Cables and Cashmere

About three years ago I bought the book Knitter's Stash and immediately put a bookmark in the page for the Cable-Wise Cashmere Pullover. I hadn't yet discovered Colourmart yarn, so cashmere seemed far too extravagant, but I envisioned the sweater in a merino or alpaca. Then other sweaters came along, plus a long spate of lace knitting, and I forgot about it. In the meantime I had succumbed to "a few" cones of Colourmart cashmere, and made the Sprinkle Lace Cardigan (plus its accompanying shell) from 100% cashmere DK, which didn't break the bank. A recent reorganization of my stash revealed 4 cones of a Colourmart cashmere-merino blend, and this sweater leaped to mind and was swatched and cast on practically before I could catch my breath.

Pattern: Cable-Wise Cashmere by Karen Damskey and Leslie Storman in Knitter's Stash
Yarn: Colourmart Cashmere/Merino 8/28NM DK Weight - color Air Force - approx. 400 gm
Size: XL
Needles: Denise US #7 and #6

The pattern required a little tinkering because the maximum size was too small, and because the initial swatch indicated that there would be some shrinkage after washing and blocking. (Like the Colourmart 100% cashmere, the cashmere/merino requires washing in hot water to remove the spinning oil and fluffing briefly in the dryer.)

The sweater as blocked and worn looks a little different from the one in the photo in the book. The reverse stockinette bands surrounding the cables are much more evident, both on the body and on the sleeves, but I don't think that detracts from the sweater at all, even if it isn't exactly what the designers had in mind.

Lesson Learned from this project: Weave in the ends, but don't snip them off before blocking. I keep finding little endlets peeking out on the right side.