Last year, 2010, I bought this sweater in red (Ruby)for a friend for Christmas. She was delighted with it. She said the nicest thing about it was that it was neither too hot nor too cool. It kept her perfectly comfortable throughout the wearing season here in Arizona.

This year I decided that I, too, would like a Christmas sweater and ordered one for myself in red.(I also ordered Ruby for myself.)

FOUR STAR RATIONALE:
The reason I gave this four stars is the weight of the Cashmere in the item. I would like for it to have been a bit thicker. It also PILLS very badly. I do not know if this happens with all cashmere or just the inexpesively made things. It is made in China, so if you are not buying from China, avoid this. It fits true to size for my Medium friend and for me, the slightly bigger one, in a Large. We are both enjoying our Winter/Holiday sweaters and recommend them to you also. Thank you.

ABOUT SPECIFIC COLORS:
NOTE: A FEW DAYS LATER: I stated above that I ordered this in Red and, indeed, I ordered it in "Ruby." I am fair and need to wear clothing with warm tones. RUBY has too muchy blue in it for me. It sould be used by Winters or Summers. Makes may complexion quite unatractive. Will be sending back Ruby. Have reordered in FLAME! ***The Flame came and it is a nice warm orange red for those of us who are Springs or Autumns.************

ABOUT THE PRICE:
TONIGHT: DECEMBER 15, 2011: Amazon ran a self ad/special inviting customers to take advantage of Women's Cashmere Sweaters now marked 60% off. I saw that the turtlenecks I had just purchased were included in that group, so I went to the site. Never know, might need another one. They are SO comfortable. If it is down to fourty three dollars again, I may need another color. I was speechless as the page popped into view...the going price was now 87.50 and was stated to be 60% off. The going/everyday price was $73!!!!!!!!! I had happened to have been comparing information on sweater plys just two days prior. The price was still seventy three. Buyer...Tonight Demand that you get the 73 dollar sweater. I hope the price drops again. Surely a strange time for it to increase fourteen plus dollars!!!!!!!!
December 29, 2011. The price is back down to $73.
(Forgive me for rattling on and on about the varying cost of this item, but some true penny pinchers may want to know and may want to try to hit the one day in Dec. when this item is occasionally, not every year, but some years,
half price. It was half price in 2010, but not 2011, so maybe 2012. Good bargain hunting!)

ABOUT CASHMERE SALE PRICES IN GENERAL AND WHAT I BOUGHT:
Amazon had another huge sale on its cashmere sweaters right before Christmas again this year.(That is how I managed to get my friend, who is a Winter, a Ruby sweater for $43. Doubt that we see prices that low again.)
Oddly enough this was not one of the marked down items, but the crew neck and the cowl necked items by Sofie were marked almost in half. I was lucky enough to find a grey fairisle Snow Flake patterned sweater for half the original cost.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sofie-Women-s-Fairisle-100-Cashmere-Snowflake-Sweater/dp/B0053X5BB2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sofie Women's Fairisle 100% Cashmere Snowflake Sweater</a>. I was also very happy to find another sweater in blue stripes that I had been wanting. It was also half price.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Christopher-Fischer-100-Cashmere-Women-s-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Dip-Dyed-Ballet-Neck-Sweater/dp/B005M0HRAY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Christopher Fischer 100% Cashmere Women's Long Sleeve Striped Dip Dyed Ballet Neck Sweater</a>&nbsp;Oddly, the price for this went up  during the sale period.

