Completed: Self-written Cardigan!

Hello! I made a cardigan!
I'm not sure why I'm looking so highly mischievous in this photo though. Maybe I was feeling smug that I made my top and skirt too? (Both old makes though!)

I made this cardigan from the frogged remains of this top I made quite a while ago. I never really wore it, so I decided this yarn would be happier as a cardigan, as they are so versatile!
Because I often end up totally rewriting patterns for my fit preferences, I decided I would just knock off a pattern I liked the look of. What's the point of buying a pattern, only to rewrite it?
So the pattern I knocked off was Velynda. I could see I'd have to totally rewrite the pattern to my preferences anyway, as I didn't like the neckline, length, or loose sleeves. In other words, all I liked was the stitch pattern. So I figured out what it was by looking at it, and wrote my own pattern.

However,  I still like to buy patterns with complicated stitch patterns, as I don't want to write my own complicated charts. Often I also pick up some construction tips along the way!

This was a really simple pattern so I just went for it on my own. Overall I'm pleased with it. It really wasn't so hard to make my own pattern after all the practice I've had at alterations!

One of the things I would improve next time is to not place all the waist shaping at the side. It's a better look to place it more at the side front and side back so it's not all at the same spot. In this way the shaping is spread over the body and looks less obvious. When the bottom of my cardigan is left unbuttoned you can see the hip shaping poking out a bit.
But I'm probably the only one who would notice!

I usually like to add ribbon to my button bands to stabilise, but I couldn't find any in the right colour so I left it! I'm so matchy-matchy I can't stand the idea of a contrast colour peeking out. Lol :)

I knitted this from the top down as I find it the easiest way to knit a cardigan, as well as having the bonus as being able to try on as you go! I hate when I knit a cardigan bottom up and it ends up too long! I used the short row sleeve cap method that I've become quite comfortable with (Andi Satterlunds patterns use this a lot!). I also knit it with no side seams, and the sleeves were knit in the round on DPNs.

One thing I didn't plan quite right was the neckline. I intended it to be higher, but at least this way I can wear bow-neck dresses underneath. Which I DO NOT own enough of. I must remedy this.

I think this muted blue colour works really well with some of my favourite colours, so I'm hoping this cardigan gets used more than its previous incarnation as a top!
Honestly there's not too much more to say about this, so I'll just leave it there!