With the Socks of Iceland book, Hélène Magnússon is reinventing the tradition of socks in Iceland. Taking inspiration from old Icelandic socks, historical patterns, but also traditional Icelandic mittens, it contains 17 socks patterns with a definite Icelandic flair. The socks involve all sorts of techniques and constructions that will ravish beginners and more advanced knitters alike. Through the history of socks, the books draws a fascinating and poignant story of everyday life in Iceland in centuries past.

Kits and wool available on icelandicknitter.com

Wool kits in limited quantities with Forystuþræðir Icelandic leadersheep wool are available on icelandicknitter.com

This pattern was part of my Icelandic Yarn Club 5 and is now released as a single PDF pattern for everybody.

The Hestur vest was designed especially for my Knit & ride tour in the Icelandic highlands. I wore it constantly, together with my other riding sweater (The 5 gaits of the Icelandic horse), during the very first tour I ran in June 2023 (the next tour will be in 2025). It has as such been fully proofed as a riding vest! Hestur means horse in...

Töfra was part of my Icelandic yarn Club 5 and is now available as a single pattern.

Pattern was first published in February 2020 in my Icelandic Yarn Club 2 to which it was exclusive for some time. It is now available for every one! Enjoy!

This simple skakki knitted on big needles with only 1 skein, or 25 grams, of my Love Story lace yarn is a mindless and quick project for a mind-blowing ethereal result.

Hálfmáni was part of my Icelandic Yarn Club 4 It is now released to the general public as single PDF.

First published in my Icelandic Yarn Club 2 and now available as a single pattern PDF.

This pattern was part of my Icelandic yarn Club 2 and is now available as a single PDF.

This pattern was part of my Icelandic yarn Club 3. It is now available as a single pattern.

This incredibly pink and colorful cardigan was designed with youtuber Kristyglassknits in mind after she visited in Iceland. Knitted with one strand of plötulopi together with 1 strand of my very fine Icelandic lace Love Story on big needles, it´s super light, soft and squishy, and super quick to knit!

Now available as a single pattern PDF in English

First, let me tell you that this design has nothing to do with sex: SEX means six in Icelandic ;-) This relaxed top-down sweater with 3/4 sleeves is playing on the number six: it makes use of a 6 mm needle (US 10), a lace motif of 6-stitch repeat, and the overall numbers are multiple of sex. It is inspired by simple Icelandic lace shawls decora...

The Mosi family keeps growing! After the Mosi Mittens, their matching hat and sweater, I have now designed matching socks using my Katla Sokkaband yarn, the first Icelandic sport/DK sock yarn, made of pure Icelandic lambswool with a dash of silk. The little motifs on a green background ensure that the fabric is warm and remind of the thick and ...

FREE PATTERN with the KIT: get the KIT here.

Birgitta is a classic lopi sweater for toddlers and children, with a few modern tweaks in the spirit of my popular adult sweaters Gamaldags and Gamallegur.

This pattern was part of the Icelandic Yarn Club 1. It is now available as a single pattern PDF.

Lopalopi is a different chunky sweater with the shape of an oversized rose with arms, inspired by the motif on a pair of old Icelandic shoe-inserts. Big and cosy but nevertheless light, it will keep you very warm against the elements. I have tried to remain true to the original colour schemes of the inserts from the Textile Museum in Blönduós. ...

The Veiðistafur hat has its name from the magical Icelandic stave it is decorated with and that brings luck in fishing (from veiða, to fish). Like most staves, it will be effective only if you follow certain instructions, many of them being rather bloody.

Frjókorn hat is as light and airy as its matching Frjókorn sweater and a quick knit too. It is made with the same bland of Love Story and unspun plötulopi single with the motif in Léttlopi and I encourage you to use your sweater’s leftovers to make it. An alternative for a thicker hat would be to use a chunky yarn, for example Álafoss lopi.

This pattern is part of the Icelandic Yarn Club 1. It was exclusive to the Club until 24th January, 2020. You can sign up for my newsletter to be the first to find out about future clubs.

The pattern is available in 7 languages including Faroese (on icelandicknitter.com)

Frjokorn sweater is probably the airiest, softest and quickest lopi sweater I have ever made. Knitted on large needles at an unusually loose gauge, it uses only one strand of unspun plötulopi held together with my very fine Icelandic Love Story lace. It gives it strength, making the plötulopi very manageable, and extra softness. It also makes f...

