Alpaca for Men

Who ever said that the soft, luxurious alpaca wool was just for women? Men also would love to have something cuddly and butter soft against their skin.... as long as it doesn't look as soft as it is.

Autumn and Winter are Starting to Creep In....

As I get a bit older, my favorite season is starting to change from summer to autumn. Summer is great when you're 18, do not have a lot of responsibilities, have lots of extra cash to spend and can be up all night and still function the next day. Now I'm 35, have two small kids with their activities to drive them back and forth from, a full time job and a house to take care of. And while my life is still pretty minimalistic compared to some, it's still busy enough that the heat of summer wipes me out and makes me, at times, a bit grouchy. :)

The cooler weather of autumn is a welcome sight. And speaking of visual clues, when I was 18 the changing colors of leaves and grass was something to be depressed about - summer and freedom was over; hard work (or what I thought hard work was at the time) and school had begun again.

But now I greet the colors for the beauty that they are. I had never seen nature as a painted landscape earlier in life as I do now. In addition, the changing colors signal at life is getting easier for me. The welcome routines for me and my family have returned and while I'm not sure my children will admit it, I believe that they also welcome the security of routines again. The temperature has sunk by almost 10 degrees and everyone is much more efficient at getting what they need to get done, done. The nights are getting darker and all the birds and other animals of Norway are also sleeping at night (in the summer they can sing and play 24 hours a day... and do it loudly!).

Yepp - it has taken me 35 years to get here.... but now I join the ranks of all the other intelligent people and say, I LOVE AUTUMN.

Upcycled Appliques that Bring Forth a Message

Another thing that has completely absorbed me through last few months - making my own hand sewn appliques that deliver a message. Suddenly it's so fun to pull up old sayings, cliches, song titles and movie titles from the far, far past. Phrases that I remember from my early childhood that are deeply connected to important parts of my life... I feel in my heart that this must also be true for others who are of the same generation as me.




On this warm and cozy scarf I've added three appliques that spell out the phrase: Dreaming of Sunshine. For all of us who try to make it through the cold, dark winter months sometimes we need that bit of extra to put a smile on our face and give a bit of warmth to our hearts.

Now that I've started on this path, a plethora of ideas of phrases have started to emerge from my head. I certainly cannot sew that fast, so I've started keeping a diary just for these phrases to be used at future time. I am looking foward to the weeks ahead of me.