Colorblocked Hoodie - Vogue 8951

Most of my recent makes have beens skirts, so I decided that it was time to make a non-skirt.

Variety is the spice of life, and all.

This pattern is a fairly recent Vogue - I think it came out in the early spring batch of patterns. It is for a darted split-neck pullover and includes 3 neckline variations: hoodie, collared, and plain. There is an optional kangaroo pocket, side seam hem slits, and the back is longer than the front.

I love this novelty knit - it is a double knit with a lot of drape. One side is red, with a lot of texture, and the other side is solid black. It's a great fabric, from Emma One Sock, many months ago.

The draft of this pattern is a bit unusual for Vogue. The envelope says that it is close fitting and it is! Despite the dart, I had to add a substantial FBA. The pattern features a very high, close-fitting armhole and the sleeve is slim through the bicep. Also, the shoulder is narrower than normal - I had to remove much less than I usually do for Vogue.

I am not usually a fan of hoods, but I liked how it looked as a collar, so I decided to use the hood version. However, I did not want a heavy hood pulling at my neck, so I chose not to line the hood, as the pattern recommends.

My alterations and modifications were:

• A substantial FBA, and I had to lower the dart by almost 3 inches.
• The collar is supposed to be lined, but I did not want a "heavy" hood. This fabric is a double-knit, so I used a single layer of fabric and flat felled the hood's CB seam. I omitted the drawstring in the hood. This means that the reverse side of the fabric, which is solid black, shows.
• I used a size Medium, tapered down to a XS at the hip.
• I tapered in slightly at the waist - about 1/4" for a total of 1".
• This top is designed with a mullet hem - so that the back is longer than the front. I shortened the back so that it is the same length as the front.
• The armhole is high and the sleeve slim. After measuring the pattern and my arm, I left the pattern as-is, because I am using a forgiving knit and I knew it would work.
• I used a contrasting black wool double knit for the sleeves.
• I narrowed the shoulder by 5/8". This is *much* less than I usually remove for a Vogue pattern - so it has a narrower shoulder than usual.

You might wonder why I used a contrast fabric for the sleeves. It was for two reasons. First, I knew that the inside of the hood would be exposing solid black, and black sleeves would be a nice repetition of the color. But I also really wanted to save some of this fabric to make another of those short skirts that I love to wear to work over leggings or tights.

It goes to show that I can't completely avoid another skirt. ;)

I love this top! I definitely can see this becoming one of my TNT patterns.