With Heat Regards from Iceland, Íslenska Lopapeysan

The Icelanders take care of their gods.  Vali the Norse god of revenge, Magni the son of Thor and god of power, and Baldur, the god of magnificence all now get pleasure from protected standing. As do goddesses like Dagny Gefnur and Freya, goddesses of affection, magnificence, and well being.

A garment that has protected people for hundreds of years is now protected by human regulation. The standard Icelandic sweater-. Íslenska Lopapeysan- is now a product identify protected by the nation’s meals and veterinary authority. Which means that an genuine Icelandic sweater should be comprised of wool sheared from Icelandic sheep, the wool should be new/virgin and never recycled and it should be hand-knit in Iceland.

“The lopapeysa isn’t only a relic from Iceland’s previous — it’s nonetheless a staple wardrobe merchandise,”  says Orri Hermannsson of the family-run Icelandic Retailer.

“Knitting is taught in faculties. Many Icelandic individuals knit their very own sweaters, together with some males. Though that is nonetheless a primarily feminine pastime, no person lets prejudices or stereotypes get in the way in which relating to having fun with the normal pastime.

For a talented knitter, it should take some 18-25 hours of knitting to make a top quality knit sweater. Thus the value tag. Some price over $400. The Icelandic Retailer solely sells sweaters made by Icelanders. “Nothing leaves the shop with out the approval of our senior knitter, Bryndís Eríksdóttir.”

The primary immigrants from Norway introduced sheep to Iceland. The craft of knitting is talked about within the first Icelandic Bible, printed in 1584. Knitted garments have even been used as a way of commerce since 1582. A pair of sixteenth-century mittens have been discovered throughout archaeological excavations in Storaborg in southern Iceland.

Knitting is believed to have migrated from England, the Netherlands, and Germany on the flip of the sixteenth century. Archaeological excavations have additionally uncovered proof of Icelandic knitwear in different elements of Europe. A pair of mittens knitted in Iceland round 1700 have been found in Copenhagen, Denmark. Icelandic college students be taught to knit in school as a part of their crafts training.

The primary distinction between Icelandic and Norwegian knitwear is that Norwegian sweaters are sometimes blue white and pink, the sample is often a star (typically resembling extra a flower), and sometimes has dots on the torso.

Icelandic patterns are often diamond-shaped and zig zag. Icelandic colours are often “sheep” colours, gray, white, black, and many others however in the present day sweaters are extra numerous. Hamar, Gerde, Pétur, Skjaldbreiður,  Ásthildur, Elís and Fagradalsfjall are ou Icewear’s bestsellers.

Wool processing has been a commerce in Mosfellsbaer since 1896, beforehand with the corporate Álafoss of Iceland till  Ístex took over in 1991. Istex buys wool immediately from farmers in Iceland and processes it into yarns. It’s Iceland’s major wool producer, producing seven yarns and a knitting sample e book. Yan colours vary from Frostbite and Glacier Blue to  Milky Method, Tough Sea, and Black Sheep.

Iceland’s knitwear business benefitted from its independence from Denmark in 1944. The Lopapeysa was launched as a brand new Icelandic custom and image of nationwide id. There are a number of theories concerning the origin of the patterns, one in all them factors to Auður Laxness, the spouse of Iceland’s Nobel Laureate in Literature, Halldor Laxness; she was mentioned to be impressed by the design of Inca tradition that she noticed in a e book brough again fromhis travels.

Norwegian patterns have been based mostly on the Greenlandic nuilarmiut, conventional formal put on with a beaded collar that covers the shoulders and bust and has brightly patterned geometric designs. Though the origin of the yoke sample can’t be traced, Icelandic yokes (typically with matching cuffs and waist) function nationalistic symbols like flowers, leaves, snowflakes, and horses.

Wool and horse hides soaked in fish oil have been the one supplies the Icelandic folks needed to defend them towards regardless of the climate threw at them… “Afréttur,” means widespread grazing land owned by native farmers.

Icelandic wool is characterised by the 2 elements of the fleece: the “tog”, which is analogous to protect hair, and “þel”, a kind of down hair. The þel is nearer to the pores and skin, the hairs are delicate, superb, quick, and springy. The tog is the outer a part of the fleece and is made up of lengthy, coarse, and glossy hairs. The þel is ethereal and gives good insulation however the tog is water and moisture-repellent. When wool work grew to become a manufacturing facility business within the late nineteenth century, combing and spinning have been carried out by machines. The machines couldn’t separate the þel from the tog so the Icelandic “Lopi” or sliver we all know in the present day is a mix of þel and tog.

The Icelandic “vistarband”, a type of serfdom, was abolished round 1900. Consequently, laborers moved from rural areas to cities in search of new alternatives and lots of males went to sea. This drastically elevated the demand for comfy work sweaters that could possibly be made shortly. Faroese sailor sweaters have been very talked-about marketed items in Iceland round 1900.

The sailor sweater was the wool sweater’s predecessor. Patterns differed from one nation to the following and typically even from one crew to the following however they have been often black on a white background. For a very long time, the patterns on the international sailor sweaters have been associated to Christian symbols like crosses and stars and have been presumably meant for defense. The Icelandic sailor sweaters didn’t have a sample. The black-and-white look was achieved by mixing two or three colours collectively which created a type of speckled look.

The primary wool yarns are Lettlopi, Alafosslop, Plotilopi, Kambarn. Einband and Housband ( wioth nylon and utilized in socks).

Icewear is cool and has been no for 50 years. The Icewear knitwear firm began as a knitting studio in Hvammstangi in north Iceland in 1972 and is now championing a brand new period of maintaining heat underneath its authentic slogan, “Be heat, be properly,”

Says Icewear proprietor Ágúst Thor Eiríksson. “We really feel extremely fortunate to work with the woolen fiber of our Icelandic sheep. I’m personally fascinated by these hardy creatures whose existence in our harsh atmosphere has led to the exceptional composition of their wool. It’s the excellent fiber – breathable, light-weight, water-repellent, and naturally pure. Our sweaters are all designed in Iceland however not knitted right here.

“Knitwear is a good instance of how Icelandic cultural expression combines with modern model and performance, exemplifying the spirit of self-sufficiency that defines Icelandic individuals.”