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Love & Lopapeysas

March 5, 2018 9 Comments

Love & Lopapeysas: All about knitting an Icelandic sweater
Today is the tenth anniversary of my husband’s and my first date, and the seventh anniversary of our wedding. When I went on my first lunch date at age 20 with him, I didn’t think in a million years I’d end up spending the rest of my life with him, but here we are. :) In honor of today’s big anniversary, I’d planned to share with you some pictures of my husband modeling my gift for him, a lovingly knitted Icelandic sweater, but, uh, about that…

For our fifth wedding anniversary, we went to Iceland for a belated honeymoon (read more about our adventure here). Iceland is truly a yarn-lover’s paradise, with lopi yarn everywhere you turn. Not only that, most of it runs just $3-4 a skein. (Seriously guys, my return suitcase was loaded with gobs and gobs of yarn. There was so much, I even left a pair of old boots to make room for more.)

Love & Lopapeysas: All about knitting an Icelandic sweater

The yarn for my husband’s sweater – he picked the colors!

In addition to some smaller additions to my stash, I bought two sweater quantities of yarn to use for both me and my husband on that trip. We both fell in love with lopapeysas (Icelandic sweaters) during our travels, and obviously, there was no way we were going to buy lopapeysas. I mean, of course I wanted to try Icelandic sweater knitting for myself! For mine, I knit the Icelandic Zip Cardigan by Védís Jónsdóttir with Alafosslopi (knit on US 10/6mm needles). My husband picked the Goði sweater, also by Védís Jónsdóttir, for his lopapeysa. It calls for using a somewhat thinner Lettlopi yarn and US 6/4mm needles.

Álafosslopi is a versatile, single ply Icelandic yarn, perfect for knocking out a handknit sweater real quick!

The uncharacteristically monochrome color palette for my lopapeysa. 

I knit most of my sweater in Iceland as we circumnavigated the country in our rental car. By the time I got home, just the yoke, steeking, and adding the zipper remained. Since our trip, I finished all of the knitting and blocking, but have been a big old chicken since then, sitting on my yet-to-be-steeked lopapeysa! What a doofus I am! I will say that I’ve made a pact with a fellow Icelandic travel alum, and she and I have a beer date in a couple weeks to give our creations the chop… in time for spring. Oh the irony!

Knit Designer Heidi Gustad working on her Icelandic lopapeysa sweater in Seyðisfjörður.

Working on my lopapeysa in a cafe in Seyðisfjörður.

My lopapeysa may basically be done, but my husband’s sweater has been on a longer journey. Along with all of those big important anniversaries today holds for me, it marks two years since I bought 14 balls of yarn for his lopapeysa. Not only that, his lopapeysa was intended to be a belated Christmas present in the first place, so I’m rather behind. WHOOOPS!

Over Memorial Day weekend this year I made a point of at least casting on & getting past the hem and cuff ribbing. I’d hoped that by at least making a good start I’d be able to finish it by, well, today. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but I made a valiant effort! At the end of the day, this sweater requires 14 skeins of yarn – my husband is a big guy (which is fantastic for everything except sweater knitting)! And you know what? If I’m making something for my husband, I’d like it to be something I’ll be happy to watch him wear for the rest of our lives, and not something that makes me think of all of its flaws.

Love & Lopapeysas: All about knitting an Icelandic sweater

My blocked gauge swatch, ribbing for two cuffs and the sweater body. 

Sometimes done is better than perfect, I know, but I really want this one to be extra special. As of myself-imposed deadline today, I’ve got the whole sweater body done, half of one sleeve, and the cuff of another. The colorwork yoke is going to be a big challenge, much more than my lopapeysa was, but I can’t wait until the day I get to tackle it. His birthday is coming up in June, maybe my husband will finally get his incredibly warm wool sweater… in time for the summer.

For now, since I know you read every word of every one of my posts, Hon, all I have to say is I love you, and I tried. ;)  

Love & Lopapeysas: All about knitting an Icelandic sweater

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: iceland, icelandic knitting, icelandic sweater, lopapeysa, lopi, Védís Jónsdóttir

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Lettie

    March 5, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    Congratulations Heidi! Don’t feel too bad! My husband and I have been married for 23 years and I have been promising him a sweater for 22! After two false starts and another allowing for, ahem, broadening girth, I finally have his sweater almost done. All that’s left is weaving in the ends and a blocking. Good things come to those who wait…but maybe not for 22 years 😋.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      March 5, 2018 at 9:14 pm

      Aww, I love that! I had a hunch I wasn’t the first knitter in this boat! 😆

      Reply
  2. Alka Gudadhe

    March 7, 2018 at 12:58 am

    Beautiful sweater pattern and write up too.

