The cozy cardigan I button up and live in all winter.

On the soft hooded cardigan that skims instead of clinging, covers the arms, buttons up warm and has a hood to pull up — in seven 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 on a cold morning I want one thing that does the work of three — a cardigan for warmth, something over my neck, and a hood for the wind on the way to the mailbox. Usually that means a sweater, a scarf, and a hat, all fussed with at the door.

For years I gathered up all three and lost at least one of them by lunch. I had started to feel a little frazzled before the day even began.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant kept turning up in one soft hooded cardigan that seemed to do the whole job at once. I finally asked her. 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 cardigan is called the Amanda, 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 Amanda relaxed and roomy, so it drapes over you and skims your shape instead of pulling anywhere. All the comfort of a soft knit, without disappearing inside a shapeless one.

2Sleeves that cover the arms — to the wrist

We gave it full-length sleeves that cover the arms down to a ribbed cuff at the wrist. Nothing grips the upper arm, and the cuffs hold instead of sliding down over your hands.

3A soft hood to pull up against the chill

We added a soft knit hood you can actually pull up against a cold morning or a draft at the door, and left it to sit easy at the shoulders the rest of the time. It is the warmth of a scarf and a hat, built right in.

4Real wooden buttons down the front

We ran real wooden buttons down the front instead of plastic — the warm, matte kind that feel solid under your fingers. Button it up when the chill sets in, or leave the top few open for an easier neckline.

5Soft and cozy, in seven colors

We knit it soft and cozy, the kind you want to live in, and made it in seven easy colors that go with what 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 Amanda from a size S all the way to 5XL and cut it relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the cardigan.

The Amanda, against the cardigans you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Amanda at $219.95 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 a third 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 spent too many cold mornings gathering up a sweater, a scarf and a hat and losing one of them by lunch — and this one soft cardigan quietly does all three. 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.