Busy Bea Knits

Happy Summer Solstice!  Enjoy the longest day of the year with some knitting and a cold beverage (just a minute while I go get one from the frig).  Okay now it feels like summer. 

So what's been on the needles for the last six months?  Well, one not so good version of Featherweight Cardigan because the armholes on the first pattern iteration were not so flattering.  So that's in a timeout until I decide what to do with three gorgeous hanks of Punta Yarns Mericash.  Oy vey.  But I did finish something.  It's a beautiful swing jacket that I found on Ravelry last fall.  Pole is so cleverly designed to flatter so many body shapes;  it's basically shaped like a donut with a retangle in the center and two sleeves knitted on each side.  Take a look at my Pole sweater:



Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in Graphite (all 7 skeins of it) that I bought from WEBS at Stitches West 2011 was everything I hoped it would be.  It definitely has lived up to all the positive reviews on Ravelry.  It certainly has lots of bloom when washed and blocked, and it feels more like a heavy worsted than a light worsted.  Just to give you an idea, I used a US 10 1/2 needle for the body portion of the sweater.
I've worn it everywhere!  Love, love, love.  What a wonderful pattern that Joji Locatelli designed...and twice the talent to offer it in two languages: English and Castillian Spanish.  Joji is a gem.



And how clever is this tuck stitch sleeve?  I love a ruched sleeve.  Look at it.  Isn't it beautiful?  I'm planning on making another one, possibly from my stash using some Rowan Wool Cotton in a dark purple or the Malabrigo Silky Merino (Velvet Grapes) that I bought at Stitches West 2011.