As the seasons change to cooler temps, I usually swap my sewing needles to knitting needles. And it's officially Fall in my neck of the woods, time for colorful leafy hikes, apple cider and cozy knitting!
The knitting bug has bit me HARD this season, not only am I halfway through colorwork mittens but I'm also planning to start a cabled sweater! More to come on that later tho...
This past July, I took a trip to Iceland and spent my whole birthday trekking around Reykjavik going to Art Museums (saw 5 in one day!!) and hunting down the most "Allison" souvenir yarn across a few local yarn stores.
Most of the week was driving the Golden Circle and going on adventurous treks and experiencing the extreme natural elements there. A few weeks after I returned, Fagradalsfjall erupted, so alas I missed our chance to see real life Lava flow! I did get to see the glacier, mountains, geysers, hot springs and lots of waterfalls.
If you didn't know already, Iceland is joked about having more sheep than people! Everywhere you go across the countryside, you will find free range sheep, often staring down at you from an unimaginable precipice. The sheep there are raised more as a food source; lamb and mutton are common menu item there! If you ever visit, it's definitely worth trying, I liked it! That being said, I was surprised to learn how cozy the wool was!
The main knitting shops in Reykiyavik are The Hand Knitting Association of Iceland, with 2 shops in the city selling similar items. The shop that is in the heart of the city was small and more geared towards souvenir shopping for hand knitted items and garments, with only an itty bitty knitting supply section in the very back. The items they had for sale were absolutely stunning and much softer than I expected from such a hearty sheep! I would have bought a colorwork dress in a heart beat if not for the mild winters in Virginia.
Farther out of the city center, was a much larger shop that was definitely geared to local knitters and visiting enthusiasts. They had a full spectrum of yarn available (like any small yarn shop) but I was focused on locally made yarns by brands like Lopi. I was originally thinking I would only get a single skein of sock yarn to save space in my carry on luggage, but the local made sock yarn is a heavy 2 ply and would make something more like a house slipper than a sock.
I ended up deciding I would make some colorwork mittens in a bright aqua and white color, as I've been wanting a pair for years!
The yarn I picked was Alafosslopi in natural white and Lettlopi in Aqua. It's worth mentioning that these yarns don't have a heavy twist to them, which I'm not really used to.
The white especially looks like if you give it a good tug it could pull apart. But it's been a dream to knit in a colorwork project because it is so fluffy and has a beautiful halo similar to mohair.
I had a tough time deciding how much yarn I needed as the white is more of a worsted weight and the aqua a light worsted or sport weight. I also wasn't 100% if they would be mittens or a hat! So I flew home with 4 aqua skeins and 1 white skein hoping for the best.
I ended up finding a good colorwork pattern off my craft shelf in the book: "60 More Quick Knits" called " Art Deco Mittens". I've seen this book in quite a few libraries over the years, so make sure to check your local branch before buying anything!
The pattern originally called for sport weight but I figured it would probably fine with a heavier weight and just went for it. The last colorwork mittens I made ended up being child size (SO disappointing), so I'm extra happy that these have worked out to fit my hands really well so far!
I have 1 mitten done (except for the thumb) and am already partway into the 2nd mitten. *Fingers crossed* I don't lose my motivation, I would love to wear these on cold wintery walks!
Do you change crafts or hobbies with the seasons? Or do you look for hobby shops while you're travelling? I'd love to know what you're working on!
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