I love sweaters. One of the reasons that autumn is my favorite season is because it ushers in sweaters.

I have a lot of sweaters (my mother might say I have too many). Each one has a story, and most of them show up in photos. There’s the funky multi-colored coarse sweater I got at Abercrombie; it got to go to Cardiff. I have a plum-colored sweater from H&M that I landed for £10 in Reading, a steal even with the exchange rate. I watched fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night with my friends, wearing a green American Eagle sweater. The sky-blue-green wool AE sweater I got for Christmas in 2007 has been to London and Paris. A brown AE cardigan with big wooden buttons kept me warm through the flu in 2002. There’s the red Aeropostale sweater I wore during the Kansan’s Spring 2009 staff orientation. I wore a lime green AE sweater (another Christmas present) a lot at work in the spring, when the Box (the editors’ office) was freezing. There’s a pink fuzzy sweater from an Abercrombie in Atlanta. And of course, the navy cardigan from Gap that I got for Easter in high school.

Me in my olive green sweater, Louise and Alex on Guy Fawkes Night, 2006

Cheryl and me (and my sweater!) at the National Gallery off Trafalgar Square, London

Those are just the ones I know off the top of my head. I’m sure I have a couple more … somewhere. That’s not even counting the sweaters of old, almost all of which my mother crocheted for me herself. I had sweaters for every holiday, a “neighborhood” sweater with buildings and people on it, a red sweater with Scotties and a balloon sweater. I was born ready for sweater weather (seriously, I’m a January baby, it was cold).

As you can see, my sweaters come from a variety of places. I look everywhere for them, and grab the ones I like. While I’m picky about shirts, pants and dresses, it’s very easy for me to find sweaters that I love.

I’m wearing a sweater at the moment, a lovely dark teal Forenza cowl sweater from The Limited (snagged at 40 percent off to boot). Is there anything in the world that feels as cozy as being enveloped in a soft, cushy sweater? Maybe being enveloped in a soft, cushy sweater with a mug of hot tea (how English of me) or cocoa.

So, thank you sweaters. Thank you for going with jeans, slacks or skirts. Thank you for coming in so many gorgeous colors. Thank you for being machine-washable. Thank you for fitting well and accentuating the right parts (read: breasts). Thank you for being on sale and for keeping me warm and snuggly in many a situation, whether it’s working in front of a computer or strolling through a museum. Thank you for being sold everywhere, and for usually being reasonably priced (with sales, of course).

Sweaters, je t’aime.