Hi again and thank you for coming back. So as you may know, I went to Iceland for a few days this month and as always, wherever I go I have to buy yarn! And so of course this time was no exception.
Knitting is big in Iceland and the knitting culture is somewhat different from the one in Europe and the US I think. A lot of Icelandic knitters only knit using the Icelandic lopi and so mostly knit the traditional lopi sweaters as well as mittens, socks and hats using the lopi yarn.
There is a lot of Scandinavian yarn on offer, more than one sees in Europe and probably the US too. I also feel that the patterns are different, the style more Scandinavian somehow. Yarn can be found in most supermarkets. Of course depending on the size of the shop the yarn department will be big or not and their selection of yarns differ. On this trip I went to Hagkaup which is a chain of supermarkets and I went to the one in Skeifan (as a reference if you are going to Iceland) as they have a nice selection of yarns. They have of course all the Icelandic lopi and einband yarns and then they have a selection of Danish and Norwegian yarns. The biggest brands probably Drops, Sandnes and Dale yarns.
At Hagkaup I purchased a selection (4) of Alpaca and silk yarn from Sandnes Garn. Those are 50 gr balls, 200 meters of 70% baby alpaca and 30% mulberry silk. It is super soft to the touch and has a slight halo to it. I’m thinking I’ll knit a shawl with this. I chose a sort of gradient so I think it will look great in either a shawl or a cowl.
Don’t these look super nice? I also purchased 2 more balls in a similar blend from Sandnes that I’m including in a swap I’m doing soon.
Here are some pictures from the yarn department at this particular supermarket.
A selection of Icelandic pattern magazines
yarns
The Icelandic yarns
more yarns
Icelandic knitting books
more yarns
these are the alpaca and silk blends among others from Sandnes
Lots of yarns to fall for here 🙂
That’s all for now. In my next post I’ll share another yarn shop in Iceland and my haul there 🙂
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Oh, Bogga! Thank for sharing this! Yarn–in grocery stores!!!?? AND such awesome yarn. I would have sat in front of those pattern books for hours. Sounds like I need to add Iceland to my knit-venuture list for someday 🙂
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You definitely need to add Iceland to your knitworthy destinations:)
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yarn in a grocery store? heaven!
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It’s a good thing we don’t have yarn in our grocery stores. My family would starve!
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😜
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Wow, that is amazing. So much yarn in a grocery store. It is about the size of a yarn store on its own. I love the yarns you bought. Such gorgeous soft yarns, and such pretty delicate colours. I can see them knitting up beautifully.
Thanks for sharing, I love seeing where you go to. 🙂
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