Last summer when we were vacationing at Carl's family's summer house we had the pleasure of visiting with one of Carl's childhood friends and her family. We were at her mother's home, sitting out on the porch drinking a homemade,-currant saft (sort of like kool-aid, or agua fresca) and somehow we found ourselves on subject of knitting and sweaters. It was a little chilly for a summer morning and Carl's friend was wearing a beautiful, hand knit, wool, fisherman's sweater, made by her mother. It was love at first sight. I complimented her on it, saying how much I adored it, and she mentioned a local woman who hand knits sweaters for a small fee and she went to get hers to show us. It was definitely beautiful but I preferred the style of the one her mother had made. "I would really love one like your mother made," I mentioned. And after a bit more discussion her mother said that she would make one for me. I was thrilled. I absolutely love hand-made things and a hand knit sweater would be a special addition to my Swedish wardrobe. I couldn't wait to seeing the finished product.
A few weeks ago I received a message from Carl's friend that my sweater was completed and I could pick it up the next time I was in Gothenburg. How awesome! We would be traveling to Gothenburg for my father-in-law's birthday in just a few weeks and so we made arrangements to pick it up then. I did a happy dance.
We arrived at her mother's house and waiting for us was a pot of warm cloudberry glögg, homemade ginger tea with lime, mint and honey and delicious little sandwiches made with breads from a bakery owned by one of her other daughter's. There was softly playing classical music in the background and lying on a stool nearby was my beautiful, cream-colored sweater. I felt like a child at a fancy tea party. I drank my glögg. Absolutely delicious. We moved on to the ginger, lime, mint tea. Equally divine. The sandwiches magically disappeared. There was a warm and cozy feeling in the air. We laughed, chatted and exchanged stories. And when it came time, I tried on my sweater. A perfect fit. It couldn't have been more perfect if she had measured me before making it. The pattern is beautiful and I love the meaning behind each cable. One is for good luck for the fisherman, one is for many children and one is for prosperity. I've already caught my "fish" and we live a fairly comfortable life so here's hoping the third cable works some magic.
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