First Person
My Traveling Sweater
Three years ago, my husband and I decided to go to Iceland.
Yes, yes. It is a country full of yarn and sheep and knitters. Certainly a nice perk but not the main draw, not even for me.
No, in 2022, what drew us to Iceland was the airport in Newark, N.J., which had direct flights to Keflavík on Icelandair. In under six hours, we could be someplace that wasn’t New York State, which was more or less where we’d been since the start of the pandemic. And this someplace has glaciers and volcanos and hot springs and, sure, wool.
Before we left, I did what most modern travelers do: I posted on Facebook about the trip and crowdsourced where in the country I should go.
Folks offered great recommendations, which is what I’d expected. And then I got something else, which I totally didn’t expect.
Helen, a friend from college, said “You should talk to my friend Eva Huld Valsdóttir. She’s Icelandic and she’s a knitter.”
So Eva and I messaged a bit about the sights in Reykjavik. Of course, we also talked about which shops were her favorites and why.
Out of the blue, she asked me what colors I like because she was going to knit me a lopapeysa. And not just any lopapeysa—a cardigan with a zipper.
I insisted she didn’t need to. She agreed that she didn’t need to but that she wanted to, which is how I found myself, jetlagged and mind already blown by how otherworldly Iceland’s landscape is, standing in Litla Prjóna Búðin, the yarn shop where Eva had purchased the plötulopi for my peysa, waiting for a woman I really did not know to hand me a sweater she’s made.
That sweater was my constant companion on that trip. Lopapeysa are perfect for cold wind, which Iceland has in abundance. For the times it was both windy and wet, this sweater and my rain jacket were all I needed. Everywhere we went, so went this sweater.
Back home in Oneonta, my Eva-made peysa didn’t see much use. I’d toss it on when the occasional polar vortex came through or when I had to walk the dogs in early spring. I did take it with me to Belfast in February, where it saved me from gusts rolling off of the North Sea. But, mostly, this beloved sweater sat on a shelf. Part of me felt bad that this beloved gift wasn’t seeing the blustery days it was built for.
So I took the sweater back to Iceland this summer. With my husband, mind, and our now-adult children—one last big trip before they truly leave the nest.
Me and the sweater hiked around the Seltún Geothermal Area. It is a smelly place.
Me and the sweater (it’s under my rain jacket) at Gullfoss, whose majesty was nearly destroyed by a hydro-electric dam more than 100 years ago, if not for the will of Sigríður Tómasdóttir, a sheep farmer’s daughter.
I had it on when we visited Hespa, where Guðrún Bjarnadóttir and I talked natural dyes. She’s holding some very special lichen that she harvests from a secret location.
And I bought some little cakes of colorful delight, most of which were dyed with madder, a dye plant we also use at the Fenimore Farm.
The sweater was zipped up tight against the wind on the Black Beach near Vík, which is where I discovered it’s one of those places that connects to my soul (despite being a person who hates using phrases like “connects to my soul”).
And of course I wore it to the Handknitting Association of Iceland, where one of the shop-keepers was bemused by my asking to take her picture.
There was one place I did not wear it because the weather was mild enough (for Iceland, mind) that it felt like overkill:
Eva and I met up at a coffee shop just across from the yarn shop from three years ago. We spent a delightful hour or so catching up on all of life’s details that fall through social media’s cracks. I might have toddled across the parking lot to do a little bit of shopping.
For the next few months, the sweater will get to rest. Winter will be here soon and I’m sure I’ll reach for it whenever the wind kicks up.
But it won’t be able to hibernate for long. The spouse and I intend to go back to Iceland to drive the ring road. The sweater will come with. And if the fates are willing, I’ll be able to meet up with Eva for another coffee and chat.
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Great story and what a gift! The colors are terrific and it looks wonderful on you. Also coveting the box of red yarn cakes. Hoping to drop in on the laine et soie gathering while here in Provence on Saturday and add some tariff free goodies to the stash. Perhaps you could become a yarn runner for us on your next trip to Iceland…
Oh the memories that your story brings up. I did a riding/knitting tour this summer and it was amazing. I too have cakes of hand dyed yarn from Hespa and a very similar picture of Gudrun and her dye pots. I have finished a horse themed zip front riding vest and a lopapeysa with the five gaits of the Icelandic horse on the yoke since I got home. I recommend reading Burial Rites by Laura Kent and visiting a turf house if you go back. I also recommend Uppspunni mill for unique natural sheep colors spun from one sheep at a time and Fjarhuisloftid for hyper-local hand dyed yarns, felted products, beautiful sheepskins and sweaters knit by local people that were much nicer than what we saw in Reykjavik. I am going back this summer to wear my sweaters while riding an Icelandic horse in the highlands.
Hello, fellow fan of Hélène Magnusson!
Horses and knitting – my dream vacation. Some day!
I can’t imagine a better combination! Riding, knitting and travel to beautiful places!!
WOW! That sweater is simply stunning. Makes me want to order some new wool right now and knit one. I love this story and how the gift has followed you. I’m sure that Eva is so tickled to know how much you cherish and wear it!!
I love your sweater and I am so envious of your trip to Iceland! From your pictures, it seems like a truly beautiful place. It is on my bucket list of places to visit before I leave this earth.
