Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Surprise Sweater"

This is definitely one of the coolest things I've ever made. It makes absolutely no sense at all while you are knitting (see picture on the left). In fact, at a few points in the instructions there are little asides saying things like "Work will start to look very odd indeed, but trust me and press on." It's all knitted in one piece in garter stitich and the stripes can be as random as you like since you don't have to worry about separate pieces matching when you are done.

When you finish, your piece looks like the picture on the right. Then you fold it origami-style following an "A to A and B to B" diagram, and get this adorable cardigan! I still need to sew the tops of the sleeves and shoulders, weave in a few ends, crochet around the neck and add buttons, but I couldn't resist sharing this as quickly as possible.


The pattern is available from Schoolhouse Press
and some very helpful notes are available for free from Dawn Adcock.