A special package arrived in our snow-capped mailbox last week... from Norway! Even the postage stamps were a thrill as we love lighthouses and have the heart-shaped iron to make those delicious Norwegian vafler.
But the excitement increased with the opening. It contained pewter buttons for the Norwegian cardigans (kofte) Elsa and I plan to make. (The Norwegian wool yarn was also shipped last week... from the UK!) All this comes as the result of a special Christmas gift Mom and Dad managed for Elsa and me. When a friend was touring Norway this fall, they asked her if she could find and bring home a couple knitting pattern books whose fame has spread beyond Norway. The only challenge with Kofteboken & Kofteboken 2 is that they are in Norwegian! Translating is a fun part of the process as we follow the tradition of our ancestors in knitting these beautiful and practical cardigan/jackets.
The package included a handful of mints with the shop name, Lykkelig, which translates to "Happy." These authentic buttons were hard to locate. After a bunch of searching online I finally got in touch with a little yarn shop on a coastal island in Norway which has a domestic mail-order website. They were so kind as to figure out a way to make an overseas sale.
How fun to realize later that they are in the same region where my great-grandfather, Hans, grew up until emigrating alone in his teens!
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