Even with Pixie biting my yarn and needles, I have managed to finish my last WIP! New year’s resolution completed!!

(OK, last WIP if you don’t count the Autumn Rose Sweater I abandoned in 2013 because it was coming up too small…Those pesky Guilty Knitters won’t let me forget that one cos they want to see it finished!!)

This is the Afmæli Lopapeysa I told you about in June in this post –>> Knitting my Plotulopi  Lopapeysa

It’s the one knitted in the strange pencil roving yarn, bought on my birthday treat trip to Iceland last March.

So here she is – Taa Dah!

Here’s one of the whole thing on some grinning idiot 😉

This has taken me a year to complete, mainly because I’ve stopped and started and done other projects in between. I also had to buy a second plate of the Cream Plotulopi to finish the neck (luckily I found a UK supplier!) It has been a romp to knit, the only problem with the pattern was that I didn’t notice an instruction on the chart saying “skip this row for size S” and had to rip a few inches of that fairisle.

I think I also slowed down because I wasn’t thrilled with how my colour combinations were coming out and thought I’d made a mistake choosing the rust and red. I do like them much, much better now the garment is finished and pressed though. I am always amazed just how fairisle knitting suddenly looks smooth and neat and cohesive as soon as you give it a light steam iron 😀

Want to see more of the detail?

You might be wondering if that Icelandic unspun pure wool is itchy….It is!

These Lopapeysa are really designed as outer garments in lieu of a coat in the bitingly cold Icelandic weather.  I’m not especially sensitive to “itchy wool” but I could never wear this without a long sleeve t shirt underneath. Even with the t shirt, the neck prickles a fair bit. Don’t knit this yarn is you are in any way sensitive to pure wool!

I have worn this to work this week. Unfortunately to taunts of “What? Is it Christmas early? Why are you wearing your Christmas jumper?” from some of the “hilarious” twerps I work with 😡 🙁

I gave them my best evil stare over the top of my glasses to silence them and will now spend the afternoon, sitting in my conservatory wearing my lovely new Lopapeysa, plotting a suitable revenge… 😉

Completed Knit Report
Name:	Afmæli Lopapeysa
Pattern:	Afmæli – 20-year anniversary sweater by Védís Jónsdóttir for Ístex
Yarn:	Plötulopi / Unspun Icelandic
Pattern Problems:	Detail in the chart of rows to skip on certain sizes – easy to miss! Other than me missing these instructions – very straight forward and fun.
Pattern Modifications:	None except changing some of the colours.
Washing and Wearing:	Very warm (as you’d expect) but a bit prickly, even with a t shirt underneath. (Especially the neck)
Knit It Again???:	Yes – but in a totally different colour palette (I still have a ton of icelandic Lettlopi to use up!
Difficulty:	4/5 You need a range of advanced skills but if you are happy with fairisle and delicate yarn you’ll be ok
Rating:	4/5 (would be 5/5 if it wasn’t itchy!
Other Postings Relating To This One:	Knitting my Plotulopi  Lopapeysa     Iceland!