At long last, I finished this sweater - and I must admit I am in love with hemp! Whatever reputation hemp yarn has had in the past, it's all grown up now and ready to go out on the town.
The pattern is "Ruffles & Lace" by Lanaknits of Hemp for Knitting (ravelry link), knit with Allhemp6 (aubergine), and it's one of the fastest garments I've ever made. Knit in the round on size 5 needles, the 6-ply DK weight yarn is easy to work with (no splitting) and very speedy. One of the nice things about knitting with hemp is that the knitting holds its shape. If you drop a stitch (not that I know anything about that), the stitch stays in place and is easily retrieved.
Here's an attempt to show how it drapes, looking at the curve of the back:
I'd heard that hemp blocks really well, and the rumors are confirmed. Here's a close-up of the lace pattern in the front, before blocking and afterward.
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