Plötulopi, easily spotted in its unique "plates," is Iceland's unspun wool, sometimes called pencil roving. It is the original style of wool used to make Iceland's traditional lopapeysa, or lopi ("wool") sweaters, and you can, too! Although Plötulopi is delicate, it's also surprisingly easy to get used to, and it knits up into strong, light-as-a-cloud garments.
Tips for Plötulopi:
- no winding required - you can knit or crochet straight from the plate.
- pick your gauge - use a single strand for a sport weight, or hold double from either end of the plate for the more traditional worsted/aran weight. Some patterns use a single strand with a larger sized needle for beautifully open, airy fabrics.
- Because it's unspun, the strands are delicate - unwind but never pull your yarn, as it does tear easily.
- But, if you do tear it, this yarn joins so easily that you can simply rub the ends back together, often without water.
- Once knit up, this yarn forms a sturdy garment, and its use of Icelandic new wool makes it very soft. You will not experience itching or guard hairs. Expect minimal to no pilling, next-to-skin comfort, and a garment that should last your lifetime and beyond.
Plötulopi offers us big traceability when it comes to sustainable making and knowing where our wool comes from! Made by Ístex, Iceland's only yarn-producing mill, Plötulopi has deep roots in its nation's farming and sustainability. Icelandic wool comes from small, family-owned farms across the island, where sheep spend their summers grazing on the mountains, and then are brought home for winter in community-organized sorting events call réttir. The dual-coated sheep produce a wonderful fiber that knits and crochets up into warm, light garments.
- 100% Icelandic new wool
- Sport/fingering (one strand); worsted/aran (held double)
- 100 grams/328 yards
- Gauge: 19 stitches/4 inches on a US size 7 needle with a single strand; 14 stitches/4 inches on a US size 8 needle with 2 strands
Want to learn more about Icelandic lopi? Check out our travel blog post!
We make every effort to photograph yarn colors as accurately as possible, but individual screen resolutions may vary. We do our best to send skeins of the same color lot number whenever possible, although this is not a guarantee depending on our inventory; however, in our experience, Plötulopi dye lots tend to be extremely consistent across time.