So it seems the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen’s Closet is going into my Lay’s Potato Chip Hall of Fame, along with the Aurora Tank. (You know, betcha can’t make just one.*) I recently posted about the mustard-coloured one I made, and now there’s this one, and I’m thinking there might be one or two more in my future before I’m done with it.

In a rare bout of common-sense fabric purchasing, I bought both this patterned hacci knit as well as the coordinating solid purple fabric together, envisioning pieces that I could ACTUALLY. WEAR. TOGETHER. Yay, me. My simple goal of not buying all the wildly coloured patterned fabric without a plan seems like a simple one, but I’ve found it difficult to achieve in practice. Can you relate?

On that particular shopping trip I picked up some solid coral modal knit, which also goes with this cardigan. I made it into a Plantain Tee, but I found that the a-line shape of the tee didn’t look that great under this slim-fit cardigan. (Besides, I drooled cherry juice on that plantain tee recently and it won’t come out! In my defence, cherry season was particularly drool-worthy this summer.)

I love the pinky-coral colours on the purplish-grey background. It makes me think of a sunset.

Here’s the top — McCalls 7127. I made this with luscious bamboo french terry which is just divine to wear. I’m seriously considering making all future clothes with nothing but bamboo french terry. Perhaps I should also seriously consider only buying cherry juice-coloured fabric in future, as well.

This is my second version of this top. The first was made with a houndstooth-print fabric that’s similar to ponte. It had less drape than this bamboo french terry, and I think that made it easier to get the crossover back to lay properly. It doesn’t look too bad here but I did have to tack down the crossover in a few places to keep it in place.

What makes this a go-to outfit in cool weather is the infinity scarf I made with leftovers from both fabrics. At first I worried that it was all too matchy-matchy but I feel so comfortable in it that I don’t care. Gillian has a handy tutorial on how to create an infinity scarf on her blog Crafting a Rainbow. Come to think of it, I will have to add Infinity Scarves to the Lay’s Potato Chip Hall of Fame, too — I’ve made at least 3 of them recently. They’re a great way to use decent-sized pieces of leftover fabric.

The Blackwood cardigan is really a great wardrobe staple. It’s got a simple shape with clean lines so it’s easy to throw on with most outfits. However, you’re not going to get one on over anything bulky or poufy (hello, all the crazy-sleeved tops of 2017) — it’s fitted, with slim sleeves. If you’re unsure about which size to choose, definitely go up a size.

I love that the sleeves are extra long.

The only tricky thing about making this one was sewing on the patch pockets. Hacci knit is pretty shifty so it’s difficult to press the edges of the pockets under and top stitch them on straight. Helen’s instructions cover this potential pitfall and suggest that you place tissue paper under the pocket when you stitch it on to stabilize the knit fabric. The instructions are detailed and well-illustrated so this would be a good pattern for a confident beginner.

Have you got any cardigans in your upcoming sewing plans? I’m kind of obsessed with them at the moment, so more cardis coming up in future posts.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

— Lori

* Is that a reference you know? It’s an old campaign slogan for Lay’s chips: Betcha Can’t Eat Just One. Damn chips. Of *course* you can’t eat just one, they’re designed to make you mindlessly maw down the whole bag in one fatty, salt-laden go then sit around in a near-comatose funk of self-loathing, amirite? Oh, and I have no affiliation with Lay’s, just in case that wasn’t clear. I don’t think “funk of self-loathing” is a phrase they’d want to include in their branding. Lol!