Lopapeysa: A Knitter's Guide to Iceland with Patterns, Techniques and Travel Tips

Description

'This is a joy of a book. I know nothing of sweaters and little of Iceland, and this book used pictures and words to open Iceland and its people for me, using Icelandic sweaters and knitting to do it.' - Neil Gaiman In Iceland there's a piece of knitwear that everybody has but no one has bought: the lopapeysa, or 'lopi' for short. This sweater made from unspun Icelandic wool is a treasured piece of the island's culture passed down from generation to generation, used and cherished. In this guide, Joan of Dark and Kyle Cassidy take you on an 800-mile adventure around Iceland's breathtaking landscapes to explore and experience the island's rich knitting tradition and to show you how to make your very own lopi-style knits. By interviewing local experts, wool producers and knitters they trace the history of the patterns and along the way meet rock stars, professors and designers who share their knitting-related stories and reveal some of their country's hidden gems. From isolated waterfalls, hot springs and iconic movie locations to beautiful Icelandic horses, giant glaciers and erupting volcanos, the book is full of stunning photographs at every turn. The journey inspired 12 beautiful lopi-style knitting patterns all presented here with photographs, charts and detailed instructions to carefully guide you through each project whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced knitter. So pick up your needles and spend some time in the land of ice and fire! Work your way through the projects from the traditional sweater to gloves and hats, a cosy jumper dress and stylish headbands all while finding out why the lopapeysa is so special and so individual to Iceland.

Joan of Dark aka Toni Carr is the author of Knockdown Knits, Knits for Nerds and Geek Knits, and a contributing designer for Vampire Knits, Once Upon a Knit and various Knit Picks publications. Joan has been a featured instructor and guest of honour at numerous knitting and pop-culture conventions. Kyle Cassidy has photographed a wide range of people from writers and punks to politicians and scholars since the 1990s. His work appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Sunday Times, Marie Claire and Forbes. His first book, Armed America (F&W Media), made Amazon's 'Best 10 Art Books of the Year'. As a journalist at Philadelphia Weekly, he won three Keystone State Professional Journalism Awards.

This is a joy of a book. I know nothing of sweaters and little of Iceland, and this book used pictures and words to open Iceland and its people for me, using Icelandic sweaters and knitting to do it. -- Neil Gaiman, author of 'Norse Mythology' Lopapeysa is a seamless knitting together of the author's travels in contemporary Iceland with one of that splendidly idiosyncratic island's most highly prized and traditional crafts, the art of knitting itself. -- Lawrence Millman, author of 'Last Places: A Journey in the North' Through the story of their travels and the people they met along the way, Joan and Kyle have lovingly captured both the technical and artistic aspects of Icelandic knitting tradition, and the culture that created it. -- Smari McCarth, former member of the Althingi, Iceland's national parliament If you've ever fancied visiting Iceland, or simply admire its timeless knitting pattern styles, then you'll love this book! * The Knitter * Lopapeysa is part travelogue, part pattern collection, making it something you can curl up with and enjoy reading as well as browsing the designs to choose which to knit first. Outstanding photography makes it perfect for your coffee table too... The combination of text and gorgeous photography is enough to get you packing your bags immediately. * Knitting Magazine * It's an absolute dream to one day travel up there, buy some local wool, and then start knitting one of the dreamy designs from the book. Until then, I'll enjoy Lopapeysa from my armchair and keep dreaming! * Blackwell's *