Long admired by us here at Knit With Attitude. We are super excited to be introducing Hélène Magnússon’s yarns Gilitrutt Tvíband and Love Story Einband.

Hélène Magnússon has both French and Icelandic nationality. Growing up in France she later became a lawyer in Paris. In 1995 she decided to change her life completley and move to Iceland. Learning the language while working on a sheep farm and then going on to study at the Iceland Academy of Arts. With a passion for textiles which led her to research Icelandic knitting traditions she now publishes knitting patterns and books with an aim to revive Icelandic traditions and give them new life. Believing the best way to preserve traditions is to continue using them. This leads us beautifully onto the yarns:

We have introduced two lace weight yarns a 2ply and a 1ply.

First up lets take a look at the 2ply: Gilitrutt Tvíband. Gilitrutt gets its name from an Icelandic tale about a farmer and his wife, a bale of wool and a spinning female troll called Gilitrutt. This 2ply lace weight yarn is made from 100% Icelandic Lambswool. Hand selected fleeces are graded after the first shearing of the Icelandic lambs. The fleeces are then sent to specialist mills in Italy where its dyed and spun. Icelandic wool offers particular challenges when spinning. Being made of long, coarse “tog” and the fine, short “þel” fibres which requires specialist mills to be able to spin into the fine yarn. The wool is washed with organic soap and dried gently to maintain its softness. The white, brown, black and grey are un-dyed and are the natural Icelandic sheep colours. The white is not bleached and is used for the bases of all the dyed colours which are dyed in a low impact process with acid dyes. By recycling the water used in the various process means no harmful materials are released into the environment.

All of dyed colours come in a gorgeous rich palette that is inspired by the Icelandic landscape. The 2ply gives this yarn strength but still retains a softness. Meaning this yarn is great for all sorts of projects and can be knit on a variety of needle sizes. Even though it is fine it still retains the the lightness and warmth expected from Icelandic wool yarns. The wooly nature of this yarn gives it great grip making it the ideal choice for colourwork or steeked projects. Ideal for Icelandic yoked jumpers, warm hats, scarves and mittens.

Look below for some inspiring ideas:

Mosi Hat (link to ravelry) by Hélène Magnússon – This stranded colourwork hat is worked from the bottom up and decreased at the crown. Hats are great projects to take yarn for a test run, choose three colours and enjoy having a play.

Gamlalón (ravelry link) by Hélène Magnússon – This yarn is made for yoked sweaters! Creating a fine and lightweight garment with lots of different colour possibilities.

Hapisk (ravelry link) by Hélène Magnússon – This large hap like shawl shows Gilitrutt Tvíband knit on a larger needle. Lightweight and delicate but still warm. A large striped central panel is edged with lace and brings together Icelandic and modern elements.

Love Story Einband has all the same qualities and is processed in the same way as the Gilitrutt Tvíband apart from one thing, it’s a single ply. This yarn is award winning, with an Award of Excellence from the Icelandic Lamb board in 2018. Reminiscent of the old hand spun yarns that are iconic of traditional Icelandic lace. Perfect for those delicate shawls or knit together with other yarns giving a delicate softness and halo. Like the Gilitrutt it can be worked on a variety of needle sizes depending on the project and comes in the same 20 beautiful shades.

Look below for some inspiring ideas:

Thórhildur by Hélène Magnússon – This yarn looks stunning knitted into lace shawls. I could imagine some really complex creations being knit from it. This design starts with garter stitch and moves down to the lace motifs that incorporate traditional Icelandic elements.

Hryggir (ravelry link) by Hélène Magnússon – This jumper starts with a geometric lace yoke. You then work the body on a different needle size with two strands. The marled body is achieved by holding both Gilitrutt Tvíband and Love Story Einband together. So many colours possibilities!