Is planning what to wear while you’re away, right? Well, in less than two months, L and I will be on our honeymoon in Iceland, so it seemed only sensible that we have lopapeysur to wear while we’re there.
Pattern: Stopover by Mary-Jane Mucklestone • Yarn: Istex Lett Lopi in # 86, #9412 and #1407, plus some of the leftovers from my Karusellen hat
I knit mine first, partly because I knew what I wanted, which made starting easy, but also because I have yet to knit L a sweater, and lopi isn’t exactly soft. It’s not unduly scratchy either, I don’t think, but it’s not merino, so I wanted to make sure he could get a real sense of the fabric before I knit him a sweater. (I see no sense in knitting him something he won’t wear, so this was a no-pressure, no-surprises knit. He chose the pattern and colours for his sweater, has been trying it on as I go — just sleeves so far — etc. Kicking off our marriage by knitting him a sweater he wouldn’t wear and that I’d be annoyed he didn’t wear seemed like a pretty bad idea.)
Anyway, this isn’t about L’s sweater (which I’ll write more about later), this is about mine, which is finished. Finishing a lopapeysa in mid-July is a bit strange, to be honest. This must be the first time I’ve finished a sweater and not been excited to put it on! I knit it through a wave of very hot and humid weather, and it took days to dry after blocking because their was so much moisture in the air. Needless to say, this was a quick little selfie photoshoot because, a) It was too hot for more than that, and b) There will be time during our trip to get proper photos of it in suitable weather.
I knit Stopover, by Mary-Jane Mucklestone, and it really is as quick as you’ve heard. My gauge was a bit tighter than intended because they don’t make 7.5mm needles (really!), and even that didn’t slow me down. Time from start to finish, without any rush: less than a month. At that speed, there may well be another in my future, especially since the lopi softened up quite nicely. I’m just wearing it with a t-shirt in these photos, which probably isn’t how I’ll wear it usually, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I most concerned about the neck, where I can be a bit sensitive, but it was fine!
So, that’s one down, most of one to go, and a little more than six weeks. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I am feeling pretty good about those odds. (Just don’t remind me that I also have socks on the needles for L, the colour of which that he says would go really well with his suit. No pressure at all.)
Pans & Needles 
Great job. Funny, I just read Clara Parkes’ chapter on her to to Iceland in Knitlandia last night.
Love this sweater! I knit a bunch of Icelandic sweaters about 20 years ago, and they really are more pleasant to wear than you’d expect. Sadly, mine are all gone now, for various reasons. Maybe it’s time I made another! Are you planning on picking up more Lopi while you’re there?
Thank you! I am actually quite excited to wear this, even though that will mean the return of cold weather.
I am already scoping out patterns to shop for while we’re there. I want to make sure I have a plan, so I get the right amount while I’m there.
beautiful sweater! Can’t wait to see the next one… and the socks. 🙂
How do you manage the neck not being too tight? That’s problem I usually have with top-down construction (socks or sweaters). Yours looks like it fits nicely, and the neck doesn’t look stretched out.
It is a good fit! This sweater is knit bottom-up, so I just made sure to bind off loosely in pattern. I considered using a stretchy bind-off, but I didn’t want the neck to bag out.
It is lovely. The colors play very nicely together. Good luck on finishing his sweater, and congratulations!
Thank you!
The Lopi really isn’t bad once you block it! I too was surprised. And this is just lovely!
Thank you! I used the sleeve as a swatch (well, a second swatch) and I was so pleased with the way the fabric felt and looked after it was washed. I added some conditioner when I blocked the whole thing (which Kate Davies recommends in her Yokes book) and it softened up even more.
It’s so different from the other sweaters I’ve knit. I’m excited to knit more with it (and the discovery of a lopi-silk lend has me dreaming up all kinds of future garments.)
It’s beautiful!! How perfect for Iceland, that is going to be an epic honeymoon. And glad that L is liking it and will wear his, too! Looking forward to seeing it.
Oh I adore the end result and also the colours you chose. The only thing I’ve made with Lett Lopi so far was a large comfy winter shawl. Once washed and blocked I was amazed at how the Lopi ‘eased up’ on the scratchiness factor.
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