Marlo Sweater – Two Ways

It seems like every time I write a blog post it always starts with how long I have waited to finally make something — but by some miracle, I actually bought both this pattern and fabric just in the past few months! Hooray!

The Marlo Sweater is a new pattern by True Bias. It’s an oversized style cardigan/sweater, which is 100% my style. I loved both views so much that I had to make both. Let’s not talk about how winter is over. Luckily, our basement is always a little bit chilly, so I’ve actually been wearing my camel colored one a lot in the mornings and at night (like right now!).

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I really loved the pattern, obviously enough to make it twice! And I’m making another one right now for a friend (hopefully she doesn’t read this. Haha.). The pattern instructions are really clear, and I like that there are two ways to finish off the neckband (easy or intermediate). I chose to do the intermediate finish because I think it makes the bottom front corner look much neater, although the inside of mine isn’t perfect by any means.

Two things that got me through this project is wash away tape (also known as Wonder Tape) and STEAM. Wash away tape completely saves my sanity on projects with knit pockets, and I used it to finish off the neckband too. I probably would have given up without it. So, if you are frustrated beyond belief with your knit projects, wash away tape saves me every time, and I’ve been using it for years. Now, for why steam is important: I’ve learned that the best way to make a knit project look less wavy and look much better at the end is to press/steam after every step. I learned at the beginning of my sewing that having a good iron can make things SO much easier. I’ve had this Rowenta for 5 years, and I love it.

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The two alterations I made to my camel colored version (view B of the pattern) were to add 3 1/2″ to the length (don’t forget to lengthen the neckband and interfacing piece the same amount, like I did!), and to lengthen the sleeves by 1″. I’m in-between two sizes for this pattern, and for this view I went with my larger size since I wanted to use it more as a throw-on cardigan layer.

I also really wanted to make view A, the shorter version of this pattern, and I’m so glad that I did because I love it! I probably won’t be able to wear it much now that the weather is warmer, but I’ll be happy when I finally can.

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At first I thought that I would be able to just shorten view B, but it turns out that the button band goes up further on version A so that you have more coverage, and can wear it alone if you want to. I wanted this sweater to not be quite so big, so I went with the smaller of the sizes that I’m in-between. I ended up retracing and added 5″ to this view because it is VERY cropped (I don’t wear high waisted jeans + I have a long torso). Then I lengthened the sleeves 1″, just like I did for the first one.

These are all fabrics that I got from I See Fabric. I have seen people raving about their shop for a while now, and I was skeptical, but finally made an order, got my order… and made another order, because it is good stuff! I also really love that their fabrics are made in the US, and they are organic. I always wonder how I can shop fabrics more ethically/sustainably, and this is one of those ways. You can read more about their shop here.

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Here are the fabrics I used: My camel colored cardigan is the 100% cotton french terry, and since the fabric doesn’t have very much stretch I also bought the 95% cotton 5% spandex french terry to use for the neckband, waistband, and cuffs. Could you tell from the pictures that it was two different fabrics? You really can’t tell much at all unless you see it up close and in person, but the feel of the fabrics really are so different. Since they are milled in the same place, the color matching is SO good. One thing I will say about the 100% cotton is that it has the bigger loops, so it’s not very soft — It’s not scratchy either, but it is kind of like wearing a towel. So if you’re wanting something softer, I would go for the cotton/spandex. It has smaller loops, and the spandex softens it up a little bit.

My “spruce” colored sweater is made entirely of I See Fabrics waffle knit which is 95% cotton 5% spandex. It’s also soft and a little bit squishy feeling. I was completely inspired by Anna’s and I am so glad I got the same fabric.

One thing I wish was different with the Marlo pattern is that I wanted the pockets to be bigger. I am trying them a bit bigger on the one for my friend, so once I finish, I will report back and post it to Instagram. If you have any questions about the pattern or fabrics, let me know!

Happy Marlo sewing!

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