Icelanders say their country is shaped like a sheep. It takes a little bit of imagination to see the head poking out from the northwest, but it’s easy to see why they thought of the wooly animal. Icelanders are knitters deep in their core. And if they aren’t knitters, they are probably wearing something their mom knitted them. This is partly why Iceland has been on Amanda’s “I want to go to there” list for a long time.
The type of wool that calls Iceland home is Lopi. It isn’t particularly soft – actually it’s quite itchy – but the natural sheep colors and traditional patterns turn any knitter on. So, with an already full backpack for this three-month trip, we picked up eight balls of yarn. This was Amanda practicing restraint.
The yarn here is definitely cheaper than in the US, costing roughly $4USD a skein.
Alafoss is the major brand here and it’s sold everywhere, so you’ll have to get off the beaten path to find artisanal fibers.
Here’s a useful map compiled by Ragga of Knitting Iceland. Many of the stops on their day tour you can make yourself if you have a car and don’t mind knocking on doors. My first project is a hat for Jeff since we’ll be in Siberia soon.
I wore your open-toe flip-flop socks on our trip to Glacier. They are the perfect summer camping accessory. I may have to bring them for cold Jordanian desert nights, misty-cool Sri Lankan hill country, and A/C busrides.
Yay! I’m so glad they are somewhat useful. I picked up some Finnish yarn with a mitten pattern in a Helsinki market today. I can’t wait to see you guys in the warm weather; we are chilly here. Jeff is blowing a hair drier on us right now to warm up.
If you want to ship some home, you’ll be safe using my address since I don’t know how to start any knitting project ;). But really you can, I’ll keep the yarn hidden from Dexter for you.
Stay warm!!
How does it feel to wear it….since you say
it’s Itchy???
I’ll let you know tomorrow as soon as Amanda finishes knitting my new hat! Most are lined with fleece.