New sweater and pattern

I just finished this green lopi sweater and a pattern for it too :)

It's my first adult size sweater pattern and I decided to call it Moss since the light green colors remind me of the moss that covers lava here in Iceland.

The pattern is available here or if you have a Ravelry account then you can find my

pattern store Knitwear by unneva. The sweater is also for sale in my Etsy shop.

Autumn leaves vest

I was looking at the statistics for my Etsy shop and found out that this vest is the most favorited item in the shop so far. It's also one of my favorites.

I just like the color combination so much and think it's perfect for a cozy lopi garment. The main color is actually very dark brown although it looks a bit grey in the photo.

I still have the Evilla yarn in this color and must admit that it's tempting to make another. Maybe even a full sweater. There just isn't enough time for all the projects I want to do :P

Black and blue lopi sweater

I recently finished this black and blue men's sweater. The buyer wanted blue colors in the yoke and I found this beautiful yarn from Evilla. I held it double to match the unspun lopi and it turned out really nice.

For some reason I don't make many men's sweaters. This one is XL and doesn't quite fit the "model" who is a size M.

Now I don't have any orders to finish so I'm using the time to work on my new lopi sweater pattern. More on that later ;)

Hand washing lopi sweaters

Lopi sweaters can be quite sensitive to washing and should only be washed by hand. A few washing machines have very good wool programs (mine actually does) but I still wouldn't risk it.

My best method for washing goes like this:

1. Fill a tub with lukewarm water and a nice smelling shampoo (yes just your regular hair shampoo) and soak your sweater in it.
2. Gently squeeze and swirl the sweater around.
3. Remove the water and fill the tub again with clean water and conditioner (yes, again just your regular conditioner).
4. Gently squeeze and swirl the sweater around for a few minutes.
5. Repeat step 4 and 5 if the water is dirty until it becomes clean.
6. Squeeze most of the water from the sweater and put it in the washing machine for a slow spin for a few minutes. You can skip this step but drying time will be longer.
7. Lay the sweater on a towel to dry.

Most lopi sweaters don't need washing that often and sometimes it's enough to just "freshen" them outside.

New cardigan

I just listed this cardigan in my Etsy shop:

It's a design by me, an adult version of the children's sweater Frost. It's made with double thread plötulopi which is my favorite for lopi sweaters.

New sizes for the Frost pattern

I just added sizes 6/8/10 and 12 years old to my design Frost. It's a sweater made with Létt-lopi (or any worsted or aran weight yarn). It features a traditional Icelandic yoke and a high neck to keep kids warm.

  

I recently made it for my son who is 8 years old. He chose the colors himself and insisted on using neon colors for the pattern. The picture doesn't display how vibrant they really are but I do like the result.

The pattern can be found here.

New Lopi sweaters

I haven't done much blogging for the past few months. I guess I've just been to busy. 

But I'm back now and have lots of new sweaters to show:

 

These two have a yoke pattern from a sweater called Var which can be found in the knitting book Lopi 29 by Ístex. I've done some changes to it though like changing the cut.

 

These two have a yoke pattern from another Ístex Lopi book. It's called Él and I use it alot, I guess it's my favorite. But since it is a pattern for a children's sweater, I've designed the cut myself.

 

This one is kind of my own mix. The yoke pattern is (if I remember correctly) an adaption of an old Lopi pattern. The cut is my own.

All of the sweaters are made with double strand plötulopi and are (or were) for sale on Etsy. My youngest sister, Magga, was nice enough to model for me :)

Then I had some custom orders and made these two, which I've never knitted before:

The blue one is called Ranga and can be found in Lopi 29. The green one is called Jón and can be found in Lopi 31. I had to adapt both patterns a little so I would be able to use double strand plötulopi. But I think they turned out really nice :)

Lopi sweaters for children

I love knitting lopi sweaters for my children. I think traditional lopi sweaters always look cute and are so practical. The lopi keeps the kids warm and dry but not too warm. Perfect for all seasons.

I've knitted a few through the years and I usually try to make them match, both in color and style.

 These are all made with Létt-lopi (Lopi lite) exept the white one which is made with double strand Plötulopi.

I also made an overall for my daughter with double strand Plötulopi. I loved it but I can't say she did :P

Lopi sweater

I spent the weekend with my mother, aunt and niece. We went to a cabin out in the countryside and spent the whole time knitting, watching TV and sipping white wine. It was very productive for me and I made this sweater:

This is a custom order that I received through Etsy. I really like the colors and kind of want to keep it for myself ;). It's knitted with Létt-lopi and Evilla preyarn.

Þingborg's Lopi Sweater

In this post I mentioned that I was knitting my first sweater with lopi from Þingborg. I finished it a while ago and am soooo happy with it. I used a single strand which is always a little stressful since it seems to be so weak while knitting. In this case it was extremely so. The black Þingborg's lopi is very, very delicate and I was afraid the whole time that this sweater would never make it more than a month. But fortunately I was wrong. I'm still using it and absolutely love the warmth and softness.

