The chunky stripe that covers my arms and looks hand-made.

On the hand-knit striped sweater that skims instead of clinging, covers the arms in a full soft sleeve, and looks like something found in a little coastal shop — in four colors. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and I have a weakness for a good striped sweater and a long history of being let down by them. They are always thin where I want them cozy, tight where I want them easy, and made so plainly that they could have come from anywhere at all.

What I wanted was the one from the catalogs I used to love — chunky, hand-knit, the kind you would find in a little shop by the sea. But those cost the earth, and the affordable ones felt like nothing at all.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant turned up in exactly that sweater, and I could not stop looking at it. She laughed and told me to read the Clarke family's letter first.

The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The sweater is called the Adele, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.

1A cut that skims, never clings

We cut the Adele relaxed and easy through the body, so it skims your shape rather than gripping it. Roomy and comfortable, with a soft ribbed hem that gives it a little shape without pulling anywhere.

2A full sleeve that covers the arms

We gave it a full, soft balloon sleeve that covers the whole arm and gathers into a ribbed cuff at the wrist. There is room all the way around your arm, so nothing pulls and nothing shows through.

3Chunky, and knit by hand

We knit it chunky and by hand, in a soft, lofty yarn with real stitches you can see and feel. It has the look of a sweater someone made for you, not one stamped out by the thousand.

4A clean navy-and-cream stripe

We gave it a bold, wide stripe in navy and cream — a clean, timeless pattern that looks like something found in a little coastal shop. It is the kind of thing people stop to ask you about.

5Four easy colorways

We make it in four colorways besides this navy — soft, easy stripes that go with the jeans and trousers you already own. Most women who buy one come back for a second before the season is out.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Adele from a size XS all the way to 3XL and cut it relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the sweater.

The Adele, against the striped sweaters you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Adele at $139.95 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every one is going out at less than half of that.

I ordered mine that evening. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. I have reached for it more than anything else in my closet since.

I do not usually write things like this. But I had chased that catalog stripe for years — chunky, hand-knit, cozy, covered — and always found it too dear or too thin. This one is finally all of it, and a fraction of the price. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your color before it clears.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Sandra was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.