Cardigan (sweater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cardigan (or Old Man Sweater) is a type of sweater/jumper with buttons down the front; by contrast, a pullover does not open in front, but forms a solid tube around the torso. The cardigan was named after James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British military commander, during his service in the Crimean War. It is usually machine- or hand-knitted from wool or cotton. Cardigans are available for both sexes but are more typically worn by women.
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[edit] Knitting and design
The torso of a cardigan is often knit as a single piece in a simple back-and-forth manner. By contrast, knitting a pullover as a single piece requires circular knitting. Alternatively, the body of the cardigan may be knit in three pieces, one for the back and two for the front.
Although all types of necklines are found in cardigans, the V-neckline is especially popular. The seam in front of a cardigan allows for many fashionable variations. For example, it need not be straight, but can cross diagonally (surplice style); it may also be lined with frills or cut away to form a bolero jacket.
[edit] Cardigans in popular culture
- In an assassination attempt similar to the incident that took the life of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov, former Bulgarian state radio editor Vladimir Kostov survived an attack in Paris as he was leaving the subway when a Bulgarian secret agent injected into him a ricin-coated platinum pellet hidden in the tip of an umbrella. The agent failed to kill Kostov because the heavy woollen cardigan he was wearing that day kept the pellet from penetrating his skin too deeply.
- In some South American countries, particularly Chile, a woman's cardigan is known as "chaqueta rebeca." The name derives from the film Rebecca (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, in which the character played by Joan Fontaine wore this type of sweater[1].
- A cardigan worn by television personality Fred Rogers on the show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
- The Swedish pop-group The Cardigans made a world-wide hit with their song Lovefool in 1996.
- Some youth have taking a liking to the cardigan sweaters and are calling them "Old Man Sweaters". Some youth have taken it to the point of having an (Informal) "Old Man Sweater *Day of the Week*" where they encourge people to wear these sweaters.
[edit] Notable wearers of cardigans
- Simon Amstell
- Li Ao, writer
- Mr. Lynn Butlertron
- Jimmy Carter
- Kurt Cobain
- Bill Cosby
- Roald Dahl
- Val Doonican
- Robert Dougall (British newsreader)
- Jack Feeny
- George Huang
- Calvin Johnson
- Paul J Martin
- Jim McDermick
- Rick Nielsen
- Alan Partridge
- Mr. Rogers
- Bob Saget
- Christina Hamilton
- Barrie Unsworth (Former Premier of New South Wales, an Australian State)
- Nagato Yuki of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (a.k.a. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
- Sheikh Shuvo (House Manager and Steward, Pi Kappa Phi, Psi Chapter)
