When this first came out I was interested. Cardigans are a big part of my wardrobe and I wasn't sure if I would ever achieve knitting one myself, or be dependent on Anthropologie forever for cool quirky knitted items. So a pattern for sewing a cardigan, I immediately thought of sewing up some sweater knits, and also right away had a lot of modifications in mind.
Which was why I thought over this pattern for a very long time. It seemed like a slippery slope of a pattern: make one, assess, then make 4 more with various modifications. This is indeed exactly what is going to happen, but I managed to make that first one right before moving to Nepal, so the mods will have to wait a bit.
The fabric is heavy merino wool sweater knit from The Fabric Store, which I also used for one in my endless supply of undercover hoods (see here). This would also have benefited from a double layer of fabric, both to give it more body and to make it thicker and cozier.
I very sadly don't know what size I chose. But it was consistent with the size chart so I would say don't expect to be surprised if you follow the size chart. The surprise is the sleeves, they were very very long and I lopped off a decent bit and they are still longish and a bit loose. I would consider tapering them more in the future.
It took me a million years to get the button holes done, which was a terrible terrible experience. I recommend topstitching that seam allowance down on the far side of the button placket, so that it's out of the way of buttonholes. I could also have interfaced the placket, but didn't. On loose fabrics, consider that!
This first cardi is as I expected. There are many things I plan to tweak for my Magical Perfect Cardi to be. I'll make another version in something stable, to update these pattern changes like the sleeves. I will eventually raise the front neck by a solid 3" because I like my cardigans to have full front coverage. I would lengthen it above the wide hem band by 2" and then add pockets! And eventually I plan to also add a hood. And try the other version with the cool little shoulder gathers...
Overall I do like this first version and I am pretty pleased I found a use for these glass buttons. I am looking forward to that slippery slope of pattern modifications which I also expect to be a fantastic opportunity for some upcycling. My op-shop-addicted self starts literally drooling at the idea of all the different bits that I could mix and match to make more of these...
Which was why I thought over this pattern for a very long time. It seemed like a slippery slope of a pattern: make one, assess, then make 4 more with various modifications. This is indeed exactly what is going to happen, but I managed to make that first one right before moving to Nepal, so the mods will have to wait a bit.
The fabric is heavy merino wool sweater knit from The Fabric Store, which I also used for one in my endless supply of undercover hoods (see here). This would also have benefited from a double layer of fabric, both to give it more body and to make it thicker and cozier.
I very sadly don't know what size I chose. But it was consistent with the size chart so I would say don't expect to be surprised if you follow the size chart. The surprise is the sleeves, they were very very long and I lopped off a decent bit and they are still longish and a bit loose. I would consider tapering them more in the future.
It took me a million years to get the button holes done, which was a terrible terrible experience. I recommend topstitching that seam allowance down on the far side of the button placket, so that it's out of the way of buttonholes. I could also have interfaced the placket, but didn't. On loose fabrics, consider that!
This first cardi is as I expected. There are many things I plan to tweak for my Magical Perfect Cardi to be. I'll make another version in something stable, to update these pattern changes like the sleeves. I will eventually raise the front neck by a solid 3" because I like my cardigans to have full front coverage. I would lengthen it above the wide hem band by 2" and then add pockets! And eventually I plan to also add a hood. And try the other version with the cool little shoulder gathers...
Overall I do like this first version and I am pretty pleased I found a use for these glass buttons. I am looking forward to that slippery slope of pattern modifications which I also expect to be a fantastic opportunity for some upcycling. My op-shop-addicted self starts literally drooling at the idea of all the different bits that I could mix and match to make more of these...
No comments:
Post a Comment