I’ve finally made my first Knip Mode pattern, an open collar cardigan from the July issue of 2016 and what a great pattern it is! I’ve been digging myself into a lot holes lately, trying to make quite time consuming garments with a lot of detailing. So this quick and easy pattern was a breath of fresh air.
Apart from how easy it was to sew, I also like how well drafted the pattern was. Unlike a lot of open cardigans that can be quite bulky, this one is somewhat fitted. First of all it has bust darts, which is a feature on knits that I love, make such a huge difference on how the cardigan sits over the bust, even on small busted people like me. No bust wrinkles and stuff with darts. Also it is tapered in the waist, which is what I prefer for my body type.
To be honest it felt like I almost spent more time on aligning the pattern of the fabric than I did sewing this cardigan. The trick is to use notches cut and to each piece as a single layer, never do double layers when working with tricky fabric designs! That is a lesson I learned the hard way!
The collar is just two long rectangular pieces that are sewn together in the back.
The fabric is a cotton knit from a Danish company that my local fabric seller got her hands on. I was almost fighting for the last piece with another women 🙂 but in the end we both ended with enough fabric for one cardigan each!
I added pockets which is not included in the pattern. They just consist of a rectangular piece that I attach in the side and collar seam. If you wonder how I make my hem invisible, I’ve done both a blog tutorial about my method for invisible hemming on knits and a video tutorial on the same subject.
So there it is, a great first attempt at making a Knip Mode magazine pattern. You can also check out my review of the pattern over at Pattern Review for more info and even step by step instructions on how to sew the cardigan for those of us that can’t read Dutch or German (it’s called Fashion Style in Germany).
Also, if you haven’t already you can check out my big list of round neck cardigan sewing patterns and my video about my me-made cardigan collection.
