The Novice cardigan by PetiteKnit Customized

Craving color

Inspired by the recent comeback of green in fashion (see Sezane image above), I embarked on a project to create a basic cardigan. I wanted to go for a modern look with balloon sleeves and circular knitting. The Novice pattern by PetiteKnit was perfect for this project.

However, there were two issues: the standard buttonhole band in the pattern when I wanted a very fine and elegant one to use small round buttons, and the collar that I wanted to double to resemble a store-bought design.

So, it was time to adapt the pattern!

Adapting a Buttonhole Band and Collar

Buttonhole Band:

Instead of picking up the buttonhole band at the end of the work as recommended in the pattern, I worked it as I went along with the body, using the same needle as the body. To make it stand out from the body, I created a yarn over between the buttonhole band and the body. I then worked the buttonhole band with 4 stitches in double stockinette stitch, as follows:

On the right side: body in stockinette stitch, yarn over, one stitch in stockinette stitch, one slipped stitch, one stitch in stockinette stitch, one slipped stitch.

On the wrong side: one stitch in stockinette stitch, one slipped stitch, one stitch in stockinette stitch, one slipped stitch, yarn over worked in purl, body in purl.

Since the buttonhole band was narrower than in the original pattern, I compensated by adding the extra stitches to the front panels. I spaced my buttonholes at the same regular intervals as in the base pattern but opened them vertically instead of horizontally.

Collar:

I doubled the number of rows specified in the pattern and added a purl row halfway to facilitate folding it inward. I then loosely sewed the collar inside the cardigan.

The result

I really love the outcome, both in terms of colors and the fit. The cardigan is also very comfortable to wear!

My takeaways from this experience :

The final cardigan looks great, and a simple modification to the buttonhole band gives it a more elegant appearance compared to the original design.

Vertically opened buttonholes are also much more discreet, and I prefer them to horizontal ones.

I used old buttons that I had found several years ago and painted them with plastic-adhering paint to match the exact shade of the cardigan. It looks even better, so it's something worth trying!