Iceland has been on my mind since Cirilia Rose has been instagraming from Iceland along with her buddy Steven West. You have to check out their photostreams – so entertaining!!! This picture of fish skin shoes had me remembering the time Gudrun and I spent at the Textile Museum up in Blönduós. It turns out that the traditional knitting of Iceland, or rather the antique knitting of Iceland, isn’t the ubiquitous Lopapeysa yoked sweaters, but garter stitch insoles for fish skin shoes. I’d heard about these from Helene Magnusson’s fantastic knitting books, especially Icelandic Color Knitting: Using Rose Patterns.
While wandering the galleries, I was so enthralled with the insoles that the kind women at the museum offered to show me some of the collection not on display.
It is about time I shared them with you!
Here’s how they are stored.
Ok that’s all for now, soon I’ll show you the shoes and some more examples.
Beautiful!! I really like that 2nd one!!!
it is so hard to choose!
We were in Iceland last May. 2 wks too early for most of the specialized museums. I remember being in Blondos on a Sunday morning, pressing my nose against the window of the Textile museum. It was to open that following week. Boo Hoo. I rarely travel to the same place, but I find myself longing for Iceland and all of it’s empty, vast beauty. Please share more from the musuem.
Stacy, it is really worth a trip back! They have a contemporary exhibit and the permanent collection. It is just the right size, not too big not too small, and loaded with wonderful textiles. And if you go back you can go over the peninsula and visit the fish skin tannery in Sauðárkrókur ( http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/TravelService/the-tannery-visitor-centre ) Worth a stop while you’re in the neighborhood.
How wonderful to give so much attention to something that was made to be hidden! Can’t wait to see the shoes!
I know, they are the wearers own little special secret!
The insoles are very beautiful! 🙂 But those on display are just as good.
The staff in the Textile Museum is very friendly and they are happy to elaborate to more details if the visitor is interested 🙂
At least they did in my case! xD
I agree there are some really really nice ones on exhibit, a lot of them too. I was so obsessed that the wonderful women of the museum staff offered to show me even more of them. I highly recommend taking the trip to the north of Iceland to visit the museum.