Hiking and knitting with the Flying sheep, September 9-15, 2027
Highlights: Dalir, sheep round up, beautiful sheep, hot geothermal pool, traditional Icelandic shawls and lace
Departure: September 9 –15, 2027
This fabulous tour takes us to the enchanting world of wildlife and nature that is the West of Iceland, with a stunning view over the myriad of islands of the Breiðafjörður fjord. Few parts of Iceland are also as rich in history as Dalir where records go back virtually unbroken to the Settlement in the 9th and 10th centuries. In fact, Dalir deserves to be called a stepping-stone into the New World. There, we will experience the Old ways of life, participate in a sheep round up with truly beautiful sheep, hike in the peacefully dazzling and colorful landscape, and knit a beautiful sheep lopapeysa .
All the way, Hélène will give us a thoughtful insight into the Icelandic knitting heritage and we’ll learn new and ancient techniques during the knitting workshops. The focus will be on the lopi sweater, an essentiel piece of clothing when participating in an Icelandic sheep round up. This is a memorable journey that will give us a unique insight in the way of life in Dalir.
Upon booking, you will receive a link to fill up the registration form.
Please read the detailed information below >
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Upon booking, and in order to make the trip enjoyable, please make sure you are familiar with the day-to-day itinerary, the fitness condition required, as well as the list of equipment. For any questions, please check our FAQ first (answers to frequently asked questions).
Departure: September 9-15, 2027, 6 nights
Group size: 12
Price: 470.000 ISK
Single room supplement (only in Reykjavik): 15.000 ISK
Not included in price: flights to and from Keflavík International airport
Included in price:
- 1 guide/knitting instructor.
- 2 nights at a guesthouse in Reykjavík, double rooms, dressed beds, shared facilities.
- 4 nights at a country lodge, twin room (possibility of single room against a supplement on the premises), dressed beds.
- Full board from day 2 til lunch day 6, breakfast on day 7.
- All transfers as per itinerary, knitting as per itinerary.
- Yarn for knitting a swatch during the workshops
Because participants come from all over the world, the tours are operated mainly in English but Hélène is bilingual in French. A lexical of knitting terms in German/English/French/Icelandic is available during the tour.
Fitness et hiking level: moderate.
Accessible to all those in good health, who are doing some sport regularly, and who are used to all-terrain walks. 2-3 hours walk per day, without carrying much weight, little ascent, uneven terrain.
ITINERARY
Day 1 (2026, September 9): Knitters arrive to Iceland from all over the world at various time during the day. They will be spending their first night at a guesthouse in Reykjavík close to the Icelandic Handknitting Association of Iceland, full of lopi sweaters and wool.
Day 2 (2027, September 10): Hélène will pick us up at our guesthouse in the morning and we will head on a knitting adventure to the beautiful and peaceful west of Iceland. The drive will be punctuated by interesting woolly stops and visit to crafters. Before we reach the comfortable country lodge where we will spend the next 4 nights, we will dip ourselves in a truly charming natural geothermal pool. Picnic lunch en route. Dinner on the premises.
Day 3 (2027, September 11): Today will be a fun and active day where we will participate in the old and traditional way of Icelandic sheep round up. In Hélène´s humble opinion, those are the most beautiful sheep in Iceland! In September, the sheep are herded from the mountains where they grazed freely during the summer and are gathered in réttir – round-up – where they are sorted out between the farmers from the area. Families and friends usually take part in the round-up and wear their lopi sweaters. Lunch and dinner on premises.
Hike gathering the sheep: 2 hours. Distance: about 3 km / 2 miles. Relatively fast pace, uneven terrain, no trail.
Day 4 (2027, September 12): Today will be spent on an exciting knitting workshop with Hélène, punctuated by a refreshing hike in the surroundings. Evening chasing Northern lights if the weather allows! Delicious lunch and dinner on premises.
Hike: 2-3 hours. Distance: about 5 km / 3 miles. Uneven terrain.
Day 5 (2027, September 13): The morning is dedicated to knitting with Hélène. In the afternoon, we will learn more about the rich history of the Dalir area and the old ways of living. More knitting in the late afternoon. Lunch and dinner on the premises.
Hike: 2-3 hours. Distance: about 5 km / 3 miles. Uneven terrain.
Day 6 (2027, September 14): it is now time to say good bye to the peaceful West and head back to Reykjavik. En route we will visit more inspiring crafters and artisans. When we arrive in Reykjavik, we’ll check in at the guesthouse located downtown, then gather at Hélène’s inspiring knitting studio in the old Reykjavík. The evening are free in the vibrant city.
Day 7 (2027, September 15): Departure.
KNITTING WORKSHOP
THE TRADITIONAL ICELANDIC LOPI SWEATER
A bit of history: the emergence of the lopi sweater: Hélène will tell us about the Icelandic knitting traditions with a focus on the youngest tradition – the Icelandic lopi yoke sweater, that has become the most prominent representation of Icelandic knitting today. It is however a fairly recent invention probably dating back to the 50’s and that became immensely popular in the 70’s. Hélène will show us a few genuine samples and will share with us stories from elderly knitters she has been interviewing in the past years.
Icelandic wool: Hélène will tell us about the different types of Icelandic wool and the genesis of the famous unspun lopi and we will experience the feeling of knitting with this highly breakable yarn.
Traditional Icelandic lopi sweater: During the trip, we will knit a sheep sweater from Hélène´s Sheep Collection. We will have the opportunity to buy some wool for it, for example Ístex lopi or the beautiful lambswool from Urðurull. minimill. Special attention will be given to the color yoke. We will learn how to knit with 3 colors and the ladder-back jacquard technique, and a few fun embellishing tricks.
Make your lopi sweater fit you workshop: we will learn many ways to alter the existing patterns to make the lopi sweater fit our own specific body measurements and taste. We will put it into practice with the sheep sweater we are knitting, under Hélène´s thoughtful guidance.
Steek your lopi sweater workshop: Lopi sweaters are always knit in the round then simply steeked (cut into the finished knitting) to make them into cardigans. Typically, an Icelandic knitter would much rather steek a garment than bother working it back and forth and purling, especially if colorwork is involved. We will practice the traditional Icelandic way on our sweater swatch.
Finish your lopi sweater workshop: “The knitting is only half of the work” said grand-mother Olga Hallgrímsdóttir. Finishing a garment is indeed just as important as the knitting: we will learn all sorts of finishing techniques, for example how to make crochet edging, vertical or horizontal button bands, sew in a zipper, and how to care for your brand new lopi sweater.
| Túngumál | á ensku, á frönsku, á íslensku |
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