I was just reading in a trade magazine about some ladies who visited a yarn shop in Brussels and they were talking about how scarves are THE hot thing over there now and the article showed a picture of the shop owner wearing a scarf made out of yarn tape. This is exciting news, since fashion often begins in Europe and then makes its way to us. This time though, it seems like it's the other way around. We have made scarves and worn them and given them and sold them and we made them out of that very same yarn tape! I'm just thinking: could it be that we packed up our scarves too soon? Could it be that since winter will follow summer and fall, could it be that the scarves will be back this winter? I mean, it's going to get colder than the triple digit heat we have been experiencing. I'm working on a mitered square afghan right now--- or could it be that I'm working on a scarf??





So now you are wondering why I am showing pictures of buildings and a smiling lady and a yarn store. Well, there is a story to go with that, so read on! I thought if a trip to a yarn store in Brussels would warrant an article in a trade magazine, I should tell you about OUR experience last summer/fall. My husband claims to be Norwegian but he had never been in Norway. I always teased him because I am German and I was born and raised there. So I have a legitimate claim to the nationality. He on the other hand, had never set foot in Norway. Well last fall we set out to fix that and we went to Norway, accompanied by his cousin and some ideas of where we could find ancestors or at least find out where they lived. We rented a car and drove 500 miles around southern Norway, map in hand and knocking on doors when we thought we were close. Others in Dutch's family had made the trip and found some places and we had some of that information with us.

At one point we had stopped at a gas station and they had a restaurant and since we were hungry, we stopped for a bite. On my way back out to the car I saw this building a bit up the hill. From a distance I could make out the word "garn" amongst others on the building. Well I don't speak Norwegian, but in German, Garn mean YARN!! So you know I had to investigate.










I went in and was greeted by this very friendly lady. Of course I was "forced" to buy some things and I asked her if I could take pictures of her store. Hers was a combination yarn and gift and souvenir store and she did have a table where one could sit and knit. (None of the stores in Germany that I visited had that).

Anyway, after a pleasant chat, we got back on the road to continue our quest to find where Dutch's great grandmother had lived. Or was it his great grandfather??? I never could get that straight.... After knocking on some more doors and talking to some more people, we were led up a steep driveway to another house. (I was driving an unfamiliar stick shift while they were walking in front of me- I didn't kill the engine too many times...) Anyway, we get to the house on top of the hill and knock on that door and who should open the door of THE RIGHT HOUSE but the smiling face from the yarn store!! How is that for guidance and not knowing that you have arrived. If we had told her at the store why we were in the area and what we were looking for, our search could have ended right there!
So we got to chat again with Inger Olsnes, owner of Vinjebue in Vinje, Norway. How cool was that?

I have other stories about other yarn stores we visited. Let me know if you want to hear them and I'll share them....