottom (folded under in pic) and give some visual interest.

The open-neck cowl is in a 3x2 rib with a contrasting ribbon yarn. A little trick: when you have reached where it should fold over, switch to a larger needle size to it will lay more fluidly (not as bunchy). There is already a natural asymmetry where it opens, but I did some short row shaping to emphasize the pointiness.

Which brings me to one of my favorite knitting techniques: short row shaping! I was able to indulge myself three times in this project -- shoulder seam shaping, cowl point, and.... bustline shaping!
Isn't that absolutely gorgeous! For you busty gals (I wouldn't know..lol), it means no more tummy exposure from a sweater riding up.

A fun project that is making its way to the original knitter!

Finally, some knitting content

I'm finally knitting again on a long term project, but it's not for me! I have been commissioned to finish a sweater. It's out of Rowan Polar, a wonderfully soft blend of wool, alpaca, and acrylic. Basically, I need to rework the sleeves, finish the upper body, and add a cowl. An easy knit with a gauge of 2.75 to 3 stitches/inch. The challenge was to match gauge and to not work with a live model -- all based on measurements and drawings. But unlike fabric, knitted garments have stretch that can be manipulated (somewhat) to a better fit.

I haven't knitted seriously for a couple of months (though my motivation has increased when a neighbor mentioned she can get a bag of wool in Hong Kong dirt sheep -- like offering candy to children) so this is a nice project to begin again. I'm planning more projects during our traveling (hard to set up a sewing machine in the hotel). But it has been a good break -- I can actually sit still now and not mentally kick myself for not bringing a project.