Starting The Cardigan

 I just realized the other day that, while I have chatted in online groups about The Cardigan, I haven't actually posted about it here...

So, back in January I posted about doing the 'Start with a Scarf' wardrobe building exercise this year. But Janice didn't start the wardrobes in January...she actually picked the scarves and posted a 5-garment core group back in December.

So by January I was already 5 garments behind, lol.  Add to that the garments she posted for January and the garments she posted for February and I am really playing catch up.

I did some poking around on retail sites to see if I could purchase any of the beginning stuff that wasn't already in my closet; I found a good deal on a cashmere crewneck sweater but came up empty on everything else.  I had blue jersey knit in the stash for the knit shirts but could NOT find a blue cardigan.

So I ordered some blue cable knit from Emma One Sock and, armed with knowledge from folks who had blogged about sewing that rather contrary fabric, began the debate about what pattern I should use.

I finally settled on McCall's 6844 ...mostly because it didn't need any closures, lol.  Also no skinny little bands to deal with.  And I have made MULTIPLES of that cardi in the past...although I've always been using a nice stable double knit.  This floppy sweater knit would be a whole 'nuther deal.

I knew that the cutting would make or break it, so I  actually played around with a layout after I cleared all the procrastination other projects out of the way (I actually had to make a handful of masks for the family vacation to see the mouse last week).  But, home from vacay, nothing in the way, it was time to start.

Normally, this cardi would take about four hours, start to finish, but I spent all day today (around laundry and a couple of other things) working on cutting it out.  

First, spread the fabric evenly, being careful not to stretch anything; use a ruler to make sure the cables are dead straight, and lay the front piece so that the front seamline (where the collar/ front band joins) is abutted right up against a cable.  This puts a cable pretty much on the center of the shoulder and running down the mid front, although I do have a bit of the cable in the side seams.

Mark the notches with lime green thread tailors tacks.

Flip the front and repeat.  For the back, I put the fold line on a cable, then flipped it so the fold line was still on the same cable to cut one back piece w/o folding the fabric.  Marked the notches; cut all 4 of the collar/ band pieces with the outer edge seam on the edge of a cable; that put the jacket body seam in the middle of a cable, which may prove to be too bulky.  If it is, I will trim it off and just have a slightly narrower front band, but I did a little practice serging on scraps and it really didn't seem to have too much trouble sewing on the grainline, even over the cabled bits, so we'll see.  I cut the sleeves with a cable running down the middle, from the shoulder point to the wrist.

It is a pain to do a single layer cut out, but given the crucial necessity of everything being balanced and straight I didn't see any way around it.

This is a busy week; hoping to get to sewing on the weekend.

It is going to take me a bit to get caught up; the March wardrobe additions will drop next week, lol.  If I want to use this for the Stitcher's Guild SWAP contest, I need to get a move on... I need to sew a minimum of 9 coordinating garments by the end of April, if I use the 'one purchased, one previously sewn' options.

But in all honesty, I think the worst of this is behind me.  If it stretches too badly under the double needle I may have to hand hem it but that won't be too onerous.  

The next thing up is about 4 knit t shirts; those should go pretty fast. Then a woven shirt that might take a minute...and then whatever comes down for March...

Here we go.