I’m guilty of having sewn another wonderful cardigan by Itch to Stitch, the Castillo! I really couldn’t resist this one with its hood and slits at the sides…I’m so weak when it comes to Kennis’ designs.
The Castillo pattern
Raglan sleeves, hood, slits at the sides, patched pockets, and a twill tape for hiding the hood/bodice seam allowance.
Should I say more or are you already as fond of Castillo as I am?
Let’s get back to these wonderful details.
The main feature for me is the twill tape sewn to cover the seam allowance. The hood is not lined so you have that seam allowance between the bodice and the hood visible and it might even be scratchy against your skin. Come the twill tape. Do not laught, but the only tape I had was this lovely Matriochka tape. It worked well and add a touch of color to this Castillo.
I hand-basted it in place to help me fully hide the seam allowance with the sewing machine afterwards.
The slits at the sides are great too. They are so easy to stitch.
And last but not least…no closure!!! No buttonholes on knits to be done, yeah!
My cardigan
It seems that I’ve been enjoying sewing raglan garments lately (see my Livia sweater, another raglan top).
But it also seems I really need to choose one size smaller for the bust than measured according to the size chart. I chose a straight size 8 for my cardigan and I ended up taking 7 cm off the raglan seams (half on front, half on back). I had to do the same when I tested ITS’s Orono top and with the Livia. So I need to keep that in mind for future raglan sweaters/cardigans/tops/etc.
Otherwise, no other alteration. I may have put the pockets a tiny bit high, but they are perfectly functional.
I chose some black milano (AllTissus) and since I didn’t have enough, I paired it with some Lolieshop‘s damask knit (with only mechanical stretch). I had no troubles sewing them together, even if I was a bit worried due to the difference in elasticity.
Sewing the twill tape was a bit concerning since the milano was rather stretchy. I quartered my tape and garment like hell to get an even distribution of the tape around the neckline. I would staystitch the neckline next time, I think.
All in all, I really like my Castillo cardi. This one has a loungewear vibe I enjoy a lot.
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