Back to Iceland--armchair style!

Naturally I would love to go back to Iceland immediately, but this little trip will be from my chair.

I arrived so early in the morning, met Barbara and we found this little cafe for our breakfast.
I admit the heads are creepy, but we sat in the back so they were not staring
at us while we ate.

The door on the Hallgrímskirkja.

You know you are in knitting country when...
a huge picture of sheep is on the side of a building.

I love to take photos of doorways--beautiful color and texture!

Ragga's colorful bicycle parked outside her studio.

Alafoss--where Lopi yarn is made. The lovely color samples on the wall were just a teaser...

...of what we were going to see!

Huge bales of wool waiting to be carded. The brown bales some white
added to make a particular tint of brown (whIte = tint, shAde = black)

A very large room partially filled with wool.

This room is full!

After visiting Deb's Ewespun Woolen Mill, it was nice to know
what the machine was doing to the wool on a huge scale.

MiniD was exhausted and took a breather on some oddments.

Dyeing room.

Here is the view from the dyeing room. Not bad, I must say.

Our delightful teacher, Debbie Abrahams, poses by some red yarn that matches her hair.

Winding skeins of white.

The shade cards are nice to see. Alafoss tries to be as green as possible
with the dyeing process but some of the colors they
create have to be done in a not-so-green process.

The yarn bits on the left will be carded together into cakes (aka plates) of unspun Icelandic wool called "plötulopi." After being carded together, the wool is peeled into fine strips
and then wound into cakes.

No visit to a factory is complete without visiting the shop! I cannot
say I would buy a fox pelt (sad face), however the knitted gnomes
were pretty cute! I purchased some Einband and three cakes of wool.

MiniD was charmed by the elf houses across the street.

Our first stop after Alafoss was the plains of Þingvellir.
Coins shine in the very deep clear water.

Lava

Walking along the tectonic plates.

A little geyser bubbles.

While the big geyser spouts every four to ten minutes

There is a reason to stay on the paved path! Mary holds tight to MiniD
so she does not get burned.

After a quick lunch we go to the shop and what do I see?
Icelandic snuggies! Now that is a snuggie I would wear.

On our way to the wool cooperative we stop briefly at a lovely waterfall.
It was very windy and rainy. I did not want to stand too close to the edge.

The cooperative is run by female farmers. They work to preserve the
beautiful colors of Icelandic sheep. (White wool is most in demand.)

A sweet doll greets us when we walk into the building.

Honestly, I do not know what this was, but it looks like a turf house of sorts (on a small scale).

Back in town the next day and our lunch spot had a lovely view of the harbor.
It was a good day for some hot soup.

I can imagine these would be fun and stylish to wear in the middle of winter.

Everyone loves to knit!

Interesting color and texture...except for the cigarette.

An elf rock in a park behind our hotel.

Stepping stumps in the park.

A nice way to recycle cans.

I got hungry and needed something for a snack.
These cookies were really good. Gnome liked them, too.

Back home, the lava rock votive candleholders make the shadows look
like the mountains of Iceland.

Lopi yarn and cakes from Alafoss, buttons from Ragga, a pin and ornament from
the Handknitting Association of Iceland.

Lovely spinning fiber from Þingborg Ullarverkstæði

Herr Kurbis and Humpty Dumpty admire the soft wool and my new birch spindle.

10.10.13

Knitting in Iceland

A week ago I returned home from a wonderful trip to Iceland. It was a wonderful and inspiring trip! Debbie Abrahams, our teacher, was delightful. Our group was international--America, England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Canada. Debbie designed a project exclusively for us to knit. The colors reflect the beauty of Iceland's landscape. I bought my buttons at the Handknitting Association of Iceland in Reykjavik.

The cozy kept my chocolate-covered licorice safe on the plane. Rowan's Creative Focus Worsted yarn was a great choice for the project.

I added lining with pockets!

Ragga of Knitting Iceland was our guide for two days as we took a walking tour of Reykjavik and then a day trip including a visit to Álafoss and Þingborg ullarvinnsla.

Hallgrímskirkja

Beautiful and serene inside

This little fellow greeted me every day in front of the grocery store.

The day I arrived it was very sunny and a perfect day to explore Reykjavik on foot.

Beautiful views everywhere in the city.

A rare quiet moment. We must have been casting on stitches and counting.

Debbie helps Rowena. Sue and Scullybunbun are busy working away...

One of the stops on our day trip around the Golden Circle. My new hat is from the Alafoss Shop. Happy to be in such a beautiful spot and happy to be with knitting friends!

At the wool collective. Open for business!

Smokin'!

This geyser went off every four to ten minutes.

Alafoss...

...where yarn is made!

MiniD was exhausted and found a cozy spot on the remnants.

Across the street was an elf house just the right size.

Ragga's yarn-bombed bicycle outside her shop in Reykjavik.

Ragga and our group in her studio. It was interesting to hear about
her designs, Icelandic history, and her collaboration with Stephen West--
their book is supposed to be out this month. We got to try on some
of the garments!