Two Lopi vests

I just finished these vests made with Létt Lopi and Evilla preyarn. I just love ... no LOVE yarn that changes colors gradually.

Over the rainbow

Autumn foliage

Both vests are for sale in my Etsy store if you are interested ;)

No more cold feet

I just finished these socks. The pattern is called Varmi which translates to heat in English and can be found in the book Prjónað úr íslenskri ull or Knitting with Icelandic wool. I used double thread plötulopi on needles nr. 5,5 so they're very warm and cozy. I also added one star to make them almost knee high.

Álafoss

There are two places in Reykjavík where prefer to buy lopi and one of them is Álafoss in Mosfellsbær (not actually in Reykjavík but close enough).

Álafoss in Mosfellsbær

It's located in a beautiful place with trees all around and a little stream flowing. Going there makes me feel like I'm out in the countryside buying straight from the farmer ... or something.

The store does not only sell lopi and knitting supplies but also a good variety of hand knit items along with different hand made and/or Icelandic product. It's actually a popular stop for tourists especially during the summer.

The store

For buying lopi this is one of the best places in my oppinion. Not only do they sell the whole collection of plötulopi, létt-lopi, Álafoss lopi, Bulky lopi, einband and Kambgarn, they also sell Reynold's lopi from time to time. The difference between Ístex and Reynold's is the colors. I've been told that Ístex produces both brands but in different colors for different markets. Lopi is also usually cheaper at Álafoss than most stores and you can buy in bulk.
Other types of yarn are also sold in the store, mostly from Hjertegarn. I've tried both the superwash DK and superwash fingering (baby). Both were reasonably priced and great to knit with. Then there's also a fine selection of buttons, needles and other knitting related stuff.

Einband

Loads of lopi

Hjertegarn and Bulky lopi

Buttons

One of the best things about shopping at Álafoss is the service. I always find the staff very informative and friendly. It's also great to be able to browse through all the Lopi knitting books and pamphlets or just browse the store and get ideas from the many, many handknit items. Sometimes it's just easier to decide which color to buy when you can see a sweater or mittens made with the ones you're trying to choose from.  

I definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes to knit with lopi (or just knit) and enjoys traditional handknit items.

(Just to make clear: I am not affiliated with any of the yarn stores I write about.)

New pattern - Snowflake fingerless mittens

I've added another pattern to Ravelry. Fingerless mittens for women, inspired by traditional Icelandic designs. I use them over leather gloves to keep my hands really warm during the cold winter months.

They're knit with Icelandic Létt-lopi but most aran or worsted weight yarn can be used.

The pattern is available here if you have access to Ravelry and here if you don't.

Lopi from Þingborg

There is something so wonderful about the lopi from Þingborg. It has a unique softness unlike the traditional lopi from Istex (which is also a favorite to make that clear).

Þingborg is a wool center located just outside of Selfoss or about 45 minutes drive from Reykjavik.What makes their wool so special is that they choose only the softest and cleanest wool from the lambs, wash it with mild soap only to retain the natural lanolin. Then it's machine-cared but kept unspun. It's also only available in four natural colors, free from any dyes.

(Photo taken from Þingborg's website)

I went to Þingborg for the first time last summer. I've driven by hundreds of times but never knew that this was a wool center filled with such wonderful things. Not only do they sell their lopi but also all kinds of spun yarn from Icelandic wool, angora yarn, knitted items and a variety of crafted items (souvenirs). I bought loads of Tvinnað band which is spun wool, I'm guessing 2ply, about DK or sport weight. I'm using it to make a very traditional Icelandic shawl. Heaps of fun ;)

Currently I'm also knitting my first lopi sweater from Þingborgarlopi. I started one this summer but realized it was too big so I frogged and started another. It's made with single strand plötulopi and I can already feel how much softer and different it feels from the regular Istex lopi.

If you love lopi and/or Icelandic wool I recommend that you check out their website www.thingborg.net or better yet, go visit them ;)

(Photo taken from Þingborg's website)

New traditional Icelandic

I love traditional Icelandic sweaters especially in muted, natural sheep colors. But from time to time, being the lover of colors that I am, I love to mix the designs up a bit and use beautiful colors that complement the natural earth tones. Actually it's not uncommon here in Iceland to use colored lopi but I really like to think about what colors I put together.

Another thing I like to do is to change the cut of the garments and modernize them. In my opinion many of the sweaters, vests and dresses are far to wide, shapeless and have short bodies and sleeves. I usually custom make every item to fit the body of the owner if I can. It takes a few tricks and some math to do that successfully but I think it's part of the fun.