Authentic Icelandic Wool
All our yarn is 100% authentic Icelandic wool and all produced at our mill in the South of Iceland.
The wool we work with comes mainly from our own sheep, which we selectively breed to prioritise wool quality and to produce all the colors that can be found in the Icelandic breed – white, moorit, grey, black, badgerface, mouflon, flecked etc. Producing our authentic Icelandic yarn starts when deciding which ewe to lead to which ram to breed for the best quality fleece.
We make yarn in the natural colors of each individual fleece. They are chemical-free and we do not dye our natural color yarn to create standardised shades. Each batch is unique as each sheep is unique. We use mild, nature-friendly soap when washing and treat every fleece with care and respect, selecting the type of yarn we make from each fleece based on the characteristics of that fleece.
We only use high quality wool for our yarn and it can come from either lambs or adult sheep. It is not necessarily the age of the sheep that decides the quality of wool. Other factors, such as weather, feed, and genetics all play a role. But how we work with the fibre is also very important. Since we only use mild soap for washing, there is still lanolin in the garment when finished knitting so that the natural ability of the wool to keep you warm and dry is not lost.
We also dye small batches of yarn, dying on white, grey, and brown bases to produce a range of stunning colors. These are ever changing so you can either try your luck with our current stock, or request a custom dye order.
All our wool is non-superwash (an environmentally toxic process that strips the outer layers of the wool fibre and coats it in plastic), and mulesing is not practised anywhere in Iceland.
Our goal is to work in collaboration with nature and fully utilize every fleece. We believe there is no such thing as waste wool – all wool can be of use. The best parts of the fleece we turn into yarn, the worst parts (felted and/or soiled fibres) into compost. In this way, we show respect to the sheep that produced the wool, and the land that nourished the sheep.
Our Icelandic yarns
Hulduband (hidden woman yarn) is 2 ply, aran weight – 200 meters (218 yards) per 100 grams. Needle size 4,0 to 5,0 mm recommended: Gauge for 4,5 mm needle is 18 sts and 24 rounds for 10×10 cm. Hulduband is by far our most popular yarn, since it can be used for so many projects, whether it is an everyday sweater, a pair of mittens or a hat. We recommend clothes from Hulduband to keep you warm during hikes, horseback riding or any other outdoor activities, since they are often light and can fit well underneath a jacket or a raincoat – keeping wool close to your skin is key to staying warm in all kinds of weather.
Dís (the fairy) is 2 ply, fingering weight – 440 meters (481 yards) per 100 grams of yarn. Needle size 1,5 to 3,0 is recommended: Gauge for 3,0 mm needle is 25 sts and 32 rounds for 10×10 cm. Dís is made from lambs wool, clean and soft and shorn the same day that the lambs are housed for winter. Making the very fine thread of Dís requires a lot of care and attention, and therefore it is absolutely necessary that it is clean and well-selected. Dís is ideal for knitting shawls, and many have been knitted with this wonderful yarn. When knitting for a baby or finer garments, such as finer sweaters and mittens with complex patterns, we recommend Dís.
Dvergaband (dwarf yarn) is 3ply, bulky weight – 100 meters (109 yards) per 100 grams. Needle size 5,0 to 6,5 mm is recommended: Gauge 6,0 mm needle is 13 sts and 18 rounds for 10x10cm. We reccommend our Dvergaband for projects designed to keep you especially warm, such as a big, cosy sweater for the wintertime. The farmers all around us often request a sweater from Dvergaband to use for their outdoor work, but the wool is quite adjustable to different temperatures and has the unique quality of keeping them warm even if they get a little wet in the rain or snow.
Hjónaband is a DK weight, two ply yarn – 280 meters (306 yards) per 100 grams. Needle size 2,5-3,5 mm. We put our pride into finding the best fit product for the wool from our sheep. We use everything we possibly can in one way or another, and putting it into yarn is always the first goal. As the sheep get older, their wool grows thinner and the long tog hairs are looser in the fleece. So, putting the wool once or twice through the fiber separator removes almost all the tog, leaving us with lustrous, soft and warm þel to make yarn with. We named the yarn Hjónaband, which means ‘marriage’ in Icelandic, because our belief is that every hjónaband (marriage) should be warm and soft like the wool we get from our senior sheep.
Dvergasokkar and Huldusokkar – our 3ply sock yarns with no plastics! We select the fleeces with the longest and strongest tog to create these durable sock yarns, and boy, does it work. With just the right amount of lanolin retained in the yarn, they’re also a little moisturising, making your feet both warm and soft. On cold days, Dvergasokkar are the thicker ones to wear outside when working or on a hike, even skiing or riding a horse. In the evening inside the house, Huldusokkar are slightly thinner and keep your feet warm on cold floors, in front of the fireplace, or in bed at night. Dvergasokkar is the same yarn weight as Dvergaband (100 meters per 100 grams ) and so the ribbing can decorated with Dvergaband. The same for Huldusokkar and Hulduband (both 200 meters per 100 grams).
Tröllaband (troll yarn) is a bulky, textured art yarn for all kinds of creative projects. Needle size 10,5 to 25 mm. In natural and dyed colours, including custom dye orders for your fibre projects.