ABOUT THE SWEATER: ONE OF THE BEST THINGS.
Well, I certainly have the clothing to make me look like a well dressed lady this holiday season and it is thanks to Amazon. I am always so thrilled to order something at midnight and then by 3 pm two afternoons later, it is on my doorstep. Makes one think life is easy sometimes! And with Amazon along, the process of purchasing what one NEEDS and also having the thrill of adding additional DESIRES seems to keep it pretty simple. I love shopping here and the quality is generally pretty good.  This is an inexpensive cashmere sweater. It is Sooo comfortable and fits true to size. It looks great, but it is lightweight and has some definite pilling issues. I purchased a Lint Buster Fabric Shaver for my sweaters because the pilling is so bad.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Jumbo-Super-Lint-Buster-Fabric-Shaver/dp/B0006VCIUI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Jumbo Super Lint Buster Fabric Shaver</a>&nbsp;I have not used this yet, sorry, but I have three of these turtlenecks in a stack awaiting treatment! If it works, I will write a review. Of course, others have probably already written it up so give those reviews a peek. The longest I have owned and worn one of these is 2 years i.e. two full years of being worn with the 3rd year upon us. I dry clean it (The two+ year old and all the others. I now have grey, green, oatmeal, brown and honey sugar) and it/they all look like new every time they comes home. I do not need a heavy sweater where I live so these are great. Next year, I will see if I need any additional colors. If so, this is where I shall come. With this item, go ahead and buy, but know it is an inexpensive type of the Very Best Things!

COLORS, CARE AND DURABILITY:
If you read the paragraph above, you will see that I have this sweater in light 1.light grey, 2. medium green, 3. oatmeal 4. dark brown, 5. honey sugar (camel) and now 6. flame. Good grief. That is a lot of sweaters. For my slight grumbling that these are an "inexpensive type" I obviously like them and as stated before, the camel, which is the oldest still looks like new when it comes back from the dry cleaner. So they are of good quality and will last you a long time if your care for them properly. The available colors vary from year to year. White and Black are standard, but the others change. I have not yet seen a blue one in a shade that is attractive to/for me.
The oatmeal and the green actually came from a different vendor, but they are as alike as peas in a pod. I think that the Chinese factory just makes a batch of sweaters and puts the labels in various colors depending upon which vendor wants what color. Although they look just the same, the oatmeal and green ones cost about ten dollars more when purchased elsewhere, but those were the colors I needed and Amazon did not have them. They are the same weight and also have the pilling problem.

EXPENSIVE CASHMERE: Once upon a time when I was young and working 60 hours a week and thought little of throwing a bit of money around, I bought a good, expensive cashmere sweater as a thank you gift for a very dear friend who had just bestowed a huge gift upon me. That was in 1990 and I paid $800 US 1990 dollars for it. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever held in my hands. It was 4 times as thick as this sweater. It was so soft I was almost afraid to touch it. It did not pill. It is durable. It is about 21 years later and my friend still wears this on an occasional cold, damp day. It is a sweater vest and he wears a shirt under it. Yep, $800 for a cashmere vest. I have repaired the shoulder seams a couple of times. (He is a confirmed bachelor.) He also wears it under the cashmere suit type jacket that he bought for himself in Navy. There are not enough words to describe how elegant he looks in this casual get up. The jacket predates the vest. I actually do not know its age, but obviously, very good cashmere lasts a very long time. Walking into a dining room holding his soft cashmere jacket wrapped arm is a totally beyond belief good feeling. I have never regretted that expensive purchase.

SYNOPSIS: (You do not have to read it all, this will give you a good overall picture)

Well, I have literally written you a story about this cashmere sweater and others. I love cashmere and I really enjoy and appreciate these sweaters. I will be seeing my vested friend today for lunch and plan to wear my Flame sweater. I know he will wear his Navy cashmere jacket. What a great pair we are!! I encourage anyone who wants a durable, soft, beautifully colored cashmere sweater to consider this inexpensive one. My oldest of these is 2+ years old and still looks new. I have given one as a gift and have six of my own. Big sale time is in December, but this particular sweater may or may not be on sale at that time. The sweater does pill so be prepared to deal with that issue. (The longer you wear it, the less excess cashmere, so the less pilling.) The sweaters fit true to size. So, I highly recommend these and hope that you will try one...or more, and that you will like them as well as I do.