Icelandic Handknits Blog Tour

I am delighted, proud and excited to take part in the blog tour for my lovely friend, Helene Magnusson’s new book, Icelandic Handknits.

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

Helene has explored the knitted artifacts of Iceland’s textile museum in Blonduos and has created inspiring new designs from them. 

The Textile Museum, Blonduos

There are 25 projects in total ranging from home furnishings to baby wear, from slippers to the Missing Lopi Sweater (more of this below!)

But if that wasn’t enough Helene also includes information on the textile history of Iceland and traditional Icelandic recipes. The recipe for ‘Salkjot og Baunir’ (split pea soup with salt lamb) has particularly caught my eye, as salt lamb is a delicacy also sold on Shetland and I have never been sure what to do with it before. Now I know thanks to Helene. The recipes, the beautiful colour photographs, the textile history and most of all, Helene’s designs, speak of Iceland and carry you off there. It is no surprise that Helene is also an award winning tour guide. She clearly loves the country and reveals this passion on every page of this book.

There are several designs that I longed to cast on the instant I saw them including the two shawls - Margret

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

and in particular, Halldora, a rectangular shawl using Helene’s own ‘Love Story’ yarn.

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

I am very lucky to own a skein of this fabulous 100% Icelandic wool created by Helene. Again Helene explains in the book all about Icelandic wool and what makes it so unique. 

To celebrate the publication of the book, Helene has also had the honour of being invited to exhibit at the self same textile museum in Blonduos, Iceland, and I really wanted to ask Helene more about this and how it came about and I also wanted to ask her so many things about the book and her work that I decided the best thing was actually to do a Q&A. So without further ado, may I introduce to you: 

Helene Magnusson

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

S: You have been asked to exhibit at the Textile Museum in Iceland this summer. Can you tell me a little bit more about how this came about?

H: Every year, Icelandic textile artists and designers are invited to exhibit their work in the Textile Museum’s open area. The exhibitions provide a sampling of the diversity in the Icelandic textile world. In the past, have been for example exhibiting internationally acclaimed fashion designer Steinunn or the brillant textile artist Hildur Bjarnadottir. So I was thrilled when I was chosen to exhibit this year. I will be showing knitting pieces, particularly the designs from the book Icelandic Handknits. They will be put in relation with the artifacts in the Museum that inspired them.  The exhibition will be formally opened on May 26 and will continue during the opening of the Museum, from June 1 to August 31 from 10AM to 5PM each day, then the first months of winter on demand for groups.

S: You, your life, your family and your work are intrinsically linked with Iceland. What is it about Iceland that is so special?

I’ve always felt home in Iceland and it seems natural to combine all of my interests, be it  knitting, hiking or cooking under one umbrella: The Icelandic Knitter. I enjoy the harshness of nature and the freedom it gives.

S: You also have your own very distinct contemporary style with an eye on fashion. How do you manage to so successfully merge traditional Icelandic folk costume with your own look time and time again?

H: I have a training in fashion since I graduated from the Textile and Fashion section of Icelandic Academy of the Art and I’ve always liked to introduce into my wardrobe old pieces, from my great grandmothers or from thrift stores. I like to mix old and new, in my home or cooking too! I think it’s mostly a question of balance between the two, so it doesn’t become a disguise, a costume or a uniform.

S: I can see your ‘look’ in the photographs of the book. Is it important to you that the images selected for the book portrayed a theme? How much involvement did you get to have in the styling and photography for the book?

H: I absolutely wanted the pictures to be taken in Iceland and I wanted those pictures to clearly show that they were taken in Iceland. When it came to work with a photographer, it was important to me that he would be able to convey my vision. Arnaldur who I have known for a while did a fantastic job in that respect.

The look I wanted to achieve was of a strong Icelandic woman, braving the elements and standing for her convictions no matter what, at the image of the remarkable Halldora Bjarnadottir who did pioneering work in the education and culture of women in Iceland. Many artifacts in the Museum are from her collection and a special room is dedicated to her and her work.

With the elements we definitively had to be brave! The photoshoot took place in January with only 3 hours light and a snow storm followed by a terrible wind and temperatures way below zero!

S: I am very intrigued by the missing lopi jumper. Often what we perceive as tradition is actually relatively recent - the yoked jumper of the Shetland Islands is another such example - could you tell us a little more about the lopi jumper and how this particular style came about.

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

H: Nobody knows really when it came about, but probably in the 1950s or 60s. There are a few women I have interviewed who claim to have been the first. What is for sure is that it had become immensely popular in the 70’s, it was the “hippie jumper” then it has had its ups and downs. Sometimes it’s out, sometimes it’s in. At the moment it’s in!

S: You put great thought into the fit and shaping of your garments, with clever touches such as short rows in the elbows. Can you tell us a little bit about the traditional construction of an Icelandic garment and the little extras that you have introduced to them to make them fit even better. Which patterns in the book demonstrate this best?

H: Little is known about the construction of women jackets but they were knitted on very small needles in a very intricate manner, with a very close fit, knitted slightly bigger then felted, but still perfectly shaped to the body of its wearer. 

The Icelandic lopi sweater on the other hand, is basically made of three tubes, a big one for the body, and smaller ones for the arms, then combined together and the yoke knitted with no difference between front and back. I introduced feminine shapes into it: princess darts and intense short row shaping to create a neckline. The Skautbubningur sweater in Icelandic Handknits also features short rows in the elbow: 

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

This was a common feature in the old days, adding fabric, reducing friction and thus preventing the formation of holes. As a matter of fact, many garments are mended in many places but the elbows are just like new!

More is known on the other hand about the construction of men’s jacket. Skúli Magnússon, first bailif of Iceland, even gave a recipe for a “perfect man’s sweater”, some time between 1760 and 1770. The Perfect Little Icelandic Sweater in Icelandic Handknits is the occasion to try this unusual construction where the body is knitter upward in the round with side and back shaping, the back knitted higher up, with raglan decreases in the yoke but the arms knitted from the top down, again with the elbow shaping.

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

S: Finally, if I get the chance to visit Iceland one day, could you suggest in your role as Iceland’s premier tour guide, where would be the best place to start!

H: Well, I’d suggest of course that you come and visit me at my design studio to begin with – the view above the Reykjavik habour alone is worth the visit! There is a rich knitting tradition in Iceland and so many places worth visiting combined with amazing nature. Each season has something different to offer and winter time is no less breathtaking and interesting for a knitter. I try to reflect this diversity in my knitting tours, all year long: each has its own theme based on particular knitting traditions and techniques - and explore a different area in Iceland.

  

To find out much more about Helene and to awe inspired by her amazing designs you can visit her website at www.icelandicknitter.com

©Arnaldur Halldorsson, reproduced with kind permission

You can also purchase copies of Icelandic Handknits and her Love Story yarn from the website too but Voyager Press has also very kindly offered a copy of Helene’s book as a prize on the blog, so if you would like the chance to win a copy of this fabulous book, simply leave a comment below by Thursday 16th May and I’ll pick a winner at random shortly after the deadline. Please include an email address so that I can get in touch if you win!

So thank you Helene for visiting the blog and taking the time to answer my questions and for creating such a fabulous book for us to enjoy.

And here are the linkys to the remaining blog tour venues:

May 9th, 2013: Terri Shea – spinningwheel.net
May 16th, 2013: Alana Dakos - www.nevernotknitting.com

so, for now

Ruby xxx