A Winter Warmer - the Blackwood Cardigan

At this time of year, my (semi-smart) work uniform consists of dresses, boots and long cardigans, or sometimes jeans, boots and long cardigans. I have a couple of cardies I wear to death and have been on the lookout for a pattern and the right fabric to make some replacements. I came across the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet and the longer version seemed perfect so I added this to my 'Make 9' list for 2018. Scrolling through Facebook (looking at sewings stuff obvs), I saw some textured, cable knit style jersey by Higgs and Higgs. I have never bought fabric from them before but I had to have this as soon as I saw it. I was delighted when it came - it is heavyweight, so nice and warm and the colour I chose (pale green) was beautiful. 

I could only buy a PDF version of the pattern in the UK, but luckily I had a willing helper (Thomas) to stick it all together (with supervision!).  I was surprised at the number of pattern pieces for a seemingly simple garment, but the extra features such as the hem and collar band make a lot of difference. My overlocker has been playing up for a while - I think it needs to go in for a service but I can't bear to be parted from it. It can finish seams but the stitch is too loose for sewing with, so I decided to make this using a ballpoint needle and zig zag stitch on the regular machine. Because the fabric is thick with a couple of layers, it looked as though it might fray, so I finished the seams with the overlocker as I would do for a woven fabric. 

The instructions were excellent, and I would recommend this pattern to anyone. There are a couple of trickier techniques, but on the whole it's a very straightforward and satisfying project. The longer version took a couple of evenings to sew, mainly because of its size. I am over the moon with the fabric choice - it's so warm and comfy. I'm planning at least one more in another colour. I also think the short version would make a smarter cardigan to wear with a pencil skirt on days I have meetings. 

Here I am wearing it this morning: