Rebekka « The Icelandic Knitter

In old times in Iceland, women were wearing very simple shawls in garter stitch. Women often wore them everyday, often crossed over the chest and tied at the back. They were knitted from the top down so you could adapt the size and they had a straight edge. Most Icelandic lace shawls on the other hand had a very distinctive boomerang shape and they were usually knitted from down to the top, the stitches were picked up around and the lacy edge added afterward. Beautiful examples can be found in Sigríður Halldórsdóttir’s book, "Þríhyrnur og langsjöl"(Three-Cornered and Long Shawls)

It is this book that inspired Rebecca her triangular shawl but it includes most elements from the simpler garter stitch traditional shawl as well.

“I wanted to make a simple introduction to the elegant top-down construction method for triangular shawls, so this pattern is all in garter stitch with a minimalistic floral lace motif arranged into stripes. It can be knitted to any size that fits the knitter’s tastes or the yarn available, by adding or subtracting stripes before beginning the border section. The color changes are concealed in the eyelet rows that separate the lace motifs, so the shawl is fully reversible.”

The stripes are worked in subtle shades of Icelandic lace weight wool, handyed with wild Icelandic plants by the dyers at Ullarsellid in Hvanneyrri in the West of Iceland.

The gorgeous orange is dyed with liturnarmosi that is not a moss, as the name would suggest but grey foliaceous lichen.

subtle shades of Icelandic lace weight wool, handyed with wild Icelandic plants

The warm yellowish doesn’t come from the beautiful yello-green flowers of the popular mariustakkur, but from its very recognizable leaves: those from the Mantle’s Lady also known as Lion’s foot, Bear’s foot, Nine Hooks or Dew Cup. The delicate green is obtained with the roots of snarrotapuntur, a very green grass known as Tufted Hair-grass or Tussock gras.

The designer

Rebecca Blair grew up on the Canadian prairies, so she knows the value of warm but lightweight wool garments. She enjoys Icelandic wool yarn, with its combination of downy undercoat and strong guard hair; It has the marvelous quality of being sturdy but very lofty, and therefore perfect for knitting into garments for piling on in layers. It makes her excited for cold evenings.

More about Rebecca: doiliesarestylish.blogspot.com

Size: One size

Measurements of finished item: 58” (147cm) wide by 29” (74cm) tall; can easily be resized

Needles: US #4/3.5mm, circular needle 32” or longer

Notions: 3.25mm crochet hook, length of scrap yarn, stitch markers, darning needle, T-pins, blocking wires (optional)

Gauge: 4”x4” / 10x10 cm = 20 sts and 32 rows in garter stitch, after blocking

Yarn: Einband-Loðband from Ístex, 70% Icelandic wool, 30% wool, fine lace-weight, 1-ply worsted, 50g/skein, 50g = ca. 225m/246 yds; handyied with local plants by Ullarselið
- MC:  Deschampsia caepitosa (green) - 1 skein
- CC1: Achemilla vulgaris (yellow) - 1 skein
- CC2: Parmelia saxatilis (orange) - 1 skein

Note that natural plant dyed colors tend to fade slightly, especially when exposed to direct sun light.

The finished shawl uses less than 100 g.

Techniques: knitting in the round, stranded knitting, intarsia in the round (or alternatively duplicate sts), short rows.

Pattern: once you've your paiement, you will receive an email with a link to download the pattern PDF. We don't send patterns by snail mail.

Kit: includes the yarn but not the pattern that you will have to purchase separately. Kit doesn’t include the needles and notions. Because they are plant dyed, the colors may slightly differs from the original. Also, the colors may be achieved by using other plants than those listed in the pattern. Shipping costs are not included in the price.  

Errata: no mistake was found in this pattern.