Wander over here if you want to watch how I actually did the darning on this one (because look, I do not feel like figuring out how to put videos on here, and instagram is making us all make videos anyway, so they can host the damn things). This is, alas, an individual enough process that I can’t give you a one size fits all process to just walk through. So think of this more as generalized encouragement and cheerleading and an example rather than as instructions. But sometimes that’s useful too!

And folks will ask, so no, I haven’t heard from (or reached out to) Madewell about their disintegrating sweaters.

In part, because there’s nothing they can do about it at this point. I can’t return a sweater in this state (and don’t even want to, because I do wear them, and if I didn’t have them, I’d have to find replacements), and I rather doubt they’ll just give me my money back because they sold a bad product.

I’d rather just tell everyone I can that all the Madewell sweaters I’ve worn fell apart after a few wears.

Because this has happened with three totally different sweater styles from them (and with every sweater in each of those styles, because again, I tend to buy like three any piece of clothing I find and like). I have to assume they know that this material is terrible. And I have to assume they continue to use it any ways because it’s cheap and it makes them seem environmentally aware.

I certainly won’t ever buy any of their recycled cashmere products again (and I suspect a few of you won’t either). The best I can do at this point is make the ones I have last as long as I can.

That, and warn others.