Back in the summer I was visiting my mother and she was out buying craft and fabric supplies. She asked if I wanted anything and I told her I wanted two contrasting colors of cotton yarn to make a bag. She got me a beautiful dark teal blue and a beige. A beautiful summer bag in crochet.

Summer came and went. I flew back home and the yarn sat in the basket for weeks, ignored. On a whim, I decided I needed a pullover, because why not.

After hours of Ravelry searching. I think I spend more time on that site than actually making things. I settled on On the Beach Pullover by Isabell Kraemer. Top-down with contiguous set in sleeves, the design is relatively simple, making it easy to knit and even easier to wear and style.

Isabell really knows what she is doing. The pattern has all the information you need, but nothing extra to distract or confuse you. Instructions are clear and simple. The layout of the pattern is easy to read too. The original pattern is for a sweater with positive ease. However, I made a measurement mistake (assumed I was smaller than I really am). I also disliked the fabric swatch when I got gauge. I was using cotton so I just went with smaller needles and decided on a tighter fit. That might also be why it rolled like crazy at the hem and I knew it wouldn’t block like a wool so I frogged it and knit a 2×2 ribbing. The neckline wasn’t as clean as I liked either so more ribbing there too.

Overall, I think this is a beautiful classic sweater that can be worn year round if knit in a summery yarn. But I would definitely knit another one or six in solid colors and in softer yarn with more give.