Popcorn But Not Wine* - Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan

Pattern: Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan (2017)

Pattern Description: Fitted cardigan with extra long sleeves with a close fit around the neck and shoulders. It has minimal excess in the front and is meant to be worn open. View B ends at the hips, View A extends to mid-thigh and has patch pockets at hand level.

Pattern Sizing: Two size options: B-cup for sizes 0-22, and D-cup for sizes 12-34. I cut my size, starting at the top with a B-cup size 14 moving out to an 18 for the waist and hips.

Did it look like the photo or drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, exactly.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very much.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The fit of this cardigan is extremely elegant and every version I've seen is gorgeous.

Fabric Used: 58" Sweater rib knit (50% Rayon, 30% Polyester, 20% Nylon) in Cream, Gutermann 100% polyester Sew-All thread in Eggshell, #22; and

 58" Ottoman rib knit (66% Cotton, 29% Polyester, 5% Spandex) in Root Beer, and Gutermann 100% polyester Sew-All thread in Chili Brown, #

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Choosing a pattern size was hard. My upper and lower half are different sizes, spanning across 2-sizes. However, with this pattern, it ranges four sizes from a D-cup size 12 to 18.

  

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, most definitely! I have another one in the queue but in a very different knit. This one was snug in the sleeves but I wonder if in a looser weave I should alter the pattern piece or not.

  

Conclusion: I absolutely love the finished garment. Though the sleeves are designed to be extra long I chose to shorten them. I took both cuffs off, removed an inch from the sleeves and half an inch from each cuff. I wear the cuffs folded half up so that shows how long they still are. This also helped loosen how tight they were at the wrist.

I also shout out about the fabric choice. I leave this cardigan at work where it's always cold. I could never have imagined how many times I arrive, add it to my daily outfit, and the color combination seems as if it was planned! I wish it didn't take so long to finish stuff because I need more of it! I may make a matching pencil skirt.

* Yes, A dated reference to the old tv show Scandal and Olivia Pope's wine cardigans.

Change is a New Bed

I'm long overdue to feel like an adult and buying my home finally did it. The realization that I got my finances to the point of making this possible is huge.

No more third-party sofas and no more decades-old mattresses.

The movers could either leave the decade-old mattress, box frame, and metal frame or fill the truck with more heavy stuff I couldn't lift myself. I chose to leave the bed behind because, duh. Also, I was planning on getting an uncomplicated platform bed after I moved and this helped me see that moving all of that and then needing to bring it all back down two flights was impractical. That was an excellent opportunity to order it since I could still sleep at the old house before delivery.

My research was checking all the "best (insert desired item) of 2024" articles and comparing the ones that won the "affordable" categories. The hands-down winner overall was always the $$ wooden Bed by Thuma and the more affordable lookalike Alexis from Zinus. The financial difference between the brands is around $500 for a queen-size bed and the Zinus bed was even cheaper when I purchased it through Amazon. 

Detailed instructions

Fully stocked and organized supplies

The lovely carved leg

Great protective packaging

My search for a mattress was similarly easy. I wanted an innerspring mattress similar to a ComfortCoil innerspring futon mattress by Gold Bond I owned years ago. Using my tried-and-true review search method (see above) I was led to the Allswell Luxe Hybrid sold by Walmart. A hybrid between spring coil and memory foam, I can confirm it's affordable, high quality, and comfortable. I have no complaints and a bonus is how fun it is to set it up! It is vacuum-packed and encased in multiple layers of plastic wrap. From the first cut of the packaging, the mattress starts to fight its captivity, audibly and physically expanding as you hurriedly try to cut through the packaging in time. It reached finished measurements quickly and over the next few achieved its final level of firmness.

The inflated mattress and my pale green walls

 

What excited me the most about my purchases is that unlike all the house rehab work at the old house and the setup at the new one I didn't have to schedule or wait around for delivery. Both frame and mattress come to your door, don't weigh that much, and can be assembled easily. As a bonus, Amazon gave me timed delivery alerts. Since I live close to work I could drive over, push the package over the threshold, and return to work. No stress! 

I highly recommend both companies for convenience and quality.