    Reply
  3. Thelma Rut Hafliðadóttir

    March 9, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    How lovely to see you speak so highly about Iceland and our lopi :) keep up the good work and you’ll finish when you finish, just remember to have fun ..otherwise it won’t be fun ;)

    Best regards from Iceland 🐏

    Reply
    • Heidi

      March 9, 2018 at 11:22 pm

      Thank you, Thelma! :)

      Reply
  4. annemarie bjerke

    March 10, 2018 at 9:07 am

    my husband and i have been together for 30 years. We met at a bus stop one morning when we were both late for work…we ran away to Europe for 7 months and when we came back i used some of the norwegian patterns to knit him a sweater…it ended up with sleeves too long and body too narrow. we were married last year and i think now would be the time to take that old sweater apart and reknit it properly but i worry about ruining it…i will have to be brave about it.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      March 10, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      What a sweet love story! ❤️ You can be brave, I believe in you!

      Reply
  5. Margaret-Rose Stringer

    March 10, 2018 at 1:01 pm

    A wonderful tale that lets me know even the est knitters can be as procrastinatory as I am. :) A honeyoon in Iceland ? – dásamlegt !

    Reply
    • Heidi

      March 10, 2018 at 5:34 pm

      Thank you! 😊❤️ The trip was so lovely!

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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Yarn craft designer & author. Into intarsia knits, latch hook, color & vintage-modern style.
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Are you looking for some late summer reading picks Are you looking for some late summer reading picks? Here are 3 fresh titles for makers of all ages - full reviews are on my bl0g, along with a giveaway for a copy of Knitstrips! The 🔗 is where you’d think. 😉
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) / Knitstrips by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar (@ik_knitstrips) / This Long Tread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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#summerreading #bookshelf #readingrecommendations #handsoccupied #booksformakers #craftbooks
New on the blog today! This former Librarian revie New on the blog today! This former Librarian reviews three making-related books for kids, teens & adults. And there’s a copy of one up for giveaway too! 📚 
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) with pictures by Mags DeRoma (@magsderoma) / Knitstrips (@ik_knitstrips) by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar / This Long Thread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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I’ll share preview page-through videos for these this week too, but for now the written reviews are at the top of handsoccupied dot com along with my search bar if you can’t find ‘em. All giveaway details are listed in the review post. 🤙🏻 
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(^ I heard a rumor that if I tell you to exit this app, no one will see this post, so plz forgive the song & dance just in case it matters. 🙈)
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#handsoccupied #summerreading #booksformakers #booksforcrafters #books #knittersofinstagram #craftbook #knittingbook
I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitti I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitting kind of like some embroiderers do: I get (probably too) excited when the back’s neat and tidy. Are you this way? Is it just me? 
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Pictured is the wrong side of a large primary color intarsia swatch I knit for an upcoming design in @brooklyntweed Arbor. When I pulled it from my studio, I thanked my former self for talking the time to knit, weave in ends, & block a clean swatch already. As critical as they are, I’m excited to not have to make one today. I’ll advocate for swatching all day long, but I won’t pretend it’s like the funnest step in the process! 😆🧶
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#stopswatchandblockit #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #handsoccupied #knitincolor #knitdesign #handknits
Weaving in ends when you’re knitting with black Weaving in ends when you’re knitting with black yarn… 😅 
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There are a few reasons 90% of my work is done in primary colors, & this is one of them! Lucky for me and my tear ducts, this secret monochromatic design project is off the needles. Just blocking, seaming, & then grading the thing before I can ship it off to make my deadline. 🤙🏻
Today’s knitting vocabulary words: deadline isla Today’s knitting vocabulary words: deadline island & intarsia lock. Have you run across these terms before? 
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If there’s interest, I can share more examples of how to wrangle intarsia locks in a future video. With all of the intarsia designs in my queue, examples are sure to present themselves. 😅🧶 
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#intarsia #deadlineisland #handsoccupied #intarsiaknitting #colorworkknitting
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