Long Blackwood Cardigan

I’m just going to get this out of the way upfront: I love the Blackwood Cardigan. I have a few in the short version that I wear ALL. THE. TIME. But somehow it never occurred to me to make the long version. I guess I’d somehow thought that because I’m short, the fit didn’t suit my frame? Moronic in hindsight, really. Where do we get these ideas that we can’t wear different styles of clothing?

So, here I am, carrying on with my life, believing that long sweaters aren’t for me, when I open up my most recent stitch fix box and what do I find? A long, glorious, cozy sweater, which I proceed to live in for the next 2 weeks. After practically sleeping in this thing, it occurred to me that not only could I make more of these, I actually already had the perfect pattern! #winning

I ordered some double brushed poly and sweater knits from Cali Fabrics. When they arrived, I was so excited I immediately cut into this beautiful black and white stripe dbp (and forgot to prewash. I’ll let you know how that goes…). I sewed this entirely on my serger and then top stitched the neck band with my cover stitch.

Previously, I’ve made a size xs for the shorter versions, based on my bust measurement. My hip measurement falls in the medium range, and I noticed that the bottom of my other blackwoods pull out a bit, rather than hanging straight down. So I sized up for this one. I cut a small at the bust and waist, grading to a medium at the hips. And I love the fit. I have pockets cut out, but haven’t decided if I want to add them on yet. I don’t think I’d use them, and I like the clean lines, but… pockets. Pretty sure half the reason I sew is to put pockets into things.

Since the Blackwood is designed for a slouchy fit at the sleeves, I thought thumb holes would be perfect. Helen basically read my mind, because she put out a tutorial like a week before this fabric arrived. Ultimately, I didn’t lengthen the cuffs at all, since I’m short and the sleeves are sufficiently slouchy on me already. I think I made the holes a little bit small, and after a few wears I’ve realized I need them rotated just slightly to fall in the right spot. But those are pretty easy fixes. I’ve recently decided that those tiny things that seem small and stupid are really worth taking the time to fix. It makes for a much better garment, and I’m always so much more comfortable wearing something that doesn’t have those small, distracting imperfections.

I LOVE this sweater. It’s perfect for work, or running errands on the weekends, even happy hour (and lets be real, I’m down for any happy hour excuse) ! I love how pulled together I feel in it, and have several more ready to go. Next up is a burgundy dbp, maybe with black stretch faux leather sleeves. Crazy? Or brilliant? We shall see…