Theodóra

“A few years back, my middle daughter Theodóra was given a book by her grand-aunt.

inspired by famous Icelandic poet Theodóra Thoroddsen
It was an appropriate present because it had been written by Theodóra’s great-great-great-grand mother, the famous Icelandic poet Theodóra Thoroddsen, after whom she is named.

The book, “Tíu litlar ljúflingsmeyjar” – Ten charming little girls – is a children’s rhyme written by Theodóra Thóroddsen, probably around 1943. But it wasn’t until 1984 that her granddaughter Katrín Thóroddsen both illustrated and published it in a book.

delicate pictures embroidered by hand and machine
The illustrations are unusual; they are not drawings but rather very beautiful and delicate pictures that were embroidered by hand and machine. The book is today a rarity and I wish a new edition existed. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to knit a doll for my girls that looks a bit like the little handstiched girls. But it’s not until now that I made it happen. It is knitted mostly in the round with almost no seam.”

The doll comes with an Icelandic klukka: a dress knitted out of lightweight wool yarn, often with a scalloped lace patterned skirt, that was worn under the clothes. The panties came later.

The designer

Hélène Magnússon likes to put a new spin on old Icelandic knitting traditions. She enjoys designs with strong ties to Iceland and that tell a story. She is best known for her research into the traditional Icelandic intarsia that was mostly seen in knitted insoles in the past centuries. Her book, Icelandic knitting: using Rose Patterns is available in three languages. She is a French native but a true Icelandic knitter and has an Icelandic family. Hélène abandoned a law career in Paris for the love of Icelandic nature. She worked as a mountain guide for many years in Iceland and studied textile and fashion design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. She is the head and designer behind The Icelandic Knitter.

Size: height 37 cm / 14.5 inches.

Gauges: 10×10 cm / 4×4” = 19 sts x 26 rows in stocking st on 3,5 mm/US 4 needle with Létt-lopi; 26 sts x 42 rows in stocking st on 3 mm/US 3 needle with Einband-Loðband.

Yarn and material:
Léttlopi from Ístex 100% pure Icelandic wool, light spun, medium weight, 50g/skein, 50g = ca.100m/109 yds: shade 1418, 35 g (body); shade 1411, 10 g (hairs).
Einband-Loðband from Ístex, 70% Icelandic wool, 30% wool, fine lace-weight, 1-ply worsted, 50gr/skein, 50g = ca. 225m/246 yds:
– shade 9281 and 9171 30 cm/ 12″ (eyes and mouth);
– shade 0851, 20 g (klukka);
– shade 0885: 4 m/4.5 yds (klukka).
40-50 g carded Icelandic wool, wooden pin 1 cm / o.4″ in diameter.

Needles and notions: circular needles 3 mm/US 3 and 3,5 mm/US; crochet hook 3 mm/US D3; markers, safety pins, measuring tape, tapestry needle.

Techniques: knitting in the round, provisional cast on, disappearing loop cast on, short rows, socks techniques, intarsia.

Pattern: once you’ve made your payment, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download the pattern. It comes as a PDF file. We don’t send pattern by snail mail.

Errata: no mistake was found in this pattern.