'Tis the season when Jack Frost starts nipping at your nose, the temperatures drop , and the number of children in the playgrounds begin to dwindle. 'Tis the season for heading indoors, cuddling up and eating hot soup-but, does it always have to be that way this time of year?
Meet Oslo native, Vibeke K. Johansen , also known as Becca, who moved to Brooklyn in October 2011 with her husband and two young children seeking adventure. "We would go to all these different playgrounds in Park Slope. I'd get so sad as they became more and more empty when winter arrived." Becca explains "By January we would be lucky to find 1 or 2 kids to play with. Norwegian people love being outside as much as possible. You can imagine, it's so cold most of the time there. We are used to dressing our kids in very soft and very comfy wool clothing so they can play outdoors all year long, even when it's really, really cold."
Little Ella, inspiration for Ella's Wool, playing alone on a Wintery Brooklyn Playground
It was during the winter of 2012 spent in the
(almost) kidless Brooklyn playgrounds that warmed Becca to the idea of sharing some of those Scandinavian "secrets"on keeping your bebe birds warm during those chilly wintery days and cool in those hot summer months. Becca opened
Ella's Wool, an online boutique selling the best Scandinavian soft wool brands to help, as Becca says, "warm the kids of America."
Mind you this isn't your grandmothers wool. It's not the itchy, scratchy kind you may have experienced in childhoods past. The pieces sold at Ella's Wool are made of merino wool, alpaca wool and alpaca/llama blend wool, only the softest kind of wool available.
Now, before we go any further allow me to share
The Benefits of Wool.
1. Wool fibers are temperature regulating, which keeps you warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot.
2. Wool is flame retardant.
3. Wool is water resistant. It can absorb 1/3 of it's own weight
4. Wool is a natural fiber which makes it sustainable, renewable and recyclable.
5. Wool is bacteria resistant. No washing needed after every use just hang the garment to air dry and the odor will disappear. (
*If you find you do need to wash Merino wool is machine washable & Alpaca wool is hand washable with mild wool detergent-no softner)
6. Wool is a natural sunscreen. The super light fabric won't stick to the skin and will protect the flesh when the sun is strong.
Pretty cool right? And, here's another tip when dressing your bebe birds in these woolly threads, you want to always use the Merino wool as the base layer (next to the skin). "The most common mistake many people make is putting a cotton or synthetic garments against the skin and the wool over top" Becca informs. Not using Merino wool as the base player seems to be the biggest difference when dressing kids in Norway compared to dressing kids in the U.S. Merino wool is softer than cotton and is machine washable. "In Norway, Merino wool is recommended in daycare's, hospitals and schools." explains Becca
As you gear up for these winter months (while Becca begins to write a book on the basics of wool and curriculum for Wool School) be sure to stock up on some nice wool pieces for your little bird.
Ella's Wool is full of beautifully made children's wear such as the soft Alpaca hats, neck scarves, pajama's, merino coveralls, sweaters and long johns. And, since we are on the subject the long johns will be a staple in Bebe Birds wardrobe since he has taken to removing his socks and shoes while cruising around in his stroller-even on the coldest of days. This will help divert those curious eyes and comments made from passerby's daily. Now, back to business- prices range from $16 to $149. And for my west coast peeps remember wool is great to cool kids on those warm days too. Who knew, wool would be a wonderful alternative to fighting cabin fever. Happy
Shopping.
*Be Sure to check Ella's Wool out in this Sunday's New York Times T magazine
