The cozy cable-knit I have not stopped living in.

On the soft cable-knit sweater with a cozy high collar — warm and comforting, a beautiful texture that looks far more expensive than it is, and long sleeves that cover the arms.

I am 63 years old, and when the cold sets in I reach for the same thing every woman my age seems to: a warm sweater. The trouble is that most of the warm ones are either plain and shapeless, or scratchy old wool that I need a shirt underneath to bear. So I was warm, but I never felt lovely.

What I wanted was a sweater that was genuinely cozy and a pleasure to look at — soft against the skin, warm at the neck, and with a bit of texture and character so I didn't feel like I'd given up. But the pretty ones itched, and the soft ones were dull. Nothing was both.

Then a friend of mine turned up to a coffee morning in the loveliest cable-knit — soft, warm, with the coziest high collar — and I could not stop touching the sleeve. She 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 Lila, 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 beautiful cable-knit texture

We knitted the Lila with a rich cable-and-pointelle texture that runs right through it — the kind of detail that lifts a simple sweater into something that looks a great deal more expensive than it is. It catches the light beautifully and gives you something lovely to look at on the greyest of days.

2A cozy high collar to keep the chill off

It has a soft, high folded collar that sits snug around the neck — a gentle mock-turtleneck that keeps the draught off the very place the cold gets in. No scarf to wind, no chill down your collar. Warm right up to the chin the moment you pull it on.

3Soft, warm and cozy

It is knitted from a soft, warm yarn that wraps you up like a blanket — none of the itch and scratch of the old wool jumpers so many of us gave up on. Chunky enough to feel properly cozy, soft enough to wear straight against the skin, and comforting from the first cold morning.

4Long sleeves that cover the arms

The long sleeves cover the whole arm and finish in a ribbed cuff at the wrist, so you stay warm right to your hands — no draughty gap, no pushing sleeves up and down. Covered, cozy, and comfortable from shoulder to wrist.

5Two easy colours to choose from

We offer the Lila in two soft, easy shades — a gentle sky blue and a warm beige — both of them the kind of neutral that goes with the trousers, jeans and jewelry you already own. Many women order the one, then come back for the other before winter is out.

6It fits the body you have

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

The Lila, against the sweaters in your drawer

	The usual winter sweater	The Lila
The look	Plain, flat, basic	A beautiful cable-knit texture
Your neck	Draughty, needs a scarf	A cozy high collar
The feel	Scratchy, itchy wool	Soft, warm and cozy
The fit	Tight or boxy	Relaxed and cozy, skims
Sizing	Runs small	True fit, S–3XL

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Lila at $239.95 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 sweater is going out at a fraction of that.

I ordered the sky blue. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. It has been the first thing I reach for on every cold morning since.

I do not usually write things like this. But most of my warm sweaters had made me feel frumpy for years — and this one is cozy and warm and genuinely lovely to wear, right up to the collar. If that sounds like the sweater you've been after, I hope you get yours before it clears.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Lila — $74.95 →

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.