The Dude Copycat Cardigan is the result of five years of research into recreating the iconic Pendleton Mills cardigan worn by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. This is a heavy, warm cardigan knitted in half fisherman’s rib.

I barely knew how to knit prior to this, but I wanted to recreate this cardigan for a gift. This led me down a five-year rabbit hole of knitting and unraveling over and over, along with pages and pages of notes. This is the result of my research, for anyone wishing to create a decent copy of the cardigan, while keeping their sanity.

This cardigan is made to look just like the real one, but it is not easy. This knit eats up yarn, requires two sets of needles and uses 2 strands the whole time. But the end result will closely resemble the original, more than any pattern I’ve encountered.

Please note:

• I’m not a designer, I’m just very stubborn.
• There is only one size, because all my research was made around one set of measurements.
• I would rate this pattern as “acceptable” but still not perfect. All potential improvements are included as notes in the pattern.

With that said, here is a more detailed description of the pattern.

The entire cardigan is made with 2 strands, one worked and one carried over. The body is knit seamlessly from the bottom up using half fisherman’s rib. Each section is then finished separately after sleeve bind offs. The sleeves are knit in the round and joined later to the body. Two strips are added to the front which will hold the zipper. The collar is made by picking up stitches around the top edge and working in fisherman’s rib and German short rows.

Gauge
28 st x 32 rows in half fisherman’s rib = 10 x 10 cm.

Finished measurements
Bust circumference: 107 cm
Body height (shoulder to cuff): 72 cm
Sleeve cuff width: 11.5 cm
Widest sleeve width: 19 cm

If anything is unclear, or for any question or feedback, feel free to contact me.