A LETTER FROM KATHY · FOUNDER OF KATHY’S KNITWEAR
Lake Placid, New York · October 2026
A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDERTWELVE WINTERS OF KEEPING WOMEN WARM. THESE ARE THE CARDIGANS I WOULD GIVE YOU FIRST
Twelve winters of listening to women tell me what they actually reach for when the weather turns cold. If you are only going to add one warm layer to your closet this fall, I would make it this cardigan — and I will tell you exactly why.
Twelve winters ago, I opened Kathy’s Knitwear here in Lake Placid because I was tired of choosing between feeling warm and still feeling like myself. I was 55 then, and I kept hearing the same thing from women around me: knitwear could be cozy, but too often it felt heavy, bulky, or simply not flattering.
So from the beginning, I had one rule: warm should still feel beautiful.
Now it is October, and Lake Placid has started doing what it always does this time of year. Cold in the morning, milder by lunch, then chilly again before the day is over.
And that is exactly why I have always loved a cardigan.
A pullover is something you commit to. A cardigan gives you options. Button it when the air turns cold, open it when the sun comes out, take it off when you walk indoors, and put it straight back on when the temperature drops again.
After twelve winters of helping women find knitwear they actually enjoy wearing, the cardigan is still the piece I would put in your hands first.
And as I prepare for my final season here in Lake Placid, there are six things I would want to show you about this one — in exactly the same order I would point them out if you were standing here in the shop with me.
A cardigan adjusts. A pullover does not.
Buttoned on a cold Lake Placid morning, open by lunchtime, over the back of a chair by two o’clock and back on again before dinner. You are never stuck dressing for just one temperature. That is why a cardigan ends up by the door and stays there all season, while the pullover spends most of its time in the drawer.
“It barely makes it back into my closet. I wear it in the morning, take it off by lunch, and have it back on again before dinner.”
★★★★★““It barely makes it back into my closet. I wear it in the morning, take it off by lunch, and have it back on again before dinner.””
Linda M. · Albany, NYVerified buyer
Sleeves that are made to be worn
The cuffs are properly knitted, so they keep their shape instead of stretching out or curling at the wrist. That matters more than you might think, because a cardigan is constantly being pushed up, pulled down, and worn throughout the day.
“I push the sleeves up around the house all the time, and they still fall back into place beautifully. They haven’t stretched out at all.”
★★★★★““I push the sleeves up around the house all the time, and they still fall back into place beautifully. They haven’t stretched out at all.””
Carol M. · Saratoga Springs, NYVerified buyer
Real wool that holds the heat
The knit has enough weight to keep the cold out, without feeling thick or stuffy once you step indoors. That is what I look for in a cardigan — something warm enough for a chilly Lake Placid morning, but comfortable enough to keep on through the rest of the day.
“Warm without feeling heavy. I wore it from breakfast through dinner and never once felt like I needed to take it off.”
★★★★★““Warm without feeling heavy. I wore it from breakfast through dinner and never once felt like I needed to take it off.””
Margaret L. · Burlington, VTVerified buyer
Buttons that are made to last
The first thing to give up on a cardigan is often not the knit, but the buttons. Ours are real wood, securely stitched so they sit properly and stay where they belong, wear after wear. It is a small detail, but one you notice when a cardigan becomes part of your everyday routine.
“Three winters later and every button is still exactly where it should be. I haven’t had to fix a single one.”
★★★★★““Three winters later and every button is still exactly where it should be. I haven’t had to fix a single one.””
Janet W. · Denver, COVerified buyer
It keeps its shape season after season
A cardigan gets hung over chairs, hooks, and hangers far more often than it gets folded away. Poorly made ones start to stretch at the shoulders and lose their shape quickly. A strong knit, proper ribbing, and a well-finished shoulder help it stay the way it was meant to look — even after a full season of wear.
“No stretched-out shoulders, no sagging at the hem. Mine still looks just as good now as it did when I first wore it.”
★★★★★““No stretched-out shoulders, no sagging at the hem. Mine still looks just as good now as it did when I first wore it.””
Kim S. · Fort Collins, CO · VERIFIED BUYERVerified buyer
Plenty of choice, without compromising the fit
Not one cardigan repeated in a handful of colors. Each style has its own pattern, its own character, and the fit is designed to sit properly across the shoulders and chest in every size. A larger size should still look like the same cardigan — just made to fit you.
“I ordered the larger size expecting the usual boxy fit. It is cut like the smaller one, just roomier. I ordered a second.”
★★★★★““I ordered the larger size expecting the usual boxy fit. It is cut like the smaller one, just roomier. I ordered a second.””
Carol H. · Boise, IDVerified buyer
OUR CARDIGANS, AGAINST THE ONES YOU HAVE BEEN BUYING
You can find an $80 cardigan almost anywhere, and over the years I have tried plenty myself to understand what women were really being sold. The difference is usually not obvious on the hanger — it shows up after a few weeks of wearing it. So here it is, laid out plainly.
- Synthetic-heavy knit
- Buttons loosen with wear
- Shoulders lose their shape
- Cuffs stretch out
- Pilling after repeated wear
- Limited sizing
- Warm, soft knit
- Wood buttons securely stitched
- Keeps its shape season after season
- Cuffs designed to spring back
- Made to stay smooth with wear
- Inclusive sizing
A cardigan is the only warm thing you can change your mind about halfway through the day. That is the whole reason it is the one I would give you first.
WHY THE CARDIGANS ARE UP TO 70% OFF
After twelve wonderful winters, Kathy’s Knitwear is coming to an end.
The same little shop here in Lake Placid, the same shelves I have filled season after season, and the same customers who have come back winter after winter.
To mark this final chapter, I am doing something I have never done before: putting the remaining cardigans into my Retirement Sale at up to 70% off.
This is not a seasonal promotion or a sale that will come back next month. It is my final season.
Once a style or size sells out, I will not be restocking it.
And when the last pieces are gone, Kathy’s Knitwear will close its doors for good.
Stacked discounts apply automatically at checkout and can be combined across collections. At four cardigans that is $55.96 each. We make almost nothing at that price, and that is on purpose.
LM★★★★★“Two cardigans on my porch in three days, wrapped in tissue with a note written by hand. I have never had a parcel from anywhere arrive looking like that.”
Linda M,Lake PlacidVerified buyer
The cardigans are the ones I am asked about most, and the ones I wear most. I would far rather they went to women who will live in them than sit folded on a shelf at the back of my shop.
Kathy · Founder, Kathy's KnitwearThe reviews say the same things I do, over and over. 4.7 stars across more than 1,500 women. If you are going to add one warm thing to your closet before the clocks change, this is where I would start — while the sizes are still there.
— Kathy
Kathy’s Knitwear Cardigans
- Real wool that holds the heat in, and softens with every wash
- Wood buttons sewn with a shank, plus a spare stitched into the hem
- Free shipping & 30 day money back guarantee