Erin in an Aran! (Source: Netflix)
After four days, half the sweaters are gone.
But on the plus side, there are a lot more of you here than when I launched this tournament after a lovely write-up in Modern Daily Knitting12! I’m happy to have you along for the ride of the rest of Knit Madness—which I’m sure will get even harder to choose winners from after every round—and I hope you stick around after the chaos dies down.
Recap: Day 4, Cardigan/Neck
Day 4’s victors. (Source: Screenshot)
Partially thanks to a last-minute influx of voters—hi, glad you’re here!—some of these matchups look a lot different than when I went to bed last night. But that’s what’s exciting about watching these play out in real-time!
Matchup: (1) Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (82.9%) vs
(16) The Lake House (17.1%)Matchup: (2) The Big Lebowski (58.1%) vs
(15) Clueless (41.9%)Matchup:
(3) Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (43.8%)vs (14) The Lighthouse (56.2%)Matchup:
(4) Dunkirk (28.2%)vs (13) Moonstruck (71.8%)Matchup:
(5) Jaws (43.8%)vs (12) Doctor Zhivago (56.2%)Matchup: (6) The Banshees of Inisherin (66.7%) vs
(11) Grease (33.3%)Matchup: (7) The Truman Show (55.8%) vs
(10) Scream (1996) (44.2%)Matchup: (8) The Holiday (61.2%) vs
(9) Poker Face (38.8%)
And here’s the finalized Round of 32!
Here’s who’s left. (Source: Screenshot)
You can find a detailed rundown of Knit Madness here.
Today’s Matchups
Matchup: (1) Knives Out vs (9) The Mandalorian
Credits: Claire Folger/Lionsgate | Disney+
(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: Interviewed costume designer Jenny Eagan about it in 2019. This is the only sweater I’ve banned from being selected for Knitwear of the Week—and one several people made sure I included on the list.
Previously Defeated: (16) Friday the 13th
(9) The Mandalorian (2×03, “The Heiress”)
Sweater: A teal cable-knit sweater getting used how it was historically meant to be.
Who Wore It: A Mon Cala Dock Worker (Frank Ippolito) who just wants to do his job in peace.
Replica: No
Notes: For a galaxy rife with lavish costumes, there was very little knitwear in it before this episode aired.
Previously Defeated: (8) House of Gucci.
Who has the better sweater?
Who has the better sweater? 1️⃣ Ransom (Chris Evans) in KNIVES OUT 2️⃣ Mon Cala (Frank Ippolito) in THE MANDALORIAN 📊 Show results
— Michelle Jaworski (@michejaw.bsky.social) 2025-03-23T15:46:50.142Z
Matchup: (3) When Harry Met Sally vs (6) Star Trek: Picard
Credits: When Harry Met Sally | Trae Patton/CBS
(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.
Replica: No
Notes: This sweater was Knit(ting) Flicks’ first-ever Knitwear of the Week, and it’s so iconic that nobody can replicate it, not even Billy Crystal—and he tried!
Previously Defeated: (14) The Thomas Crown Affair, which features one of my favorite movie knits!
(6) Star Trek: Picard (1×01, “Remembrance”)
Sweater: An olive green cable-knit sweater complete with ribbed shoulder pads.
Who Wore It: Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the U.S.S. Enterprise captain who just wants to enjoy his damn retirement in peace.
Replica: Yes
Notes: Granted, I’m not a huge Star Trek person, but a show where an older Picard hangs out on a vineyard with his dog and gets to relax sounds like a fun one-off.
Previously Defeated: (11) Anatomy of a Fall.
Who has the better sweater?
Who has the better sweater? 1️⃣ Harry (Billy Crystal) in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY 2️⃣ Picard (Patrick Stewart) in STAR TREK: PICARD 📊 Show results
— Michelle Jaworski (@michejaw.bsky.social) 2025-03-23T15:47:19.993Z
Matchup: (4) Firefly season 1 vs (5) Gilmore Girls season 1
Credits: Hulu | Netflix
(4) Firefly (1×08, “Out of Gas,” and 1×12, “The Message”)
Sweater: A yellowish-brown cable-knit sweater.
Who Wore It: Hoban "Wash" Washburne (Alan Tudyk), the Serenity’s resident wife guy.
Replica: Yes
Notes: A cozy knit makes a fan-favorite even cozier.
Previously Defeated: (13) Let’s Make Love, a historic—if only in sweaters—Marilyn Monroe flop.
(5) Gilmore Girls (1×01, “Pilot”)
Sweater: An oversized white Aran sweater.
Who Wore It: High schooler Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), who’s clearly drowning in it.
Replica: Yes
Notes: An Aran sweater in an idyllic fictional Connecticut town? A likely place for it to be.
Previously Defeated: (12) Local Hero.
Who has the better sweater?
Who has the better sweater? 1️⃣ Wash (Alan Tudyk) in FIREFLY 2️⃣ Rory (Alexis Bledel) in GILMORE GIRLS 📊 Show results
— Michelle Jaworski (@michejaw.bsky.social) 2025-03-23T15:47:52.307Z
Matchup: (10) Love Story (1970) vs (15) Derry Girls season 3
Credits: Love Story | Netflix
(10) Love Story (1970)
Sweater: A chunky white Aran so warm that no coat is required.
Who Wore It: Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal), a WASP who comes from old money and falls in love with a working-class Italian American woman. Which, in the time/place that this movie takes place in, is pretty frowned upon.
Replica: No
Notes: A film that almost definitely contributed to the preppy reputation sweaters have nowadays.
Previously Defeated: (7) The Devil Wears Prada.
(15) Derry Girls (3×06, “Halloween,” and 3×07, “The Agreement”)
Sweater: A classically Irish white honeycomb Aran sweater.
Who Wore It: Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney), Derry’s most over-it-all nun with great taste in film.
Replica: No
Notes: Previous Knitwear of the Week recipient. Not the only Aran in a nearly perfect season of television. (Watch Derry Girls ASAP.)
Previously Defeated: (2) Titanic in a major upset.
Who has the better sweater?
Who has the better sweater? 1️⃣ Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) in LOVE STORY 2️⃣ Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney) in DERRY GIRLS 📊 Show results
— Michelle Jaworski (@michejaw.bsky.social) 2025-03-23T15:48:20.009Z
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1 If I have one clarification: With a few exceptions (because they weren’t on there at all), I used Metacritic as one of the three criteria—four, if patterns were involved—to calculate rankings for nearly all of the films and shows, not Rotten Tomatoes.
2 Of course, in a pure egg-on-face moment, I also very briefly (but long enough for it to have gone out to everyone) got the name of the publication that did the lovely write-up wrong. It’s now fixed, and I regret the error.
