Long time, no blog! I should really post a general update, and I will, but today I want to share my latest project:
It’s an Icelandic lopi wool sweater, also known as a lopapeysa. Lopapeysas are extremely popular here in Iceland. Most Icelanders have at least one. They’re cosy, durable and water-resistant, perfect for the Icelandic climate. My kids wear them every day in the colder months.
I designed this pattern myself using a wonderful website called knittingpatterns.is. I’m making it available free of charge. You can queue it on Ravelry and pin it on Pinterest.
It’s currently available in English and Icelandic (update: now in French too!) and I may add some other languages later. If you have any language requests, let me know!
So without further ado…
FREE PATTERNS!
In English:
Á íslensku:
En français:
“Fimma” means “fiver” in Icelandic. I chose the name because it’s knitted with five colours – most lopapeysas use between two and four, usually monochromatic. Léttlopi wool comes in so many beautiful colours, it seemed a shame to stop at just three.
Don’t be intimidated though – the knitting method is essentially the same as with any other lopapeysa. I designed it so that you’re almost never knitting with more than two colours at once. In the few rows that use three colours, just be sure to keep the strands at the back extra loose to prevent bunching. For what it’s worth, I’m a pretty clumsy knitter and I had no trouble with it.
It’s a lot of fun to make! I loved seeing each row of pattern forming as I went.
In different colours:
A few technical notes:
– I knitted the collar and ribbing a little differently to what it says in the pattern. The size 6 pattern tells you to knit 3 cm of ribbing; I did four rows of seed stitch instead. You can do it however you prefer.
– With the exception of the main colour, the pattern requires less than half a ball of each shade, so it’s a good pattern to knit if you have a bunch of half-used balls that you want to use up.
– If this is your first time knitting a lopapeysa or doing colour-work, it’s worth mentioning that you need to keep the tension of the multicoloured parts a little looser than the rest of the sweater, otherwise it gets a bit taut. Some people do this by switching to slightly larger needles for the multicoloured parts. So in this case, you’d go up to 5.0 mm (US 8) needles. I’ve never done it that way though, I just knit a little looser with my 4.5 mm (US 7).
– Fimma was designed to be knit with Léttlopi wool but it should work with any Aran/Worsted Weight yarn.
– The pattern is unisex. If you don’t want the flowery motif to look like a flower, knit it in green and BAM! It’s a 4-leaf clover.
– This pattern is available strictly for non-commercial use only, unless you have express written permission from me, the author.
Thanks for taking the time to look! If you need any knitting help or have any other questions, ask in the comments. This is my first time releasing a pattern so if there’s anything important I’ve left out, please let me know.
September 7, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Wouah, what a great and colorful pattern!!!
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September 7, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Thanks!
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September 7, 2013 at 7:42 pm
Merci pour ce modèle. Thanks
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September 7, 2013 at 9:51 pm
Vous aussi! The pattern is now up in French too. :)
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September 8, 2013 at 7:04 am
Thank you very much for this nice pattern, in French!, So pleased!!
I hope to knit it before winter for my daughter.
I will come and show you mine.
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September 8, 2013 at 7:58 am
I look forward to seeing it! :) I’m getting the notes translated too, will post them soon.
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September 9, 2013 at 2:34 pm
It’s beautiful :)
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September 10, 2013 at 10:12 am
Thank you!
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September 11, 2013 at 7:43 pm
This is such a beautiful jumper, expertly knitted and thank you for sharing your pattern. I am going to attempt it for my grand-daughter but although I have been knitting a long time now, it looks as if it might be a bit too complicated for me! I shall give it a good try and may just be able to show you the finished result – wish me luck! Regards Julia
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September 11, 2013 at 8:21 pm
You might be surprised! I think it’s easier than it looks. I’m actually not a very experience knitter and I don’t find lopapeysas too bad.
Good luck with it, and if you have any trouble then let me know and I’ll do my best to talk you through it. :)
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September 22, 2013 at 7:50 pm
This is great! Great timing – I haven’t knitted for a few years and here this lovely pattern appears!!