Now available as a single pattern with more sizes.

A Skakki is a traditional garter stitch Icelandic shawl. It was usually knitted in the natural colors of the sheep and often decorated with a few stripes and/or bands of openwork, gataprjón (hole knitting), at the bottom. My design has a twist to it with the decorative bands of openwork covering the entire wingspan. Each band is different: some...

When Iceland meets Shetland! Simply by changing the color combination, Hjaltlandspeysa, “a lopi sweater from Shetland”, looks dramatically from Shetland (bue sweaters) or dramatically from Iceland (white & brown sweater). Truth is, it is a blend of both traditions to which I added my own personal flair.

Útivist (meaning outdoors in Icelandic; pronounced ootivist) is a highly technical outdoor clothing. Integrated mountain hood for additional weather protection, zipped chest pockets, longer back hem for additional comfort and warmth, 2 ways center front zip, adjustable cuffs and Women’s Active fit with articulated and pre-shaped sleeves.

Birki means Birch in Icelandic and it is a native tree of Iceland. The coastline used to be covered with birch forests but due to different factors, there are today only remnants of those. Maybe this is why it has a special place in Icelandic hearts. Appreciated by Icelandic designers and crafters, it is also used as a spice or for its medicina...

Sizes: 1 (2, 3, 4) 5, 6, 7 (see measurements on website)

Pattern is for a pair of wrist warmers and a cowl (which can double as a headband).

The Icelandic “lopapeysa” is a fairly recent invention dating back to the 50’s. Traditional lopi sweaters have no front or back and often no shaping. They are worn rather loose with not much fit. I have designed many lopi sweaters for women with a more refined fit but I thought it was time to make one for men as well!

Hapisk

Knitted with the Icelandic lambswool yarn Love Story, the Hila shawl is an elegant garter stitch wrap easy enough for a beginner or as a fast knit for a more experienced knitter. It is reminiscent of the old traditional Icelandic long shawls.

Gilipeysa is a sweet little yoked sweater for the wee ones. Knitted with the very soft and fine Icelandic lambswool Gilitrutt Tvíband, it has all the elements and qualities of a traditional lopapeysa (warm, light, durable, water-repellant) with the softness!

Knitted with the Icelandic lambswool yarn Gilitrutt Tvíband, the Mosi Hat is softly matching the Mosi mittens from the Grýla Collection. The color combinations, inspired by Icelandic nature, can be infinite.

More enveloping than a snood, Gára is a snug collar that covers the shoulders and can also be worn as a hood. The easy colorwork is enhanced by the mottled wool Einrúm (lopi + silk), alternating with delicate bands of Stocking stitch with the very fine and soft Icelandic lace Love Story. The use of yarns of completely different weights as well ...

EDIT mars 2020: separate instructions for cardigan and sweater

This lovely lace shawl designed with the colors of spring retains the main characteristics of the traditional Icelandic lace shawls: the very popular spider lace, undulating striped patterns, a lacy edge and a boomerang shape but here very accentuated making the shawl sit beautifully around the shoulders. Knitted from the top down on big needle...

The Ravelry pattern includes 3 PDF’s: English, Icelandic and French

The Ravelry pattern includes 3 PDF’s: in English, French and Icelandic

The Ravelry pattern includes 3 PDF’s: in English, French and Icelandic

Pattern available in JAPANESE here.

The pattern for the sweater only is now available as a single downloadable pattern, with much more sizes, a more modern fit, an optional waist shaping and a new variation on the yoke design. Instructions are for a sweater or a cardigan with various finishing options.

This pattern is for a set of clothes for Bjarni doll: a striped hooded sweatshirt with a front pocket, a traditional Icelandic yoke sweater (knitted by his grandmother and with a front pocket), a pair of trousers with 4 pockets and a pair of red sneakers. Bjarni loves pockets!

Link to pattern in English

Pattern is available in JAPANESE here.

This is a magic tam that brings sun on your head!

The Elves’ Lights illuminate the dark Icelandic winter and are very decorative during the long summer days. They are knitted with Icelandic unspun lopi then fulled: lopi felts beautifully, shines, gives a warm light and is not flammable.

