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Iris Bell Re-Graded Her Cable Pattern at Every Size. Most Designers Don’t. She Thinks You Should Know That.
Iris Bell is a knitwear designer in Eugene who spent eleven years making patterns for large brands. Four years ago she left and started making her own — one piece at a time, in small runs, with the kind of attention to sizing that large production schedules won’t allow. Her cable knit duster cardigan has been her best-selling piece for three years running. This is the last run of the season.
“When I was working for brands, we graded patterns by scaling,” she says, laying a medium flat on her worktable. “You take the medium and you just make it bigger. The cable gets wider. The proportions get worse. You end up with a large that looks like a medium had too much to eat.”
Iris re-grades every size separately. The cable pattern on the XS is not the same cable pattern on the 2XL. The repeat spacing, the column width, the hip shaping — all adjusted to sit right on the body that size is for. “It takes four times as long,” she says. “That’s why brands don’t do it. But it’s the difference between a garment that works and one that doesn’t.”
The yarn is 100% Turkish merino — sourced from a mill she’s worked with since her first independent run. It’s washed twice before it becomes yarn and twice again once it’s been knitted into the garment. This is the process that gives the finished cardigan its weight without stiffness — that drape that reads as deliberate rather than limp.
The Grade That Most Designers Skip
Iris keeps a drawer in her studio that holds a graded swatch panel for every size in this cardigan. XS through 2XL, each one cut from that size’s final sample. The cable columns on the XS swatch are 9mm wide. On the 2XL, they’re 11mm. The difference is imperceptible in photos. On the body it’s the difference between a cable that reads correctly and one that looks like it’s been stretched.
“Re-grading isn’t a kindness I offer to larger sizes. It’s what the garment requires. A pattern that only works in medium isn’t a pattern. It’s a template.”
She sizes from XS through 2XL because she built the pattern from a real fit model at each end of the range. “I wanted to see where it broke,” she says. “In sizing, things break at the extremes. Most people just don’t look at the extremes.” The cardigan didn’t break. She made adjustments at XS for the shoulder pitch and at 2XL for the hip shaping, and then it worked.
The Duster That Actually Is One
“Duster” is a word that means different things on different labels. Iris has a definition: past the knee. Not mid-thigh. Not knee-length. Past. “If it doesn’t make the wearer think twice about sitting down in a puddle, it’s not a duster,” she says. At the M, this cardigan hits at mid-calf. At the XS, slightly lower. At the 2XL, slightly higher. All past the knee.
The seams are finished with a Hong Kong finish — not overlocked, not serged. Overlocked seams are fast. They also bulk at the shoulders and pull at the chest. A Hong Kong finish takes longer and lays flat. It’s the seam you feel on a garment that someone took seriously. It’s the seam Iris uses.
This season she switched the button band to a slightly heavier rib. The previous version — two seasons of it — was fine. This one is better. The band doesn’t curl. It doesn’t require ironing to sit right. You put it on and it falls correctly the first time. That’s the version in this run.
What Makes This Cardigan Different
Scaling a cable pattern produces a distorted cable at the large and 2XL. Iris grades each size separately — adjusting the repeat spacing, the column width, and the hip shaping for the body that size is for. The cable looks correct at XS because she made a specific cable for XS. Same for every size up to 2XL.
Sourced from a mill Iris has worked with since her first independent run. Washed twice as fiber, twice again as finished fabric. This is what gives the finished garment its drape without the stiffness that comes from undertreated merino. It softens immediately and stays soft.
At a M, this hits mid-calf. At XS, slightly lower. At 2XL, slightly higher. All past the knee. If a garment labeled “duster” doesn’t make you think about weather before you sit down, it’s not a duster. This one is.
Overlocked seams are faster and bulkier. Hong Kong finish takes longer and lays flat. You feel the difference at the shoulder and at the chest. This cardigan uses Hong Kong finish throughout. It’s the reason the garment drapes without pulling.
Iris releases one run per season per piece. This is it for the year. The XS and S tend to go first. If you’re in those sizes, now is the right time. All sizes are in stock while they last.
The Pattern That Changed Her Practice
Iris still has the first cardigan she made four years ago. It sits on a chair in her studio, not on a rack. She wears it. It has pills in two small spots on the left cuff from where she rests her hands on the worktable. She considers this evidence. “A garment you actually wear is a different thing from a garment you just make,” she says.
She’s made three iterations of the cable pattern since the first. Each one has been a small improvement she could see on the body but couldn’t describe in a pattern note. This season’s version is the cleanest. She’s willing to say it’s the best one.
XS through 2XL. Turkish merino. Cable re-graded at every size. Last run of the season. If you’ve returned other duster cardigans because they didn’t fit right or didn’t drape right or pilled too fast — this is the one that won’t.
Last run of the season — XS and S go first
Choose your size below. Ships from Eugene while supplies last. Free shipping over $75.
See Sizes & AvailabilityXS · S · M · L · XL · 2XL
What People Are Saying
★★★★★
“I’ve bought three ‘duster cardigans’ in the past two years and sent all of them back. This one I kept the day it arrived. The cable is clean, the length is actually a duster, and it hasn’t pilled after six washes. The seams lay flat at the shoulder. I didn’t know that was what I was missing until I felt it.”
★★★★★
“Ordered the M. I’m 5’7" and it hits mid-calf. That is actually mid-calf, not ‘duster-ish.’ The cable pattern doesn’t look stretched. You can tell the sizing was thought about, not just scaled. Big difference from everything else I’ve tried in this length.”
★★★★★
“Bought the 2XL for my sister. The cable stays crisp across the full width. The seams lie flat. The length is perfect. Iris clearly graded this at every size, not just the medium. You can feel the difference. My sister hasn’t worn anything else since it arrived.”
A Few Questions Before You Choose
How does the sizing run?
True to size. Iris fits each size on a model at that size — not a graded version of another size. The XS fits a size XS. The 2XL fits a size 2XL. The cable pattern and the proportions are adjusted for each. Order your usual size. If you’re between sizes and want a longer length, go up one.
Will it pill?
The merino is washed twice before it becomes yarn and twice again as finished fabric. This step removes the shorter fibers that cause pilling. After six washes, the cardigan Iris keeps in her studio has two small pills on the left cuff from heavy daily use. That’s the honest answer. Normal wear produces no visible pilling in the first season.
Is this the last run of the season?
Yes. Iris releases one run per piece per season. This is the run. The XS and S tend to sell first. All sizes are currently in stock. When this run is gone, the next one isn’t until next season.
XS through 2XL · one run · no restock until next season
See what’s available in your size.
See Sizes & AvailabilityShips from Eugene while supplies last.