PRIVATE TOUR: Male Knitting Adventures 2027

ITINERARY

Day 1 (2027, June 18): early arrival. Pick up at airport. Blue lagoon and visit of crafters. Night in hotel with outdoor hot-tub where we are spending the next 3 nights.

Day 2 (2027, June 19): Morning knitting workshop. In the afternoon, Golden circle with woolly stops. Night in same hotel.

Day 3 (2027, June 20): Sight-seeing excursion on the South coast and cozy knitting. Night in same hotel.

Day 4 (2027, June 21): Drive to Blönduós with woolly stops. Night in Blönduós.

Day 5 (2027, June 22): Morning knitting workshop. Visit of Textile Museum and Ístex scouring station. Night in same guesthouse.

Day 6 (2027, June 23): Morning knitting workshop. Sight-seeing/hike in the afternoon. Local swimming pool. Night in same guesthouse.

Day 7 (2027, June 24): Drive to Reykjavík with woolly stops and sight-seeing / hikes. Deep in a Hot Spring pool. Night in guesthouse in Reykjavík. Dinner in Reykjavík.

Day 8 (2027, June 25): In the morning, visit of the Ístex factory and old Álafoss. Reykjavík city tour on feet. Free time in the afternoon and free evening. Night in same guesthouse.

Day 9 (2027, June 26): Brunch at Hélène´s place. Free time in the city. Farewell dinner. Night in same guesthouse.

Day 10 (2027, June 27): 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.

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: We will knit a doll size traditional sweater with all the elements of an adult one. Special attention will be given to the color yoke.

Shaping your lopi sweater: The Icelandic lopapeysa is traditionally fairly square in shape and has no front or back. We will see many different ways to create a neckline and to add shaping to the sweater for a better and more refined fit, as well as how to alter existing patterns. We will also discover an old method allowing to conveniently knit the sleeves from the top down while achieving a perfect fit. Special attention will be given to the male fit.

Steeking 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 try our hands at the traditional ways and compare them with other methods. We will also see different ways to finish our steeks once cut.

Finishing 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, button bands, sew in a zipper, and how to care for your brand new lopi sweater.