Freyja
As a welcome present, Knitting Iceland is glad to offer you Freyja, a lovely lopapeysa (Icelandic for the classic woollen yoke sweater) designed by Ragga Eiríksdóttir. It is knitted from the lightweight and versatile unspun Lopi. The pattern features Knitting Iceland’s logo, an old eight petal rose taken from an Icelandic sjónabók, a collection of old patterns found in Icelandic art and handcrafts through the ages. We present Freyja to you in 10 sizes, ranging from XS to 6X. Enjoy!
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For those of you who have a little time:
Freyja was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility in old Norse mythology. In modern times Freyja is often used to poeticly symbolize Iceland, the nature and the earth. Freyja is also a common Icelandic name.
The Icelandic wool
The use of wool has followed Icelanders ever since the settlement of the vikings around 870 ad. The Icelandic sheep breed has remained the same ever since and the North-Atlantic climate produces a very special kind of wool. It consists of two types of fibers, the þel (pronounced thel) which is the fine and soft wool found closest to the sheep’s body, and the tog, long and glossy water repellent fibers on the outside. This unique combination of fibers makes it possible to knit from the wool without spinning it first. It is this unspun wool that is called Lopi.
Have you tried lopi?
Working with lopi is a different experience for many knitters. Unspun, it can easily be pulled apart but just as easily joined together again. The fibers stick really well to each other which also makes steeks very doable when making lopi cardigans.Thus cardigans are knitted in the round and steeked afterwards with only a single stitch added for the steek. With lopi, steeking is a much less scary process than with many other types of yarn.
When knitting with unspun lopi, gauge can vary a lot between knitters. So PLEASE check your gauge before starting this project.
Yarn: unspun Lopi wheels, pure Icelandic wheel, 110g/wheel, 100g = ca.300m/328 yds, shade 9102, 5(5)5(5)6(6)6(7)7(7) wheels, shade 0001, 1 wheel
Needle 4,5mm/US 7 circular needle 80cm/32″ long, crochet hook 4 mm/US G-6
Stitch markers, darning needle, buttons
Gauge: 10×10cm (4”x4”) = 19 sts and 24 rows in Stocking Stitch on 4,5 mm/US 7 needle
Sizes: XS to 6X
We hope you enjoy knitting Freyja
©Ragga Eiríksdóttir 2010
This pattern is protected by copyright law. It´s for personal and non-profit use only.