So You Want to Knit a Lopi Sweater

Five years ago, I traveled to Iceland. Like any good traveler, I wanted to be prepared. Like any overzealous knitter, that meant I knit a Lopi sweater. Except I’m excessively overzealous. I attempted to knit three of them in about a month and a half. I was quasi-successful. My Birki was one of them.

I wrote this, the first in a series of blog posts on how to knit a Lopi sweater, while on a bus in the middle of Iceland. Five years ago. (If you’re new here, there was a blogging slump, we’re hoping it’s past.) It’s all still relevant, and based on how I knit all of my Lopi sweaters. Which are numerous.

What is a Lopi sweater, anyway?

First, let’s define what I mean by “Lopi sweater.” For this series, I am focusing my discussion seamless sweaters that are knit from the bottom up and feature a patterned circular yoke. Additionally, they’re typically designed for Icelandic yarn. Lopi sweaters can and have been knit in pieces, worked top down, moved the pattern away from the yoke… Basically there are no hard and fast rules. But if we’re going with the idea that you’ve made few, if any, Lopi sweaters before, this is where I suggest you start.

Let’s break down that definition even more!

Seamless sweaters—sweaters that have few, if any, seams. This definition is a bit wobbly, depending on whether or not you consider grafting stitches to be seaming. Most common seamless sweaters are circular-yoke sweaters or raglan-sleeve sweaters (though raglan sleeves can be sewn in as well).

Bottom up—a type of sweater construction that begins with knitting the body and two sleeves from the bottom hem. The body and sleeves are joined to form one larger piece of work. As opposed to the top-down sweater construction, this method is not as easy to try on but, in my opinion, typically easier to adjust and work overall. More on that later.

Circular yoke—already discussed in passing above, but a circular yoke sweater is typically knit on a circular needle. You’ll want a needle length that’s at least 40″ when working most of the yoke of an adult sweater. Decreases are worked within the yoke to shape the shoulders for bottom-up sweaters. Top-down sweaters place increases in the yoke. There are generally no visible shoulder seams or sleeve cap seams, creating a continuous canvas for colorful designs or textured stitches.

Icelandic yarn—commercially known as “Lopi yarn,” Icelandic yarn is primarily the domain of Ístex (Icelandic Textile company). I have a post about what makes this yarn so special coming up. You’ll typically see either Léttlopi (worsted weight) or Álafosslopi (bulky weight).

“I don’t think I can knit a sweater”

I have frequently heard people lament that they couldn’t possibly knit a sweater. Here’s a handy checklist to determine if you are able to make most sweaters, but especially Lopi sweaters.

• Can you knit, or are you eager to learn and put up with the pitfalls that frequently befall new knitters? Are you willing to say “okay this isn’t working,” and start over? This question applies to veteran crafters as well.
• Can you knit a tube (knit in the round)? The sweaters we’ll be looking at are a series of connected tubes. Kind of like the internet (is that joke still funny or should I just shut up about it, Al Gore?).
• Can you work simple increases and decreases? We’re talking make 1 (M1) and K2tog or ssk for the most part.
• Can you knit stranded colorwork, or are you willing to learn? I have some resources for knitting two-color stranded colorwork, as there are plenty available and it’s a lot of fun.
• Do you live in a location that is conducive to wearing very warm sweaters? This is not a requirement, but let’s face it—if you live on a tropical island and have no intention of moving, a colorwork sweater may not be the best choice. That’s not to say you can’t do it. I support your crafting efforts, whatever they may be.

If you answered “yes” or “no, but I want to learn” to most of those questions, guess what! You can knit a Lopi sweater. If you’re excited about the project, and understand that this is a learning opportunity, that excitement helps to carry you over any obstacles. And I’ll share some resources to help with some of those, and the comment box is always open if you have questions.

Knit a Lopi Sweater With Me

I’ll be knitting Alicia Plummer’s Sing Winter (pattern is available on Ravelry) if you want to join me. Next week, I’ll share some of my favorite Lopi patterns to provide some more context and inspiration.

This is a very unofficial knit-along of sorts. I’m knitting Sing Winter because I’ve had the pattern and yarn for years and I’m trying to bust my stash, but if you want to follow along, pick a pattern you like. Mostly I intend to share how I knit these sweaters (and most of my sweaters) in a step-by-step fashion, intended to encourage anyone who is perhaps intimidated by the idea of knitting a sweater. I have some “preparation” posts planned, and aim to start knitting by the end of October, and will finish by the end of 2022.

If you want to knit a Lopi sweater with me, I’d love the company!