Since Project Hail Mary, one question keeps coming up: should you buy the kit and knit the cardigan yourself, or buy one already finished? One thing first: the kit is Mary Maxim's original 1959 Wolf Cardigan. The fox version in the film was redesigned by its costume designers, Glyn Dillon and Dave Crossman, who redrew the wolves as foxes.
We knit these for a living, so we're hardly neutral. But there's a straight answer, and for some people it isn't us: if you can knit and you have the weeks, the kit is much cheaper. Here's the whole picture so you can decide before you spend anything.
Side by side
| Mary Maxim kit knit it yourself |
Made-to-order hand-knit other makers |
DalyMountain finished, in stock |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $89.99 – $99.99 · wool version $149.99 – $189.99 | around $180 – $225 | from $166 |
| When you can wear it | Once the kit arrives — plus however long you take to knit it | 4–6 weeks production, then shipping | Dispatched in 2–7 days |
| Skill needed | Confident knitter — colourwork, shaping, roughly 40–60 hours | None | None |
| Zip included? | Zip and needles sold separately | Yes | Yes, full-length zip and two pockets |
| Sizes | 38–40 and 42–44 · wool version up to 2X · crochet version up to 5X | Varies by maker | XXS to 6X, plus free custom measurements |
| Shipping | Varies | Varies | Free to the US · Europe flat rate, duties covered |
Mary Maxim prices checked in September 2026 and other makers' in August 2026, quoted from the sellers' own listings. They change — check before you buy.
Buy the kit if…
- You already knit, and colourwork doesn't scare you.
- You want it to cost as little as possible — nothing beats $90 for a cardigan like this.
- The making is the point. Plenty of people want to be able to say they knitted it, and that's a perfectly good reason.
- You have the time. Budget 40–60 hours, and remember you'll need to buy a zip and the right needles separately.
Buy it finished if…
- You don't knit — and learning colourwork on a full adult cardigan is a rough place to start.
- You need it by a date. Halloween and Christmas both have hard edges; a half-knitted sleeve doesn't care.
- You need a size or fit the kits don't cover. Ours runs XXS to 6X, and we knit to your measurements at no extra cost.
- You'd rather the 40–60 hours were someone else's. In our case, they belong to the women of the Dalyasan village association, who have been knitting professionally for years and get paid for every piece.
One thing both options share
This is a hand-knitted garment either way. There is no version of this cardigan that gets made quickly, by anyone. What differs is only whose hands and when you start counting.
If finished is the answer for you: see the Fox Cardigan →
If you're building a costume and racing a date, the order deadlines are in the Project Hail Mary Halloween costume guide. And if you want the full story of where this pattern came from, start with what a Cowichan cardigan actually is.
We're an independent knitting association and aren't affiliated with Mary Maxim, the film, or its studio. The Wolf Cardigan is Mary Maxim's design and the fox version is the film's; ours is a handmade tribute knitted in the traditional Cowichan style.