Knitted from the bottom up, this sweet little sweater with three quarters sleeves was a first research to use the short rows that create the neckline of a yoke sweater as a decorative element. The stripes help to visualize how the short rows interact with each other. My Lopi Affection sweater is of the same facture.

Link to pattern in ENGLISH

Dieses schöne Barett ist schnell zu stricken und passt wunderbar zu Brynja, unserer Lieblingsstrickjacke aus Lopi. Zudem ist es ein perfektes Last-minute-Geschenk.

True lace st pattern (on each row).

Triangle at widest: 67”/170 cm

Now also available as a single pattern PDF, English only

Learn the crochet steel with Theodóra and her best friend Brynja! The instructions will guide you through a step by step tutorial to knit this adorable hoody sweater inspired by the popular Brynja and its child version, Brynja Litla. The doll set also includes comfy trousers, a tee-shirt, a pair of shoes, and two cute little dolls with a hood m...

If you liked the Brynja lopi sweater, you will probably adore its child version. Sized from 3 months old to 12 years old with a hood and a zipper, Brynja Litla, literally Little Brynja, is knitted slightly tighter than its “mum” but with all the charming details: the picot edges in contrasting colors, the ribbon inside. Many different yarns can...

Pattern in English, Icelandic and French.

The sweater, with the colors of ashes, is named after Fimmvörðuháls, a mountain pass in Iceland at the site of the now-famous eruption of glacier Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. I knitted the sweater while walking this pass, in my Hiking and knitting tour between Fire and Ice in the summer of 2011. It is typical of an Icelandic lopi yoke sweater, but...

Pattern available in JAPANESE here.

KIT available on the website: contains 2 skeins for the knitting and about 20 colors to chose from for the embroidery

Pattern available in JAPANESE here.

This tiny little scarf is inspired by the Icelandic long shawls is perfect to keep your stylish but warm. It valorizes the Icelandic artisanal yarn Love Story in pure Icelandic wool and in natural sheep color (not bleached or dyed).

This wonderful coat is inspired by a motif of flowerpot on a pair of shoe-inserts in the Museum Skógar. Hélène Magnússon is working with her favorite knitting technique, the Icelandic intarsia, and takes advantage of the special qualities of the Icelandic lopi: isn’t it truly amazing how light such a big coat in garter stitch is ? It fits many ...

What happens when the Cathare Shepherds (Bergers cathares) meet an Icelandic knitter? A beautiful Icelandic shawl is born, knitted with the natural wool from the Pyrénées’ sheep. Knitted with this rustic wool in natural colors, this lacy shawl will suit both men and women.

This clever but very easy pattern is a good 101 project for Icelandic lace. It is knitted in the round. The instructions are both written and charted which will help knitters not used to charts to learn how to read them and be able to knit more complicated Icelandic shawls.

Pattern available in JAPANESE here.

Doll not included: find the doll pattern here

Will the nasty Icelandic Christmas cat eat Theodora? Was she lazy to knit? Will she get a new garter stitch shawl for Christmas, a warm and colourful rose-patterned blanket or a beautiful lace shawl from her aunt Bertha ? How has your Theodora been behaving?

Will the nasty Icelandic Christmas cat eat Theodora? Was she lazy to knit? Will she get a new garter stitch shawl for Christmas, a warm and colourful rose-patterned blanket or a beautiful lace shawl from her aunt Bertha ? How has your Theodora been behaving?

Pattern available in English and French.

Pattern in English, French and Icelandic.

Pattern in English, French and Icelandic

Pattern in English, French and Icelandic

Doll is about 35 cm/ 14,5 “ tall.

Doll is about 35 cm/ 14,5 “ tall.

What is more British than a teacozy, to keep the tea hot but also… icy cold during the summer! Wool does insulate both ways. The cozy is not knitted with Icelandic wool for a change, but with British wool to stay in the spirit. The recipe of the “lummur” – delicious Icelandic pancakes – is however completely Icelandic but main ingredient is … p...

Finished Measurements: 83 (87, 95, 100, 108, 118, 127) cm / 33 (34, 37, 39, 42, 46, 50)” chest

Life in Iceland was not easy in the days when knitted inserts in soft shoes were in common use. No colored yarn could be wasted and leftovers were highly suitable for knitting decorative inserts. Everyone liked to own something beautiful like a pair of inserts with roses.

Errata for the book only.