Oh, you guys, I can’t even think straight! I blocked my black lopi raglan sweater to make sure it really needed a revision to the lower body, and it turns out it’s PERFECT. And I don’t just mean it doesn’t need any more work, I mean it is the perfect sweater.
Imagine if I said you could knit a sweater in two weeks or less that is thin and light as air, but very warm. That is durable — as in, it will last for decades. [ETA: Judes makes an excellent point below.] Knitted from totally ethical, traceable farm yarn. And which would cost you well under $100. (Mine cost about $28.) You’d ask if it was spun whole by bluebirds from fairy dust and unicorn hair, right? But that’s exactly what this sweater is. (I promise I’ll take FO pics and show it to you ASAP.) Lettlopi aran-weight Icelandic wool knitted on US10 — or even 10.5 — needles is pure unadulterated genius, brought to my attention by Mary Jane Mucklestone and her Stopover sweater. Little did I know, the day I put on Kathy’s for that photoshoot, that it would change my entire knitting worldview.
I’m so driven to distraction with yarn love that instead of writing the post I meant to write for this morning, I’m back on Tolt’s Lettlopi page fantasizing and picking out colors for five more sweaters. Because all I want to knit now is every archetypal sweater in Lettlopi stockinette at 3.5 stitches per inch—
– Basic crewneck cardigan : Color 56 (silvery grey)
– Hip-length boyfriend cardigan with inset pockets : Color 1402 (sky blue)
– Short, long-sleeve v-neck pullover: Color 1400 (camel)
– Crewneck pullover, long full sleeves : Color 1413 (lilac)
– Short, elbow-sleeve crewneck pullover (same as the black one) : Color 9421 (army)
Along with the black (Color 0005), that’s my whole life palette right there, by the way — it doesn’t seem to ever change.
Look, I have to say this: This yarn is not for everyone. If you like gooey soft marshmallow yarns, you probably won’t like lopi. It is soft, but not that kind of soft. It’s airy and hairy and does magical things when you soak it — at least (or especially?) at this gauge. It’s fascinating.
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Lettlopi photos © Tolt Yarn and Wool