A Newcastle Cardigan for Women
You'll need rulers (a curved on is preferable but you can always eyeball the curves if you don't have one!), a pencil or marker, scissors and tape.
These are the pieces that I eliminated for my sweater: The Back Neck Facing, the Front Facing, and the Button Placket.
I eliminated the Button Placket by extending the Cardigan Front by half the placket amount on each front because I was planning to add a zipper so I didn't want the Cardigan Front to overlap. As you can see, I added 1 5/8" because I mistakenly thought I should add a seam allowance to the centre front...I forgot that there was already a seam allowance included to sew the Cardigan Front to the Front Placket! So I really should have added a total of 1"
In the end, of course, all of this was irrelevant because I added buttons instead of a zipper after all and fudged things, trusting that the forgiving wool would hide that I was pulling and tugging things off grain by making the front overlap and button up asymmetrically!

After adding width to the front of the cardigan I adjusted the neck curve so that it would extend to the new CF. I tried to keep the old neckline and the new neckline as close to the same measurement as possible but I ended up needing to add a little length to the collar pattern pieces so that they would still reach the centre front of the cardigan.


Of course, if you were to adjust the shoulder width and planned to use the yokes from Version 1 of the pattern, you would have to also remove width from these pieces:
To create the patch pockets, I cut rectangles of wool 7 1/2" tall X 6 1/2" wide and sewed them to the Cardigan Front pieces with exposed raw edges (I like how the edges felt and look fluffy when this wool is washed and dried). You could easily serge and turn under the edges if your fabric frays or you don't like the look of the raw edges. Instead of sewing all the way up to the top of the pocket outside edge, I stopped half way up and then folded over the loose flap and tacked it down with a decorative button. This pocket, with the angled top opening is really comfortable to put my hands in!
Before sewing the shoulder seams together, I top-stitched on strips of leather in the same way the Shoulder Yoke is sewn on. I also bound the CF because I was envisioning adding a zipper at a later point and wanted finished seam allowances. If I had known I was going to be turning under approx. 1 1/2" as a self-facing I would have interfaced this strip before adding the binding.
To eliminate the Back Neck Facing I sewed the collar on, as per the directions (minus the facing piece) and then carefully graded the seam allowance before enclosing the allowance in an open piece of binding. This creates visible stitching on the right side of the collar but it will be hidden when the collar is folded over:
All the binding made for a very pretty garment, but really, in the end the sewing steps took just as long as using the facings would have and were much more fiddly (I guess it depends how comfortable your machine is with stitching woven binding onto thick and stretchy knit layers). Both the facing and binding/self facing methods have their advantages and disadvantages and I am glad to have tried both for the Newcastle because I often worry that people will be a little put off by the idea of a cardigan with facings. In the end, I like the facing method more as it creates a sturdier garment with less visible exterior stitching and less fighting with the tricky combination of woven and knit fabrics. Would you consider converting the Newcastle Cardigan pattern into a women's version? Thanks for the fun photo shoot Matt! [gallery type="rectangular" ids="1379,1381,1366,1367"]
Comments
Mary Beth said:
That is the cutest cardigan I’ve seen lately!
Red Point Tailor said:
It is lovely cardingan! Great for this cooler, rainy weather.
MadeByMeg said:
You are absolutely adorable in your women’s newcastle! Lovely conversion! And I have to say that K is always wearing his, too!
Rebecca Holmes said:
I love it!
Amber said:
I made one of these for my husband out of cotton interlock. He loves it, by the way. But now I really want to make one for me! Where do you find minimally stretchy wool knits? Seems I can only find wool as either jersey or woven. Would a crepe work do you think?
lisa g said:
that is so cute! i haven’t gotten to making this yet, but i hope to get to it soon. i had wondered about eliminating the facings, thanks for that info!
Susand Loberg said:
This reminds me of clothes I designed for myself and my children years ago. It fires me up to do it again as my shape has changed with age and it is hard to find tops and jackets now that fit well in the shoulders and still do up from waist down.
MammaNene (@mamma_nene) said:
It’s a great Newcastle version, I love the nice details like the bindings!
Amanda said:
Yes! I absolutely am going to convert this for my curvy figure! Let’s hope I have the skill set!
Heather Draper said:
I want one!!
ThreadTheory said:
I’m glad K is a big fan of his :) It makes me so proud when Matt chooses to wear the clothes I’ve made instead of his store bought ones and I’m sure you’re feeling the same!
Sandra said:
I would so make this for myself – on my list for next winter :-)
Katie said:
This looks so cozy — it works great for women! I plan to finally sew up this pattern now that the weather is cooling down!
Brenda Thompson said:
Not only adorable but so stylish and comfy looking, love the color also. Brenda Thompson, Kemptville, Ontario
ThreadTheory said:
I hope it helps a bit when you get around to making yours! It’s not a 100% complete tutorial but it will give you the idea at least.
ThreadTheory said:
Thank you! :)
ThreadTheory said:
Yes, it’s been perfect this weekend!
ThreadTheory said:
Thank you!
ThreadTheory said:
It might take a muslin or two (or fabric that is cheap enough you are willing to experiment with it!) but I think, with the Newcastle (and other patterns designed for knits) as long as the shoulders fit there is lots of room to play around with the fit of the body by changing the waist and hip curve and adjusting design details. I hope you give it a try!
ThreadTheory said:
Good luck! Can’t wait to see how yours tuns out :)
ThreadTheory said:
I’m glad your husband likes the one you made! I’ve been having luck finding wool sweater knits at my local Fabricland so that won’t help you…but there are several online retailers that seem to have a really nice selection.
I wrote a blog post on them a while back, here is the link: http://threadtheoryblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/tips-on-manly-knits/
And this is the link to a fairly expensive but really beautiful looking wool knit that apparently has very little stretch and I think would be perfect for the Newcastle. It’s also available in red!: http://www.hartsfabric.com/lana-bollito-knit-brown-69646.html
I hope this helps! You might want to check out Mood fabrics as well as they always have a great selection of knits. I searched wool crepes on Mood as well and found quite a selection. I can’t guarantee they would work as I haven’t tried them myself but I imagine they would (as long as they have a bit of spandex or other type of stretch in them). I think they would make the Newcastle into a really smart looking jacket!
Quarterly Report #2 | Thread Theory said:
[…] photo gallery of my own version of the Newcastle Cardigan displaying that the pattern can be adapted for the female figure and (the most popular part) […]
Elena Knits said:
You look lovely in your new cardigan. That women version is gorgeous!
April B. said:
Love this idea! But I must make one for my husband first. Such a great cardigan!
ThreadTheory said:
Oooh I look forward to seeing how yours turns out!
Newcastle Cardigan | Gros Bécots said:
[…] ajouté des poches. Oui parce que j’ai vu une adaptation féminine du Newcastle sur le blog Thread Theory. J’ai littéralement flashé dessus. Et comme il me reste pas mal […]