My Xmas knits 2023 - Lopapeysa (Icelandic Sweater) & a Beanie to "chill"

Made of the Lettlopi wool kit I bought during my visit to Iceland, this Castle (Kastali in Iceland) pattern was a challenging knit as it was my first “fair isle” knit - it is a cropped top sweater that had to be blocked twice to get to the right size for my daughter - I am a tight knitter and specially the neck is smaller than I would have expected and has to be carefully manoeuvred through the head. I should have chosen to knit SIZE L instead of M, especially when there is generous amounts of wool in the kit, enough for 3XL !!

Rather pleased with the neatness of the yarn changes as you look behind the sweater to the many transitions of color. Also my first bottom up sweater, it is super interesting how the pattern of the castle, which, as the kit says has many stories to tell with mountains, battlements, shields and lances, starts to appear so incredibly beautifully on the sweater and the two arms, elegantly even !


Icelandic Store delivered the kit(s) to me at the hotel we stayed - their delivery and service was fantastic, and the yarn itself is breathable and water repellant (they say) and overall, not so difficult on the wallet !

Thoroughly enjoyed knitting this stunning piece and my daughter loves it so !

Post this knit, that kept me at the edge of my seat, the beanie for a 3 month old made me feel like a pro - smooth and easy. Post every challenging knit, best to take up an easy one to boost confidence, me thinks :laughing: The pom-pom was a first time experience, there are two types of pom pom makers - one that is fixed round and the other which opens up. Best to use the latter as it is easier and faster to wind the wool.

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No only beautiful Iceland but yarn too! What a terrific trip. Your sweater and hat are so well done they are a delight to see.

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What a lovely sweater! I was shocked at the price of Icelandic wool…when I took my sweater’s worth to the cash register and saw the total (and did the calculation)…I think it was only something like $50! I almost went back and bought more, but it wouldn’t have fit in my suitcase! :smiley: They sold yarn in many grocery stores, so I had plenty more opportunities to add to my stash.

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Thats a lovely set. IMO you were lucky to get it at that price. Here Id have to spend more to make that sweater. Its one reason I started spinning. But Im not sure I could process Icelandic myself. It has special characteristics that require special handling, I think.

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To clarify, I bought it at Icelandinc Hand Knitting in Reykjavik, in 2013. Lettlopi was about $3.50/50g ball at the time.

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Yes, it is easy on the wallet - Indeed, grocery stores and department stores have a huge variety of yarn stocked - it drove me crazy !
I wished I could have carried most of the shop(s) with me :slight_smile: but traveling Ryan air, I would have had to leave all my clothes behind :wink: and buy extra luggage too. :rofl:
I find that Icelandic Store delivers in UK with an additional fee for shipping - even with this fee, it is a worthy purchase

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