My love for Grainline Studio patterns has a long history and is well-documented. I think I have more Archers and Lindens in my closet than anything else, so it's no surprise that the Driftless Cardigan would be another hit for me.
Upon seeing this pattern pop up in my Instagram feed, I almost instantly purchased it because cardigans are a huge part of my daily uniform. And with the weather in the Pacific Northwest, they provide loads of wear for when it's kind of cool, but not THAT cool. Ya know?
I tend to be a little cold-natured as well, and I fear the sun. Like, fear it. (This should be obvious from any photos involving my legs.) So cardigans are a year-round staple for me. I also have many pins with outfits featuring exactly this type of sweater - a long, slouchy cardigan with a grandpa-ish vibe. So it was only natural that Jen would again take all my money.
The fabric is a heathered-olive ribbing that I purchased from the red tag section at Joann. I think it has some rayon because it's a bit slinky and super soft. When the fabric cutter rolled it out, it had these blue splotches and a tear on it, but I didn't care. I told her to give me the rest of the bolt (3 yards) because HEATHERED OLIVE RIBBING and something like $2/yard. #iwin
The blue splotches did not wash out, but I was able to mostly cut around them. The few that remain are not obvious and maybe even give it a little character? I mean, come on. I have three kids. *MOST* of my clothes have splotches of some kind on them. They just mostly aren't blue. Read into that as you like.
After assembling my pattern, I decided to break all my own rules and cut the pattern itself rather than tracing it since I feel really confident in my Grainline size - a 4. The fit is spot-on, so it feels secure and like it's "my size" while still retaining the oversized look. My measurements align perfectly with Grainline's size chart. I love this pattern so much that I might transfer it to Swedish tracing paper to make the pattern last a bit longer.
Yes. I like it that much. (I already have fabric for a second one.)
The cardigan itself came together in no time, and I had a mostly wearable garment within a couple hours of printing. There is a bit of hand-stitching to secure the neckband, but I timed it, and it only took me 20 minutes with my usual social media distractions. I have not chained the pockets to anchor them to the hem band just yet, but I will get to it. Eventually. Maybe.
I hadn't originally planned to put buttons on this because buttonholes + slinky rib knit - interfacing = disaster for the most part. BUT! I was able to wrap the fabric in tracing paper and create almost-perfect buttonholes. #iwinagain
I'm glad I did because I actually prefer the look of this cardigan buttoned up. I wasn't expecting that, so it was a nice surprise and a different look from my usual.
The only funny/sad thing about this garment is that I realized after most of the major construction was done that I had somehow broken a thread while serging it all together. So most of this cardigan was constructed with only a right needle and both loopers. I tugged on the seams, and it all seems to be staying together. Time will tell, I guess.
Anyway, yeah, you need this pattern. And I need to make more of these. I love it and have further confirmed my Grainline fangirl status. The end.
