A letter from a reader

At 62, I finally found a knitted jumper that does not itch

I have never written to a shop before, and I did not expect my first letter to be about a jumper.

I used to love a proper knitted jumper. A Fair Isle at Christmas, a cable knit for a walk on a cold Sunday. But somewhere in my fifties every one of them started to itch. Red marks round my neck, scratching at my wrists all through lunch, peeling it off the minute I got through the front door. One by one the knits went to the charity shop, and I lived in fleeces.

I thought I had to choose between a jumper that looked lovely and a jumper I could bear to wear all day. So I chose the fleece, every single time.

So I gave up. I told myself knitwear was something I used to wear.

Then I saw it on a friend at quiz night

My friend Margaret turned up to the village hall quiz in the loveliest soft grey Fair Isle jumper, and I watched her all evening waiting for her to start scratching. She never did. When I finally asked, she told me it was the Solara, from Nottingham Boutique, a little boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now, and that it was the softest jumper she owned. I ordered mine that evening.

What happened at Sunday lunch

I wore it to the pub for Sunday lunch with the family. Three different women asked me where it was from, one of them on her way back from the bar, and my friend Sue told me I looked like I had made an effort, which I have decided to take as a compliment. And I did not scratch once, from the roast right through to the crumble.

I got home, put the kettle on, and realised I had forgotten I was wearing it. I cannot remember the last time I could say that about a knitted jumper.

Three things I have learned since

One. It is soft where it matters. It is soft and non-itchy against the neck and the wrists, the two places that always gave me away, so I can wear it all day without thinking about it.

Two. It is warm without the weight. It gives a gentle warmth that stays light, so I do not overheat indoors and I do not feel padded out under my coat.

Three. It is kind to the figure. The shape is relaxed and falls easily over the body, and the ribbed cuffs and hem keep it neat. It looks as right with smart trousers as it does with jeans.

About the price

When I saw the price I was suspicious. A Fair Isle this soft, I assumed, would either cost a small fortune or bobble after one wash.

The Solara is £37.95. It was £76.

There is no catch. They have their autumn sale on, delivery is free, and it arrived looking exactly as it did in the pictures.

I did go and read the reviews before I ordered a second one. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars. Not the suspiciously perfect five you see on some sites, which if I am honest made me trust it more. One woman had written, "I could never wear knitwear without scratching. I have worn this all day twice this week and not noticed it once." That was the one that decided it for me.

What I would tell you if we were friends

If you came round and we sat out on the porch with a cup of tea, this is what I would tell you.

Do not give up on knitwear just because the old ones itched. Find a soft one, and put the fleece back in the cupboard where it belongs.

It does not look like it was made for somebody half my age, and it does not look like I have given up either.

Caroline