The Funky Leaf Pullover: Completed

I just finished a really fun project that is unlike anything I own. It's a pullover knit from side-to-side and then the ribbed bottom and collar are picked up afterwards. The pattern is Iceland, from the Rowan 42 magazine. It didn't have a collar originally, but I had plenty of yarn and I thought it suited the look better. I can wear it up or as a cowl. Here are some shots with the neck up:I keep looking down because I want to make sure I'm not covering the buttons. There are three on each side.Here you can see the collar in cowl style, with the buttons very visible.I want to focus on the buttons a minute because they are very special to me. I was searching Etsy.com for some original wooden buttons when I came across Woodturner's storefront. I was excited to see he makes custom buttons by hand and even happier when I realized he is more or less across the river from me in WI. He offers a variety of button styles in different woods, and he even made the holes of mine bigger than normal to accommodate yarn instead of thread. He made them the exact size needed for my project in the wood and style I requested, and when they came, they were accompanied by a hand-written note (in beautiful penmanship, by the way) telling me where the wood had been harvested and the process he used to make the buttons. He even included an extra one in case one got lost! It was such a fun, easy experience that I will definitely be contacting him anytime I need wooden buttons for a project. He also has other gorgeous hand-turned objects in his store, like bottle stoppers, wooden jewelry, an amazing birdhouse ornament, and a wand (for those Harry Potter fans?)After carefully picking out the pattern and the right yarn, and then knitting it to my size and style, it's just that much more special to also have these unique, handmade buttons to complete the piece.