Icelandic knitting

The Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Piecework magazine is due to newstands the first of November. November? Wow. This year is just flying past.

I'm not sure what happened to October. It blew past me so fast. But what a month! The weather was just wonderful and such a relief. I thought for a moment that we weren't going to get much color, but right at the very end, and all at once, the beautiful colors of autumn were there. A balm.

Now. Back to Piecework. This issue is all about wool. There is an article about four rare breeds of sheep with projects to make from each different wool. And that cover pattern? The Icelandic Beret? Well that is an Evelyn A. Clark pattern! Even though I've never worn a beret in my life and really can't picture myself becoming a beret-wearer, you know I'm going to want to knit it. In fact, I already want to knit it. I would have to order the Icelandic wool if I do. Not a lot of thick Icelandic wool around here.

If you read Franklin Habit's blog, The Panopticon, then you've already seen his wonderful photos from his recent trip to Iceland and you've seen the lopapeysa (traditional Icelandic yoked sweater) he's knitting. According to Evelyn, in the article her pattern accompanies, sheep outnumber people 3:1 in Iceland.