Ask any knitter what sweater she prefers to wear in warm-again-cold-again weather, and a cardigan will top the list. And there’s lots of truth to those preferences!

Cardigans are easy to take on and off, forgiving in terms of fit, and flattering to all.

And I’ve personally always loved the slightly thicker, cotton store-bought cardigans that I wore on the beach, growing up. Spanish Bay is a nod to that nostalgia.

It’s made in Rowan’s Purelife Revive, which seems to have taken the place of the old Summer Tweed in their yarn line-up. I love this yarn. It’s a lovely, heathered tweedy yarn made out of recycled cotton, silk, and viscose, so you get all of the nuance of color as from a traditional tweed… …but it’s smoother on the hands, less grabby, and all around a pleasure to knit. We chose the color 475 “Scree”, and Beth is wearing the sweater with a “close” fit.

Spanish Bay is built right into CustomFit, so all of the numbers in the pattern are crafted to your specific gauge and your specific body. I liked a gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows to 4” with the Revive.

(One quick note on yardage - the yardage requirements listed are based on my preferred gauge for the recommended yarn. And while I’ve given approximate quantities for standard size sweaters, CustomFit will make your pattern in the size and gauge of your choice. And it’s pretty tough to give yardage requirements for any possible combination! If you’re not using the recommended yarn, and/or you’re not a standard size, I recommend Hannah Fettig’s amazing app, stashbot, to get a sense of your yardage requirements.)