Another day, another horror movie, another creepy, sorta-psychic boy. Gore Verbinski's The Ring (2002) is a worthy remake of 1998's Ring (Ringu) which itself is an adaptation of an original series of novels beginning with the book of the same title. Several adaptions and sequels have reached the small and big screens, and all are interesting interpretations and expansions of the novels.
The American movie version was filmed and takes place primarily in Washington and Oregon, so there's lots of opportunity to see easy-wearing knits that keep out the damp and chill of Pacific Northwest fall weather. It opens with two teenage girls having a sleepover and swapping stories about making out and watching video tapes that kill you (as one does at these things). Apparently, after you watch this creepy video tape, the phone will ring and someone will say:
Yeah, that.
It turns out that one of the girls did see it, and she dies early in the film. Rachel (Naomi Watts) investigates the girl's death because it happens to be her niece and she's a reporter and all. So, of course, she discovers and watches the tape, then her ex-boyfriend watches it, and then their son (sorta psychic boy, Aidan) accidentally watches it. Whoopsie. It's a race for Rachel to solve the mystery of the tape's curse before seven days are up to prevent more deaths, including her own.
The niece isn't the only one who watched the tape. She and three friends camped out at Shelter Mountain Inn, which, unbeknownst to them, was built right over the well where the antagonist, Samara, was killed. Don't they look like they were having fun?
Photos and videos taken of those who have been "marked" by Samara shows people's faces as blurred and twisted. But, hey, check out that cardigan. It looks to be made from a worsted or aran weight wool, with a ribbed collar and zippered placket.
This photo is the only time we see this cardigan so the colorwork is challenging to get a good look at. However, after obsessively pausing and enlarging and staring and sketching, it seems to be something like this:
Want to knit the look? Lucky for you, I decided to chart it up and swatch it myself. The pattern repeat is 7 stitches wide (shown below repeated four times each for the top and bottom segments) so you'll want to make sure your overall stitch count for whatever garment you add this to is divisible by 7 (plus any additional you may need if your pattern calls for selvage edge stitches). Grab your favorite cardigan pattern that calls for worsted or aran weight yarn and pair it with these free charts by yours truly (click below to download free pdf):
Ex-boyfriend Noah is wearing a similar style cardigan in a heathered, dark grey color. It's got a double thick, squishy ribbed collar, a drop shoulder, and also looks to be made of a worsted or aran weight yarn.
While there is no colorwork in this cardigan, it's main point of interest lies in its stitch pattern. It is not plain stockinette (knit stitches only) but looks to be done in seed stitch, which uses knit and purl stitches right next to each other, alternating every other stitch and every other row, so that no two stitches of the same kind are adjacent. This texture along with the heathered look to the yarn gives an appealing yet low-key speckled effect.
Knit the look:
L to R: Tamarack Men's Cardigan / Jared Flood (photo credit Brooklyn Tweed) ; Bernat Cocoon Cardigan / photo & design by Yarnspirations ; Seed Stitch Jacket 504 / photo & design by Michelle Porter
All creepy horror movie children need a babysitter, and Aidan's adorable babysitter popped on an even more adorable hat on her way out. This was after Rachel came home and startled her awake in front of a static TV screen (wait--did she watch the tape, too? I somehow think not; who could fall asleep right after watching that?).
This hat was probably achieved with more than one technique employed. Some larger colorwork portions might have been done with intarsia (colorwork done in a concentrated shape rather than stranded across a whole piece), or with a technique called duplicate stitch (stitching over existing stitches, usually in a different color). It's hard to see the detail, so it's also possible that some of these shapes could be added after the fact with embroidery techniques.
The vertical stripes were probably achieved through intarsia or stranded colorwork. However, the horizontal stripes separating the dashed/dotted sections toward the bottom of the hat may have been done with a relatively simple technique of alternating sections of knit and purl stitches, with the knit rows in black and the purl rows in grey. The rows of purl stitches will stand out from the knit rows and cause them to look a bit puffy and rounded.
You can see this effect in the Wurm hat pattern, which is free to download from Ravelry with the creation of a free account.
The patterns on this hat seem to me to have a video game look, with the top portions looking like a gathering of little gaming icons, and the bottom looking a bit like a road or a path. I couldn't help but get a Pac Man vibe from it!
I love the addition of the flea stitch "dots" and the absence of them along some of the pathways, like some have been eaten by Pac Man. The flea stitch is one knit stitch, in a contrast color, which makes it look like a little "v" or a heart. Get the GameBoard Chart (photo and design by Sam McDougall).
For the majority of her Scooby-Doo-ing scenes in the latter half of the movie, Rachel is wearing a turtleneck top with a very fine weave that is clearly machine knit. It is rather plain with the exception of some interesting ribbing and color detail on it's edges and along the sides. The edge of the turtleneck fold, the side seams and all along the shoulder, as well as the bottom ribbing and sleeve ribbing are all done in a dark grey to contrast with the light grey of the rest of the top.
To recreate this in hand-knit you could use a top down, set-in sleeve pattern (such as the light grey one below), strategically switching to dark grey at all the right points on the shoulder, sleeve cap and side "seam." However, even just the addition of the the contrast color at the edges of the ribbing on the neck, sleeves, and hem would be relatively easy and make a nice touch to an otherwise plain garment. If done in a non-superwash wool yarn, it would also keep you a lot warmer than this probably kept Rachel when she took a forced swimming lesson down the well!
Knit or crochet the look:
L to R: Turtle Dove II / photo & design by Espace Tricot ; Minimal Pullover / photo & design by Joji Locatelli ; Adult Crochet Turtleneck Pullover / photo & design by Yarnspirations
Rachel's investigation takes her on a ferry to visit a family therapist on Moesko Island where she learns about Samara and the woes she brought to the island. The therapist is wearing a dotted and dashed, oversized pullover in grey, with a drop shoulder and a shawl collar that looks ever so cozy and like you should trust her with your children.
This is another intarsia piece that would require some careful planning. The colorful circles in different sizes seem reminiscent of a solar system motif, while the dashes give off a map/traffic grid vibe, which seems playful and disarming.
Knit the look:
L to R: Out of This World / photo & design by Jennifer Small ; Modern Lodge Pullover / photo & design by Lion Brand; Bozeman Top-Down Pullover / photo & design by Basix ; Solar System Sweater / photo & design by Carolynne Kollar
The pullover that Rachel is wearing in the last scene of the film is only briefly spotted, but I'm a sucker for it. Argyle is knit using the intarsia colorwork technique (are we sensing a theme?). Hand-knit argyle patterns don't seem to be as prolific as they were in days of yore. Most argyle pullover knitting patterns are vintage or out-of-print, such as this great one from 1944 or the fabulous designs of Martin Storey.
You will look so great in your own knit argyle pullover that people won't be able to watch that killer VHS tape--because they'll be watching you, babe.
Check out the knitting patterns below to knit the look.
Buster Sweater / Photo & Design by Ruth Homrighaus ; Argyle Jumper PT8491 / Photo & Design by Bendigo Woollen Mills ; Argyle Man / Photo & Design by Suzanna Frary
What about sorta-psychic Aidan? Well, spoiler-alert, he senses Samara is evil, he just doesn't get around to telling his mom that until she accidentally sets Samara free. He's not a talkative sort, I guess.
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