Striped Blackwood

I've mentioned that I don't normally buy patterns the second they come out.  Turns out that I make an exception for cardigans, as this is the second one (the first being the Lisbon) that I have bought the week of its release.  I knew immediately upon seeing the Blackwood Cardigan that it would get a workout in my wardrobe, so it jumped up to the top of my queue, along with a recently-purchased rayon/cotton/lycra striped pre-cut from Fabric Mart.

  

I chose the shorter view without pockets.  I have a 36" high bust and a 42" full bust, so I sewed a medium at the shoulders, extending out to between the L and XL at the bottom of the armscye.  I graded to an XL at the waist and kept the XL the rest of the way down.  I didn't really know how long to cut the front band given my mods, so I just cut the XL and then tried it on my fabric at the end.  I wanted to match stripes, so I just kind of fudged it.

The neckband seems to sit a bit higher on my neck than on the testers, so I think I probably stretched it too much around the back of the neckline.  Also, I accidentally cut the neckband on the fold, so it's all one piece.

I cut the sleeve and bottom bands a tiny bit longer than called for since I wanted to continue the stripe pattern from the body of the cardigan. Sleeve length doesn't tend to be an issue for me one way or the other, but on this patternI found the sleeves very long - I cut 1.5" off the sleeve before attaching the cuff, and they are the perfect length.

The armscye is super high on me - it actually hits above the fold of my armpit.  Surprisingly, it's not particularly uncomfortable, however, I will lower it for next time.  I've already ordered some rayon/lycra knit in taupe for my next version.

As casual as this pattern seemed to me, something about pairing it with this striped knit almost feels blazer-esque to me.  I think I could easily wear this with a black skirt and heels and look professional on the couple of days a month that I work out of the house.

I'm very happy with the fit.  I might grade all the way out to the XL under the armscye next time, but that is the only modification I am planning.  You can expect to see more of these from me!