Sunday 28 February 2016

lopapeysa



i have become completely consumed with knitting icelandic lopapeysa jumpers. it started last year when i knit my asta jumper:
it was the first time i knit with lettlopi wool and i didn't really understand it at all but i loved the result. lettlopi is icelandic wool and it's unspun so it traps heat. it is also a little rough and - well - there's no way around it - a bit hairy. but it is so warm - wearing one of these jumpers is like putting on a small oven. when i finished this jumper i kept trying to wear it as a jumper - underneath a coat - and it just wasn't working for me. This autumn i finally twigged that all those pictures of lopapeysas were outdoors - in iceland - in winter - and when i started wearing it as an outer layer we fell in love.  the jumpers are knitted bottom up and seamless - so you knit the two sleeves, then the body from the bottom, then join the sleeves in and knit the yoke. most of the patterning is in the yoke and it is so much fun to knit i cannot tell you. knitting crack.

anyways i've started one for n now and i am eyeing up another one for myself so i have caught the lopi bug hard. i've just finished the two sleeves and started the body of n's and i wanted to check the sizing so i blocked one of the sleeves so i could compare before and after washing.
it's amazing the difference blocking makes in evening out stitches and colourwork. i'm not surprised - a good bath evens out many of my rough edges too (literally and figuratively). 

this morning i ordered a wool colour shade card from iceland so i guess this particular fascination isn't going anywhere soon.