Mary Jane

Irina Lapko you have won a copy of Clara Parke’s Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees The World!!!! Hooray for you!
It feels wonderful to pass it on to you – one of my oldest “imaginary” internet friends – what are the chances with the Random Number Generator?! Just send me your US mailing address and I’ll pass it on to the folks at Abrams who will send you the book.

Thanks everyone for all your wonderful Iceland infused comments.
Perhaps the most intriguing is Laura’s comment:

Funny, two of my sisters and I just finished a Nancy Drew video game which was set in Iceland. One character wore a pullover Lopapeysa; the souvenir shop had three kinds of Lopapeysas; another character wore a zippered Lopapeysa, knitted hat, and stranded mittens; it was awesome! lol

Might have to track that down! UPDATE: Here’s the link to the Nancy Drew video game.

Happy Knitting all.

Keep following the Knitlandia blog tour:
Feb 22 Knit and Tonic
Feb 24 My Sister’s Knitter
Feb 26 ME!!!
Feb 29 Knit Circus
March 2 Yarniacs
March 4 Leethal
March 7 Tin Can Knits
March 17 Marly Bird (Yarn Thing Podcast)

I’ve been looking forward to the release of Clara Parkes new book Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees The World. I’m a big fan of both travel and knitting, so two of my favorite things all in one darling book. The cover is so cute, I’m dying to read it in public, better yet read it and knit in public. And in this case, read it and knit in public while emitting knowing guffaws, chuckles and full on coffee-out-the-nose bursts of laughter. Such a good storyteller is our Clara.

I was especially anticipating Clara’s descriptions of her Icelandic adventure because I love Iceland, been there a bunch of times, and several years ago Gudrun Johnston and I took part in a similar trip also hosted by the inimitable fireball Ragnheiður Eiríksdóttir. Clara nails it -she gets it absolutely perfect, the strange, not strangeness of Iceland.

Knitlandia is the best sort of travelogue, Clara makes you feel like you’re right there with her – the sights, sounds and smells of the place. Having cappuccino at a cafe that provides nail polish too, visiting the Lopi factory, shopping for yarn in the supermarket, riding Icelandic horses, told with lots of informative background information slipped in, all spoken with her comfortable entertaining voice which makes you feel like she’s your best friend, and she’s only telling these stories to you.

My favorite part was the sheep round-up and dinner afterwards – but you’ll just have to get the book!

One great thing about Iceland from a knitter’s point of view, that Clara noticed, is the prevalence of Lopapeysas – the typical Icelandic sweaters – which are everywhere. Here’s a slideshow of some I snapped during that 2012 trip to Iceland…they are the glimmering inspiration that sparked my Stopover sweater!

You’ve got a chance to win a copy of Knitlandia – lucky!!!!

Just leave a comment telling us something you like about Iceland.

The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian entries only. (I’m so sorry all of you in the rest of the world! Not my choice) The giveaway closes Sunday March 6th at midnight (EST) and I will announce the randomly chosen winner on Monday March 8th. The winner will contact me and I’ll forward your information to ABRAMS Books.

Give it a go! Write a novel…because WE LOVE ICELAND and WE LOVE CLARA!

Keep following the Knitlandia blog tour:
Feb 22 Knit and Tonic
Feb 24 My Sister’s Knitter
Feb 26 ME!!!
Feb 29 Knit Circus
March 2 Yarniacs
March 4 Leethal
March 7 Tin Can Knits
March 17 Marly Bird (Yarn Thing Podcast)

Stopover Fun! filmed by Kathy Cadigan on the island of Unst, Shetland. 
Acting silly and leaping like a gazelle in Stopover.

 

Bang out a sweater in no time – that’s the plan.  Mason-Dixon Knitting is having a Knit-A-Long!  Yes Ma’am!

Kay figured out that you really can knit Stopover FAST!!!

Mason-Dixon is the Headquarters…so go there immediatly!! 

I would love to join in but I have a heap of other obligations…so although I have a basket full of Lettlopi that is beckoning and tempting me I must not succumb…though I really really want to….we shall see how strong my willpower is…In any case I’ll be pretend playing along and available the whole time for hand-holding and consultation…although Stopover is so simple you probably won’t need any.

Today I’ll tell you a little history!

 Left: Photographer Jeni Reid's Stopover for Wovember.
Right: Designer Kirsten Kapur's Long Weekend Stopover

When I decided to make the first Stopover I was headed to Shetland 5 days later, (see video above) and I remembered I should be wearing something I made in the pictures…It had to be light, because of packing and traveling, plus it was summer. An Icelandic Lopapeysa was the obvious choice – the yarn is light and lofty and weighs next to nothing! My mom bought one in Reykjavik way back in the 70s – and it was light as a feather! She wore this sweater to death, and it held up great, only needing a little mending at the cuffs after about 5 years, and if it weren’t for the dreaded moth problem at her house it would still be going strong. Almost the same sweater can be found in the Handkknitting Association of Iceland shops today, but at the usual denser regular Lopi  weight and gauge.

 Left: Kiki's Don't Stop (East Road Knits on Ravelry).
 Right Lori's Embellished Stopover (loritimesfive on Instagram)

I’m a gal that does not stick to the ball band suggestions. Yarn companies are in the business of selling yarn, so they want you to use as much as you can, smaller needles means you use more yarn. I make things based on what I want. I wanted to reproduce that super light fabric, so I used Lettlopi – what they call an aran weight – at the regular – bulky – Lopi gauge. Because of the qualities of Icelandic wool, it fluffs up and fills in the spaces, so the resulting fabric is full of air, and does not droop or sag like might happen with other yarns. I am sure there are other yarns that might substitute well, I remember a mohair blend when I worked at a yarn shop that I used the same trick with, knitting it at a way looser gauge than the ball band said…I’m a renegade from way back!

Light to pack and fast to knit, my rules. I got my Stopover  designed and finished before takeoff!

The KAL officially starts next Monday, February 1.

Ready steady GO!
Get thyself to Mason-Dixon Knitting!!!

PS: We had a KAL over on my Ravelry group last fall. You can check out some fabulous color combinations in the Finished Objects thread!