Layering essential!

The Blackwood cardigan is the perfect garment for cosy layering and would be a really good project for someone new to working with knit fabrics, particularly if they chose a nice stable ponte to sew with.

For my Blackwood, I used a beautiful bottle green ponte that I bought on holiday in Amsterdam a few weeks ago – it’s fantastic quality and the drape is very sumptuous.

I’ve made several Helen’s Closet patterns before and the Blackwood instructions were of the same excellent quality. Clear, well-written and easy to follow with useful diagrams – there were even some helpful tips for beginners included!

I made a straight size M (I’m a UK size 8/10) and I love the fit – it’s very cosy but also nicely fitted, so you don’t sacrifice elegance for warmth! Even though I love tucking my permanently cold hands inside my sleeves, these are a tiny bit too long for me, so I would shorten them by about 1″ on my next version.

The only other thing I would do differently next time is be more careful when cutting! I accidentally cut the view B hem band, which is shorter than the view A band I needed. *face palm*. I didn’t have enough fabric to cut another one, so I extended the band so it fit and made sure the join matched up with the side-seam, so it was less obvious. Lesson learned!

I’m so glad I finally made a Blackwood and I’ve already enjoyed teaming it with lots of my other me-made garments to make new, cosy autumn outfits. I plan to make a few more cardigans and will be on the lookout for some more cosy knits to work with!