Knit Madness Day 11: Elite Eight

We’re nearing the end, folks.

Before today, I’ve been pre-writing as much as I could. With the brackets broken up and winners’ next rounds occurring days in the future, I could have up to four posts drafted ahead of time with graphics. All I needed to do was put in the data, embed new polls, and send it out. But now that every remaining sweater is facing off every day and I won’t know the winners until the previous day’s matchup ends, I can’t pre-write much anymore.

All that means for you is that polls and newsletters will go out later for the rest of the tournament. You’ll still get 24 hours to vote in them, even if that takes us into the following day.

Now, onto business. First, the winner of yesterday’s tie-driven rematch.

• Matchup: (9) The Wheel of Time (56.7%) vs (12) While You Were Sleeping (43.1%)

Recap: Day 10, Sweet Sixteen, Part 2

Color Work/Christmas

• Matchup: (2) Murder, She Wrote (59.4%) vs (14) What We Do in the Shadows (40.6%)

• Matchup: (8) The Killing (45.2%) vs (12) A Close Shave (54.8%)

Cardigan/Neck

• Matchup: (1) Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (68.6%) vs (13) Moonstruck (31.4%)

• Matchup: (2) The Big Lebowski (58.7%) vs (6) The Banshees of Inisherin (41.3%)

And here’s your Elite Eight!

You can find a detailed rundown of Knit Madness here.

Today’s Matchups

Cables Matchup: (1) Knives Out vs (3) When Harry Met Sally…

(1) Knives Out

Sweater: A purposely distressed white Aran pullover with a level of organic internet virality Lionsgate could’ve never bought.

Who Wore It: Professional shit-stirrer Hugh “Ransom” Drysdale (Chris Evans), who is an affront to sweater care.

Replica: Yes

Notes: If I had to pick exactly one sweater to make it this far, it would’ve been this one. After all, it’s the sweater that got me to start writing about them professionally in the first place.

Previously Defeated: (16) Friday the 13th; (9) The Mandalorian; (4) Firefly.

(3) When Harry Met Sally…

Sweater: A chunky white Aran sweater.

Who Wore It: Harry Burns (Billy Crystal), one-half of one of the rom-com genre’s greatest slow-burns and fully in his divorcé era—and so memorable that nobody can replicate it, not even Billy Crystal—and he tried!

Replica: No

Notes: Nothing—and I mean nothing—hits quite like Nora Ephron Sweater Weather. If you need proof, look at how engrained a 35-year-old sweater is in our minds.

Previously Defeated: (14) The Thomas Crown Affair; (6) Star Trek: Picard; (15) Derry Girls.

Who has the better sweater?

Textured/Miscellaneous Matchup: (3) Only Murders in the Building season 1 vs (9) The Wheel of Time season 1

(3) Only Murders in the Building (1×02, “Who Is Tim Kono?”)

The Sweater: A fluffy gray and rainbow-color striped pullover.

Who Wore It: Artist, podcaster, sleuth, and knitter Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), who lives in a building with an unusual abundance of murders.

Replica: Yes

Notes: I haven’t seen enough Only Murders in the Building to fully appreciate Mabel’s sweater wardrobe (which promo photos assure me is extensive), but she is one of the few characters on this list who knits.

Previously Defeated: The festive (14) The Santa Clause; (11) Penny Dreadful; (2) Coraline.

(9) The Wheel of Time (1×01, “Leavetaking”)

The Sweater: A fuzzy, striped light blue sweater.

Who Wore It: A very naive—and pre-Dragon Reborn—Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski)

Replica: Yes

Notes: The Wheel of Time is in the middle of an incredible run right now, but the one thing that would make it better is if Rand had brought his sheepherder sweater with him. Sure, he might be in the middle of the Aiel Waste and doesn’t need it most of the time between the heat and the appearance of the markings on his arm, but deserts get really cold at night! That sweater would help!

Previously Defeated: Fellow ginger in (8) Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan); (1) The Nanny in a big upset; (12) While You Were Sleeping in a rematch following a tie.

Who has the better sweater?

Color Work/Christmas Matchup: (2) Murder, She Wrote season 1 vs (12) A Close Shave

(2) Murder, She Wrote (1×02, “Deadly Lady”)

The Sweater: A cream-colored zippered cardigan with several fish stitched together in black yarn on the front and sleeves. (Not seen: Even more fish on the back.)

Who Wore It: Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), who’s perhaps the greatest detective that Cabot Cove has ever seen. Or she should be.

Replica: Yes

Notes: A famous woman with a famous knit who’s already come so far.

Previously Defeated: (15) Finding Mr. Christmas; (7) Bridget Jones’s Diary; (14) What We Do in the Shadows.

(12) A Close Shave

The Sweater: A white turtleneck sweater with pink stripes made from his own wool.

Who Wore It: Shaun the Sheep, a Wallace and Gromit character cool enough to get his own films.

Replica: No

Notes: Now the lowest-ranked sweater left in the bracket, and I’m very proud of how far this sweater’s come, tbh!

Previously Defeated: (5) The Shining in an upset; (4) The O.C. in another upset; (8) The Killing in a third upset.

Who has the better sweater?

Cardigan/Neck Matchup: (1) Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (various, all seasons) vs (2) The Big Lebowski

(1) Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (various, all seasons)

The Sweater: A green cardigan (likely hand-knitted by his mother) that’s cozy enough to wear at home.

Who Wore It: The singular Fred Rogers, of course. Who’d probably have a lot of thoughts about what’s happening to children’s education right now.

Replica: Yes

Notes: Apropos of nothing, might I suggest watching Fred Rogers’ testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Education from 1969 when Richard Nixon wanted to cut funding to PBS.

Previously Defeated: (16) The Lake House; (8) The Holiday; (13) Moonstruck.

(2) The Big Lebowski

The Sweater: A tan and brown Westerly zippered cardigan.

Who Wore It: The dudest Dude (Jeff Bridges) to ever dude.

Replica: Yes

Notes: It’s well-known that the Dude’s sweater was actually Jeff Bridges’, but let’s just talk about how he had great taste.

Previously Defeated: (15) Clueless; (7) The Truman Show; (6) The Banshees of Inisherin.

Who has the better sweater?

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