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Pingback: Another free lopapeysa pattern! “Rosa” (size 6 years) | A Sunny Day In Reykjavík
April 30, 2014 at 8:41 pm
So pretty! I live in Texas and it doesn’t stay really cold here for much of the year. Would it still work to knit this in a different yarn, like a wool blend? I also want to make it for my girls that are bigger than size 8, how could I size the pattern up? Use bulkier yarn or actually do math and add stitches?
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May 25, 2014 at 11:20 pm
Just about to cast on one of these beautiful sweaters !.
Id love to see what you are currently knitting :)
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September 23, 2014 at 4:33 am
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and
now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with
the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from
that service? Many thanks!
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October 20, 2014 at 10:57 am
Lovely! I’ve been looking around for an icelandic sweater to knit. This might be it! mi
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November 23, 2014 at 12:58 pm
I’ve just discovered your delicious blog through Ravelry and I just wanted to let you know him much I admire your knitting designs ! I’ve printed it and am eager to start knotting it for my son when he’s a little older. Thank you !!
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December 12, 2014 at 1:59 pm
Thank you SO much for writing this pattern and making it available. I found your blog via Ravelry after seeing the Fimma that Alicia Paulson knit for her daughter and showed on her blog. I cannot wait to make Fimmas for my nieces!
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February 19, 2015 at 4:34 pm
I love it! Do you have any patterns like this for adults?
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May 22, 2015 at 5:46 am
This is lovely! I’d like to make in a kids size 12 or 14 for my daughter. Could you help me with how to make it bigger?
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May 22, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Thank you! It should be doable if you use bulky weight yarn on 6 mm (US 10) needles. If you’re interested, I could quickly make the pattern so you have the right measurements. Just let me know. :) I haven’t been able to get larger sizes to look right in Aran weight.
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March 21, 2016 at 9:11 am
merci!!enfin un modèle en français. depuis le temps que j’en cherchais un.
je m’y mets dès ce soir!encore merci!!
Aude
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July 19, 2016 at 12:37 am
This sweater is beautiful and I love the contrasting colors. Is there a way the pattern can be adjusted for an adult? I usually fit in children’s size 16.
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March 6, 2017 at 2:00 am
It’s beautiful!
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May 8, 2017 at 2:24 am
what is the gauge/tension recommendation?
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July 11, 2017 at 7:09 am
Bonjour et merci beaucoup pour ce très joli modèle et pour sa traduction en français !
Je le commence ces jours-ci pour mon petit fils.
Une grand-mère enchantée
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March 27, 2018 at 3:26 am
Bonjour je débute mon premier pull en rond et le jaquard aussi j en suis au schéma du haut mais sur la grille il y a une croix qui correspond à pas de maille qu est ce que çà veut dire qu est ce que je dois faire
Merci beaucoup pour votre aide
C’est un pull super à tricoter en plus il est magnifique
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October 7, 2018 at 5:43 pm
Bonjour je suis floriane et française . Comment pourrais je avoir les explications de ce pull en taille 6 ans modèle fimma’ mais nous sommes en octobre 2018. Es ce que c est encore possible. D avance je remercie la personne qui pourra m aider
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January 10, 2019 at 4:40 pm
I would like to know what colours were used in the blue Fimma sweater
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February 16, 2019 at 1:11 pm
merci pour ce modèle . Et s’il y en a d’autres aussi beaux, je suis preneuse…
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June 24, 2019 at 10:18 pm
Hello, I would love to have this pattern (better in french !!!) for a cardigan for my daughter 5 years old.
Could you help me ???
I love this pattern, congratulations !!
I am now in Reykjavik, by the way!
Isabelle
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November 25, 2019 at 1:40 pm
Est ce possible d’avoir le patron jacquard pour fillette de 10 ans?
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January 8, 2020 at 4:02 pm
I’m looking forward to knitting this for my granddaughter but I’ve read on Instagram that you now have knitted it for adults. That I’m really interested in knitting!
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April 10, 2020 at 2:42 am
Hi thanks for you pattern..I would love to have go at knitting it but cant seem to be able to download it…I’ve tried through ravelry to…it’s probably something I’m not doing maybe…
many thanks Valerie.
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April 30, 2021 at 4:48 am
Thank you very much!!!
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February 12, 2022 at 1:27 am
I just finished knitting this sweater bits really beautiful. My mom loved it so much she was wondering if you have the exact same pattern in adult sizes?
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