European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Yugoslavian knitters use Wool irom Iceland to make the sweaters. Page 14 Byrlea Larkin features editor ome crazed souls have been known to get up in the Middle of the night. Travel hundreds of Miles stand in line for hours even deprive themselves of food All in the Pursuit of bargains ii was i quite that bad last Winter when a group of skiers decided to shun the slopes and Lake up treasure Hunting the search for bargains turned into an adventure almost As demanding As a Black run because of poor Snow conditions the Holiday at the ski resort in South Central Yugoslavia had t been particularly exciting then someone mentioned shopping " sweaters hand knit by women in an isolated Mountain Village. Dirt cheap the skiers left the i flames behind and set Oil to track Down the prizes just thinking about All those Beautiful bargains listed the spirits and set the adrenalin into High gear. Ii might take a Lew hours to gel to the sweater Center. The yugoslavian guide explained even though it was Only 90 Miles away that did not deter the dedicated bargain Hunters who were prepared to sacrifice and Sutler to reap big rewards and suffer they did hour alter hour the cars bounced and jerked Over potholes ruts rocks the Countryside was Bleak the towns were dismal Gas stations were Lew there were no restrooms just As they began to wonder if this was some kind of sick joke they rounded a Bend and spoiled sheep herds of them on the hillsides higher and higher they went past More and More of the furry Fellows who were not alone women Heads wrapped in Babushka were out there in the Fields Loo and. They were knitting alter almost five hours they arrived in Siro Wojno sweater cily it s really just a Small Village bul far More prosperous in appearance than most of photo they had driven through they had been Coop d up of so Long that they were itching Lorac Ion. An cur to go i to the factory and buy but. Nol yet first to Vire was lunch then a fashion  these were nol your Basic Wool cardigans or mohair turtlenecks bul brightly coloured heavy sweaters and jackets decorated with Flowers and Birds and scenes of Mountain life real works of Art each one seemed prettier and More unusual than the one before How Many could they afford9 How Many could they cram into their Luggage or carry on the plane Back home9 bargain mania had taken Over and they did t even know How much the sweaters Cost never mind on to serious shopping bul. Nol Yel before being allowed to buy they were Given a lesson in sweater history there s a Story to these handcrafted gems of Wool some 30 years ago Dob la smile am. A Young yugoslavian woman irom the country s capital Belgrade married a Man irom the mountains she followed him to his serbian Village Siro Wojno life was poor and depressing the Village women were expected to lend the cattle and the stars and stripes sweater sheep and keep House unlike the men they never seemed to get out of the tiny town which was Cut Oil from the rest of the world their Only Joy seemed to be knitting they made intricate and colourful garments using designs passed Down through generations Dob la had a flare for the artistic. She also had a fashion sense gradually she persuaded some of the women to update and change the patterns of their knitting pictures on the Walls of the town s old her inspiration. She Drew the same Bird and Flowers devised themes then had i incorporate the designs into their Kaitlin were turning out sweaters coals and a she took the products of their Laboric where they were snatched up by shops through the years the Sirgo Jno sweat grew into a successful Community devel project. As the women began earning m "n5 v4? Msj i i a  v tracking Down bargains in Yugoslavia s hinterland monday feb