A Letter From Michelle — The Judy
A Letter From Michelle
Trees on a sweater almost always mean Christmas. These ones mean the mountains.
On the difference between a forest and a holiday sweater, the six things I would not compromise on, and why it is $64.95.
A woman held this up at the counter last week and asked me, carefully, whether it was a Christmas sweater. I could hear what she wanted the answer to be.
It is a fair worry. Every pretty winter knit a woman our age gets offered arrives with a reindeer on it, or a snowflake, or something that lights up, and none of it survives past the second week of January.
So look at where the trees sit, and what color they are. They run along the bottom in a deeper shade of the same green, the way a treeline looks from across a valley. Nothing red, nothing white, nothing that winks at you.
Six things I would not compromise on.
The trees are knitted in, not printed on
A printed pattern sits on top of the cloth and cracks by spring. This is worked into the knit in a second shade of the same yarn, which is why the trees have soft edges and why the whole thing reads as a landscape rather than a graphic.
“The little pine trees are what caught my eye. I love anything that reminds me of the mountains, and the different shades of green are just beautiful.”
Janice M., BooneIt is a forest, not a holiday
No red, no white, no gold thread. The trees are the same family of green as the body, so from six feet away you see a sweater with something going on at the hem, and only up close do you see what. That is the difference between December and March.
“The forest pattern reminds me of our family trips to the mountains when the children were little. Such a sweet design. 😊”
Donna W., AshevilleThe neck is wide, and that is on purpose
A ribbed boat neck that sits open across the collarbone rather than up under your chin. The honest trade: a wide neck is cooler, so on a hard winter day you will want a shirt under it — which happens to look rather good.
“I particularly like the wide neckline. Most of my winter sweaters come right up to my neck, so this makes a nice change. Lovely with a white shirt underneath.”
Elaine P., Saratoga SpringsRelaxed through the middle, and soft where it touches you
It is cut easy through the body and stops at the hip rather than halfway down the thigh, so it skims without swallowing you. The yarn is a soft one, chosen so it can sit against the neck and the wrists all afternoon without the itch that sends a sweater back to the drawer.
“I’m 68 and prefer sweaters that don’t cling around my middle. The relaxed shape is exactly what I look for these days. And I love that it’s not too long.”
Barbara K., LancasterTwo colors, nine sizes, one price
Green Trees and Blue Trees, and XS through 5XL in both of them, with nothing priced above anything else. A nine-size run on a patterned knit is rarer than it ought to be, and it is usually the top of the range that gets quietly dropped.
“Green has always been my favorite color, but it’s the dark evergreen trees that make this one special. I’ve got plenty of plain sweaters, nothing quite like this.”
Marilyn T., BendIt goes with what is already in your closet
That is the quiet advantage of a pattern built from one color: there is nothing to match. It sits over the jeans you wore yesterday and under the coat by the door.
“I paired mine with jeans and brown ankle boots for lunch with my sister. Such a pretty sweater without being too dressy.”
Carol R., BurlingtonThe Judy, against what else $65 buys
| Most $65 patterned sweaters | The Judy | |
|---|---|---|
| The pattern | Printed on the surface, cracking by spring | Knitted in, in a second shade of the same yarn |
| The trees | Red and white, with a reindeer somewhere | A treeline in deep evergreen, and nothing else |
| The neck | Right up under your chin | Wide and ribbed, open across the collarbone |
| The fit | Tight across the bust, or a tent | Relaxed through the middle, stopping at the hip |
| The color | Gray, beige, or black again | Two — Green Trees and Blue Trees |
| Sizing | Stops at XL, if you are lucky | XS to 5XL, both colors, every size one price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Judy was $260, and that number was for a pattern worked into the knit rather than printed over it, a second shade of yarn carried the whole way across the lower body, a ribbed boat neck and a size run that goes to 5XL in both colors. A good deal of knitting for a sweater most makers would have run off plain. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so it is going out at a quarter of what it was.
And the honest reasoning. Every autumn the racks fill with gray and beige and black, and a woman past sixty is quietly expected to find that appropriate. I have never found it appropriate. I have found it dull, and I have never once stocked it on that reasoning.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$260.00$64.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 75%
- A treeline knitted in, not printed on
- Two shades of one color — nothing red, nothing white
- A wide ribbed boat neck
- Relaxed through the middle, stopping at the hip
- Soft yarn, chosen against the itch
- Green Trees or Blue Trees
- XS to 5XL in both colors, every size one price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Both colors and every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Go and look at the winter sweaters you already own, and count the colors.
If the answer is gray, beige and black, that was not a preference. It was what you were offered.
Thirty days to send this one back if I am wrong about that.
Go and pick your color.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR COLOR — $64.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.