Cardigans are a part of my wardrobe that I’ve been missing for a while. For some reason I never thought to make one until recently!
I have always found it a little tricky finding a style of cardigan that I like – everything always felt a bit too long/ short/ oversized/ tight. I was just never happy with the ones I was trying on! I was pleasantly surprised by the Saunio cardigan that I made for #seemystyle earlier this year but I found the shape wasn’t something I could wear with that many outfits so I thought I’d try something new!
I opted for the Driftless Cardigan from Grainline Studio for 2 reasons. One was that I’d been seeing a lot of them recently whilst on the hunt for a longline cardi and they looked pretty good. The second was that Grainline had a sale over Easter so it seemed like a serendipitous moment!
I initially wanted to make it from a gorgeous Art Gallery jersey that I got for my next Minerva Crafts project but I didn’t want to cut into that beautiful fabric without being absolutely sure it was going to work.
So I opted to make a wearable muslin of sorts from some cheap grey viscose jersey I picked up in Paris. At ā¬10 for 3 metres, I’d definitely class this as a bargain fabric! I figured a grey cardigan is a wardrobe necessity anyway so it was worth taking the time to make this first!
The Driftless Cardigan comes in 2 views. They’re pretty much the same except the bottom hem. One has a straight simple hem band and the other has a longer back band and split sides. I went with this second option.
This is my second Grainline Studio knit pattern and I have to say I really like them so far. They’re simple to sew and the narrow seam allowances are perfect for my overlocker. It was much quicker to sew and finish this than I thought it would be!
I added some topstitching details on each of the panels on the lower half of the cardigan. They’re mostly there to keep all the seams lying flat. (I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you’re new to knits as it’s very easy to stretch out the fabric if you’re not careful).
So, in general I like this pattern. The shape is pretty good if you’re looking for an oversized drapey style of cardigan. The only thing I’m not really keen on is the pocket. I don’t like how it gaps open and no matter how much I press, the folded front edge will never be really crisp. I think in future I might skip the inset pocket and maybe put a patch pocket on each side instead.
What do you think of this cardigan? I’m not sure I love it enough to make another out of my nice fabric!
3 Comments
I’m a big fan of Grainline in general – I think I have all but maybe 3 of her patterns! This cardi pattern is one of them š I was never really crazy about the shape somehow – yours is okay but honestly I think you could find a better pattern for you – something maybe more rounded? I made up this one by Jalie https://jalie.com/jalie3353-cocoon-cardigan-pattern and really loved it made up! I made it with a beautiful ponte which I regretted however because I think it would be much nicer in a light sweater drape-y fabric. (It’s very slimming however so there are perks š ) If you check out this Jalie Cacoon pattern they have a few cardi patterns and Jalie patterns are fabulous – I don’t know if you’ve given them a go but seeing your style I think you would quite like them. Well drafted and a few of her patterns have become iconic like her Eleanore pull on jeans and raglan Tee.
I like it , is the sort of cardi I like , I like the dropped hem and the drapey pockets , would they work rotated so they open at the side seams ?
I’ve seen a few versions of the Blackwood cardigan recently, and I’ve been trying to work out how it compares to the Driftless ā this helps, thank you.