Popham Beach is available through CustomFit - each Popham Beach pattern is created specifically to your choice of measurements and gauge.

Popham Beach is an incredibly special place to me. I grew up clambering around the fort there, played in the water until my lips turned blue all summer long, every summer, and showed best friends from college the Milky Way in its breezy starlit nights. Now that I’m a slightly-less-hardy adult, a sweater of some sort is pretty much always necessary. This is the one I always wish for when I’m there.

You can customize your own in CustomFit, but are the details on my version: A low-hip pullover with comfy long sleeves, patch pockets, a wide scoop neckline. I’ve kept the fit relaxed and sweat-shirt-y by placing the waist shaping on the back only, giving a slouchier look than if the waist shaping were everywhere. (I’m wearing the pullover with an average fit.) Broken rib trims the whole thing up and is fun to work.

The sample is knit in The Fibre Company Cumbria, a new yarn I can’t say enough good things about. It’s a gorgeous wool blend with just a touch of mohair, which gives the fabric strength and a slight glow. It’s warm, it’s wooly, it’s everything you want your fall beach sweater to be.

One quick note on yardage – 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.