I loved everything about this story. Great photos, I love your sweater and that box of cakes is glorious. Thank you!
What a beautiful story. Warms my heart., and if someone were to give me a box with those specific yarns in it I would drop to my knees in tearful gratitude (even though blue-reds are more my colors) and learn to knit a lopapeysa even if it kills me. (BTW In the beginning I misread Iceland for Ireland, and honestly for the first six mini-paragraphs it totally applied until the the 7th paragraph when the word Reykjaflik inexplicably appeared.)
Such a lovely story. But hoe much of that gorgeous yarn did you bring home?
Wow. Iceland. I can’t wait. And for someone to day “I’ll knit you a sweater” is amazing. Iceland, the sweater and the cakes are gorgeous. I can’t wait to go. Thanks!
Loved your article! Love the Peysa! The colors are fantastic 🙂
This article helped answer a question that I have regarding whether or not to take my lopapeysa or my North Face puffy jacket, I’m going to take my lopapeysa it’s about the same weight it doesn’t pack down like the puffy but that’s ok.
I’m going to Eastern Europe in October and by the time we are in Prague it will be early-ish November and chilly (at least for me coming from SoCal). Needless to say my peysa doesn’t get the use that it deserves, but it will on this trip!
Thank you for sharing!
Love this entire story, and that you did a family trip before the kids have fledged the nest. Ours are now 31 and 27, and I cherish the days (with the added partners) when we are all together. One of the best Christmas presents in memory was when about 2 years ago they bought tickets for ALL of us (ranging from Boston to 2 hours north of Portland, ME) to meet up in Portland for a Harry Potter film and live music score. Younger son’s girlfriend went to Iceland this past summer, fell in love with it and the yarn (despite previously being a super wash only knitter due to sensitive skin) and brought me three plates of Plotulopi! Now on the needles! Thanks for this wonderful vicarious visit.
I was in iceland in April and the places you went to were very familiar. So was the shop woman who didn’t want her picture taken. I remember her. Thanks so much for sharing this article. Living in San Diego I only bought two skeins of yarn to make a hat. Not much use for those sweaters where I live. But they sure were beautiful.
Does anyone know the name of the pattern for the sweater? I’d love to make one!!!
Pretty sure it’s Riddari: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/riddari
At least that’s the yoke pattern. I believe you would just steek it to install the zip.
Thank you for sharing your travels!! Love the pictures and love your box of yarn!! The colors are gorgeous. I love yarn stores. I love to touch the yarn and think of the possibilities for knitting.
Thanks again.
In the first picture, you and Eva look like people who’ve just met. In the last, you look like friends. All because of a sweater. Thanks for sharing this story and showing us your sweater.
Brava! Revisiting the bits of Iceland that were most joyful to you and also testing some new boundaries. Martini, you deserve a martini. I will knit in your honor this coming weekend.
Oh what a lovely story! And the pattern? Does it still exist? I need a sweater just like that in Northern Michigan! (From a woman who ran for local public office when Obama first ran and did my stint for 12 years. I love your postings, Adrienne!)
I drove the Ring Road with my daughter on a trip a few years ago. I love quirky vacation goals, and the car-rental folks provided me with one: a list of all the places to find local ice cream vendors along our way. My favorite was a dairy farm where the cafe had a full-wall window into the barn…so the cows could watch you enjoying their product while they munched their hay. The other patrons were (by their uniforms) a local road-repair crew on a break.
We also stopped at every local museum and monument: the whale, shark, volcano, bird egg, museums…all small and single-topic and clearly made with local pride.
I, too, cannot resist yarn in a bakery box.
I love this sweater. Any chance that you know the name of the pattern?
I think I found it on Ravelry.
Héla Blue Short Cardigan with Zip
by Védís Jónsdóttir for Ístex
What lovely story!
A beautiful story! Iceland is on my bucket list for sure.
Read your article and took notes. I’m going to Iceland next month and I now have the name of a yarn shop and some ideas to get me started. I’ll take something small to knit on the plane but I’ll start my Iceland souvenir project in Iceland. Thank you!
We did the Ring Road last year. Two things I’d keep in mind:
1) The southern portion of the road runs mostly along the south coast, and is mostly level and straight. Smooth riding. However, the northern portion (and especially in the northeast), it winds a lot more and you have a lot more changes in elevation. Personal preference whether you want to start smooth (go south first, and travel counter clockwise) or end smooth (go north first, and travel clockwise). We didn’t know in advance, we went counter clockwise, and it was perfectly fine. But, if/when we do it again, I think we’ll go clockwise.
2) Get a vehicle with 4-wheel drive. It’ll cost a little more, and you may not need it, but if you find yourself driving in wintry conditions (as we did, in early September), you’ll appreciate the extra traction. We saw VERY FEW other vehicles during our I-wouldn’t-quite-call-it-a-snowstorm-I’m-from-Chicago, but Icelanders don’t FAFO with winter weather – if conditions are rough, they stay inside.
I continue to be blown away by your now-friend’s gift of a cardigan. What generosity! We drove through the interior and on about the eastern 2/3 of the ring road in 2014 – truly marvelous.