The best gift exchange ever

Published on Wednesday January 7th, 2009

Sarah’s February Lady sweater: 2 skeins Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted in “Corbie,” collar modifications ala Darkandstormyday

Katrin’s February Lady sweater: 2 skeins Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk in “Bleck,” way off gauge on US#6 needles to compensate for the silk relaxation effect

Back in the fall we hatched the plan to knit these for each other for Christmas. We bought our own yarn, made our preferences for special features and fit known, and each friend set to work. We surprised each other with closure systems. I asked Rebecca to make some fabric-covered buttons that would work for Katrin’s sweater, and after an exchange of swatches chose this sweet sheer fabric that had belonged to her grandmother (photo borrowed from Rebecca):

I love how the silver of the button form shows through to echo the soft lavender-grey stripes of the garter stitch. Rebecca has more cute print buttons in her Etsy shop; I’ll definitely be ordering from her again for future cardigans. Meanwhile, Katrin outdid me by far: not only did she find a beautiful pin I can use to dress up my sweater, but she also constructed these brilliant cufflink-style closures I can swap in.

Two happy girls!

27 Comments to “The best gift exchange ever”

  1. Denise Comment Says:

    Both are gorgeous!!! But that Collar modification makes me want to cast one on right now…

  2. Debby Comment Says:

    Yours are the nicest, most personalized two of these sweaters that I have seen in blogland. You both look terrific in them!

  3. Daphne Comment Says:

    So beautiful.

  4. merete Comment Says:

    january ladies in february ladies’ sweaters. that is really nice. i am itching to make one for my niece. just up her street.

  5. Leslie Comment Says:

    What a fun idea! Both sweaters are wonderful and the personalization makes them very special.

  6. Veronique Comment Says:

    Both FLS look great! Congrats to both 🙂

  7. Maryse Comment Says:

    Wow! They are both lovely! You look like you have had a lot of fun doing this swap! Congratulations!

  8. gleek Comment Says:

    how lovely! both of them are just perfect for the recipient 🙂

  9. Wendolene Comment Says:

    What fun! Both sweaters are beautiful, and the buttons/closures add the perfect finishing touches.
    You two have sealed it–I must have my own February Lady Sweater.

  10. Heather / "Arctic Knitter" Comment Says:

    Gorgeous! What a great exchange!

  11. yoel Comment Says:

    So cute! Both of you, and both the sweaters, look gorgeous!

  12. mamie Comment Says:

    they are both beautiful but your color is awesome. i am looking for that yarn right now. and hey, i just was outside taking pictures of that window. see…http://flickr.com/photos/16401019@N00/3161034996/

  13. Rebecca Comment Says:

    Yay! Thanks for the shout out. Both sweaters look so beautiful – you always do an amazing job. 🙂

  14. katie m. Comment Says:

    Whoa! Those are two gorgeous sweaters — both of which have changed my mind about the wearability of the Lady Sweater.

  15. Casey Comment Says:

    What great sweaters! Those are amazing gifts.

  16. Meredith Comment Says:

    They both turned out beautifully! Love the personal touches! I am waiting some yarn I ordered to to get here so I can start mine!

  17. Seanna Lea Comment Says:

    Those sweaters are both beautiful. I love how the buttons look with that fabric.

    Sadly, my FLS is still waiting for me to get back to the sleeves. My own dang fault for not getting it done already!

  18. Lisa Comment Says:

    Both sweaters are beautiful! Great job.

  19. Hookie Lee Comment Says:

    Wowsah Whoo-ee, or as the preteens say around here (northern England town)Fan-tab-u-lous squared,cubed and multiplied a trillion times. As a sufferer of scoliosis which deforms my neck front – the neck mods idea makes me happy.
    I agree that this swap is a beautiful and outstanding success. Well done to you both. Very inspiring.

  20. heidi Comment Says:

    What a lovely idea:)

    And how beutiful they both turned out!

  21. whitney Comment Says:

    They both look so lovely! I especially like the collar on yours…if I were to ever knit this pattern, I would definitely add a collar like that.

  22. balzac Comment Says:

    What an incredible gift exchange idea. The sweaters are beautiful! The suspense was killing me though — you could make a reality TV series out of knitting swaps like this.

  23. Peacock Chic Comment Says:

    wow! both came out wonderfully!! i love the collar modification and the covered buttons just fit perfectly. What great friends to knit for each other. Well done!

  24. Catherine Comment Says:

    These sweaters both look fabulous– thanks for the link to Rebecca’s charming etsy store…. I now need to go pick out a pattern to go with the buttons I’m about to purchase 😉

  25. Nonnahs Comment Says:

    What a great exchange. They are both gorgeous!

  26. AnnieSue Comment Says:

    Beautiful! Your choice of buttons really made Katrin’s sweater special. Just out of curiosity, did your sweater have darkandstormyday’s arm modifications too, or just the collar mods?

  27. FO: February Lady Sweater (aka The Honeymoon Sweater) « Much-Adored Pingback Says:

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