Knitting on ice, October 8 –14, 2024

ITINERARY

Day 1 (2024, October 8): Knitters arrive to Iceland from all over the world at various time during the day. Night at a guesthouse in Reykjavík close to the Icelandic Handknitting Association of Iceland, full of lopi sweaters and wool

Day 2 (2024, October 9): In the morning, we set out on a hike into the magical landscapes of steaming hot springs and bubbling solfatares and even dip into a natural geothermal river to warm us up! We will visit the Thingborg Wool Centre: a knitter’s paradise filled with handspun and hand dyed yarns, and the softest lopi yarn in Iceland. It’s a good time to buy yarn for our sweaters! We then head for the country farm where we will spend the next 4 nights. Picnic Lunch enroute and dinner on premises.

Hike: Walking time: 2 hours. Distance: 5 km/ 3 miles. Descent: 400 m/1312 ft. Trail.

Day 3 (2024, October 10): The day is dedicated to knitting with Hélène: the beautiful earth colors we’ve seen the previous day will inspire us to choose our colors. We will also visit the farm and pet the animals in the evening we should be on the lookout for the Northern Lights. Picnic Lunch and dinner on premises.

Day 4 (2024, October 11):  Today we set out on an expedition with a glacier walk on Sólheimajökull Glacier. At the glacier we will meet an experienced glacier guide who will take us on a safe and easy glacier walk with crampons up and onto the ice field. As we explore the wonderland of ice sculptures and deep crevasses, we learn about these disappearing natural wonders and take a knitting break! Picnic lunch enroute and dinner on the premises.

Hike: 4 hours (3 hours on ice) with glacier guide. Crampons and material all included.

Day 5 (2024, October 12): We stay at the farm and continue our inspiring workshops with Hélène. In the afternoon, we will enjoy some free time that we can use for walking around in the surroundings, going horseback riding on the premises or simply knitting in peace. Note that horse riding is not included in the price. Lunch and delicious dinner on premises.

Day 6 (2024, October 13): It is time to slowly head back to Reykjavík with many interesting stops: we will visit Uppspuni, the first minimill in Iceland, have lunch and knit at an authentic turf farm where we will learn more about the Old ways of life. The new Hespa handyeing studio is also on today’s program! And not last, before checking in at our guesthouse downtown Reykjavík, we will gather at Hélène’s inspiring workspace, full with her yarns and design knitting samples. It will then be time to say goodbye and enjoy a free evening in Reykjavík.

Day 7 (2024, October 14): 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: 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 scooped neckline and to add shaping to the sweater for a better and more refined fit, both for women and men, 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.

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