Jacket

Merino wool, pearls and an unexpected visitor

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

When Kennis from Itch to Stitch decided to translate the Lisbon Cardigan pattern to German and Annika from Näh-Connection decided to sell it in her shop, I was super happy – finally a reason to make a second Lisbon Cardigan! You might remember my first Lisbon Cardigan, made while testing the pattern. I wear the cardigan a lot and I promised myself to make many more Lisbon Cardigans, since they are sewn pretty quickly.

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

As always, things have been very busy, both sewing-wise and work-wise. Things are incredibly busy now, too, but I figured it wouldn’t be a problem sewing a quick Lisbon Cardigan – and obviously embroidering it with pearls, since that’ s not time-consuming at all (*insert irony here*)… I just got this idea of a black merino wool cardigan with ivory pearls around the shoulders and I wasn’t able to let the idea go, or at least postpone it.

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

The cardigan itself was sewn within one afternoon. I knew that I liked the fit of the cardigan, but this time I decided to make the regular length, not the cropped length, as last time. The length turned out great, but now I would like to have a cropped version with pearls, too! I think that cropped cardigans are so much better for wearing them together with dresses and skirts, while regular length cardigans work better for pants. And this dressed-up cardigan would be perfect for wearing it over a pretty dress!

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

The only thing I should have changed is the sleeve length: I totally forgot that my printed pattern is the first tester version and that Kennis shortened the sleeves before releasing the pattern – they were so long! But instead of shortening the sleeves, I lengthened them, since I’m used to ending up with too short sleeves. The result are super long sleeves and I’m considering taking off the cuffs and to shorten the sleeves by 1.5″ or 2″. It’s luckily an easy fix!

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

I used black merino wool for the cardigan, which I bought last spring at Hjartesaum. I just know that the wool is going to keep me warm and comfortable during the cold days ahead of us. I wanted to use real pearls for the embroidery, but I didn’t find the right mixture of pearls within this short amount of time. I wanted to buy a selection of round ivory-coloured pearls in various sizes with drilled holes – they are harder to get than you imagine if you just have a couple of days.

Sewing by hand is not my forte, either, so I thought that it would be wise to use something cheaper at first. Maybe all the pearls are going to fall off in the washing machine! That’s why I went for Czech glass pearls this time around, although I’d love to use real pearls in the future.

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

I fastened the pearls in a random order, just checking that the pearl density on both sides of the cardigan was about the same. I also made sure to pierce through the fabric right beside the pearls and not right under each pearl – the pearls can’t move at all when sewn to the cardigan like that.

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

I nearly forgot one thing: I didn’t make any buttonholes, as you can see. I just thought that the pearls deserved all the attention and that black buttons and button holes would distract from the pearls and the otherwise simple cardigan. I don’t close my cardigans that often after all.

Oh, and the unexpected visitor, of course!

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

Do you see what’s behind me on this photo? Yes, you’re right, a whale! We took these pics at the island Ringvassøy, just north west of Tromsø. We drove there for a mountain hike and stopped at the sea on our way back to take these pics. I heard something behind be, some kind of blowing, and after a little while we realized it was a whale!

Whales aren’t that unusual in Tromsø, but they’re usually here during winter time and often in bigger herds. I have no idea what kind of whale that was, Bettina from Stahlarbeit guessed maybe a pilot whale, and I think that’s absolutely possible (Any biologists specializing on whales among my readers?). I’ve seen whales before, but seeing one so unexpectedly, so close by and to end up with a picture of it really made my day.

Sew Mariefleur Lisbon Cardigan Itch to Stitch

If you’d like to buy your own copy of the Lisbon Cardigan, you can do so: Näh-Connection sells the German version, and it’s on sale right now. And for my English-speaking readers: You can buy the English version at the Itch to Stitch shop – where you can get 15% off when buying more than one pattern, since Kennis just released the Bonn shirt – which I’m going to show you in a couple of days!

– This blog post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are, as always, my own. The blog post is linked to the German blogger party RUMS.- 

29 comments on “Merino wool, pearls and an unexpected visitor

  1. Das sieht so toll aus mit den Perlen! Ein richtiger Hingucker. Und das Bild mit dem Wal ist einfach genial!

    LG
    Kristina

  2. Der Cardigan mit den Perlen ist besonders schön geworden! <3 Werde ich mir irgendwann mal stibitzen die Idee! Und der Wal ist klasse, den hast du doch gebucht. 😉

    Alles Liebe
    Katie

  3. Love it!!!! Cool whale too! I studied zoology in college but my emphasis was on human biology so I have no idea.

    • Thank you, Emily! I have a friend who has studied biology, too – but she is specializing in cancer, genes and stuff like that – that’s not the biggest help when trying to find out what kind of whale that is! =p

  4. Oddly enough, super-long sleeves are the height of rtw fashion at the moment, so you’re accidentally ahead of the curve ? Love the look of your cardigan-it’s just perfect with the pearls and without buttons!

  5. Ein wunderschöner Cardigan, der jede Mühe wert war!
    Liebe Grüße,
    Maarika

  6. Die viele Handarbeit hat sich wirklich gelohnt für so einen wundervollen Cardigan!
    Tolle Bilder habt ihr gemacht.
    Liebe Grüße
    Jana

  7. Wunderschön und zauberhaft, wie immer! Das ist ein richtig edles Teil geworden. Schön, schön, schön! Hab ich schon erwähnt, wie schön der ist?! 😉
    Herzlichst, Ulrike

  8. Beautiful! I love this pattern but never thought of adding pearls – I may have to copy this!

  9. Die Perlenidee ist einfach der Knaller, gefällt mir sehr gut. Und dann noch das tierische “Accessoire” im Bild… perfekt!
    Liebe Grüße, Änni

  10. Genial mit solchen Perlen hatte ich auch schon mal geliebäugelt, aber jetzt habe ich eine konkrete Idee. Das sieht toll aus.
    LG
    Kerstin

  11. This is absolutely stunning!!! I love how it turned out and the pearls… they are just beautiful! So classy. 🙂

  12. So pretty! And amazing scenery! I love it, but I wouldn’t wash it in the machine, a quick little hand wash will keep the pearls and the merino happier:). The style reminds me of Jenna by muse patterns, have it and love it. It would be charming as evening wear!

  13. Wow… Das ist so ein toller Cardigan mit den Perlen!! Und dann noch der Wal… passt perfekt zu den besonderen Cardigan!
    Liebe Grüße Julia

  14. […] Itch to Stitch patterns! I’ve sewn a Salamanca Cropped Jacket, two Lisbon Cardigans (here and here), a Bonn Shirt and a Bonn Dress, an Arenal Top, a Vientiane Skirt, a La Paz Blazer, a Zamora Blouse […]

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