ásta sóllilja

This was my last knit of 2014, and definitely the warmest. The pattern is from Kate Davies' most recent book, Yokes. I had saved it to read during the holidays so I'd be able to enjoy it more. Kate's essays are wonderful and worth reading slowly. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the lopapeysa, the Icelandic traditional sweater, and the interview with Hélène Mágnusson. 

I was surprised to read that the lopapeysa was not that popular to wear among the Icelanders until the last twenty years or so, because when we were in Iceland they were everywhere to be seen, not only in the shops but also worn by a lot of people. I can totally understand why, the yarn (Lopi) is extremely warm and perfect for the Icelandic weather. Not so perfect for the Portuguese weather, but I've been wearing mine a lot since Christmas when this cold spell started. Lopi is also kind of itchy, but I found that a good soak with hair conditioner softens the garment considerably.

 (Reykjavik, Aug 2014)

(Alafoss store, Aug 2014)

Pattern: Ásta Sóllilja, by Kate Davies

Yarn: Istéx Lett Lopi (details on colors and yardage on the Ravelry project page). The yarn I used was bought in the Alafoss store near Reykjavik, but they also sell online with very good prices.

Needles: 4 and 4.5 mm

Size: smallest (29'')

Notes:

1) Same colours as the original pattern except for the main grey, which is a bit darker (0056)

2) Started off with size 2 but since I rarely swatch I realized after finishing the ribbing that it was going to be too large for me, so decreased and increased until I got the right number of stitches for size 1.

3) Since I don’t like very high necklines I left off the last 4 rows of the yoke chart