Traditional Icelandic sweaters are called lopapeysa. Don't ask me how to pronounce it. In my 8 days in Iceland, I didn't pick up a single word (not counting geyser, which I already knew). My ears and mouth just can't seem to bend enough to make/understand the words.
Anyway, sweaters. Sheep are pretty much the only land animal you are going to see in Iceland, and their wool is used to create heavy sweaters with concentric geometric designs around the yoke (neck/shoulder part).
I found Icelandic sweaters to be scratchier and more like what I remember wool sweaters being growing up than the current wool sweaters you see for sale in the States. Maybe it's because they use the guard hairs and the softer hairs, as I learned from Wikipedia, or maybe it's because of the non-spinning thing that they do to make the yarn.
So, wool is hard for me on a good day, and I can really only handle merino blends or cashmere (oh, precious me...), so I found the sweaters uncomfortable. I wore a tank top and a long sleeved shirt and it still itched through the layers. The only thing that worked was when I put my windbreaker UNDER the sweater. But that was a little weird.
E has a tougher skin than I do and loves wearing his. I ended up getting one too, because it was so cute (horses! zipper! hood!), and it kept me warm (and crazy itchy).
Check it out: I am wearing my Icelandic horse sweater while riding ON AN ICELANDIC HORSE!!
I told the guide that E's horse looked like Owen Wilson and her mind was blown.
Most of the tourist shops in Reykjavik (and elsewhere) have locally knit sweaters, retailing for about $150-$300. We went to the flea market that is open on Saturdays, and got ours there. You can get them used for almost half price there.
I noticed a lot of full sweaters and a lot of short sleeved tunic sweaters, which just seems not that useful to me. If it's cold enough to want your heavy sweater, don't you also want sleeves? I don't know.
Want your own Icelandic sweaters?
Want a different but still hand-knit and authentic one without going to Iceland? Shop here:
Nordic store
BeggasKnit (etsy)
BinnaDesign (etsy)
SiggasKnit (etsy)
Or, you can make your own!
Order a kit with everything you need from Knitting Iceland (etsy)
Here is a Youtube video that teaches you how to make one:
Here are some free knitting patterns if you know what you're doing already:
patterns
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