A traditional Icelandic lopapeys sweater came into fashion in the 50s. XX century and since then has not lost ground. Sooner or later, each needlewoman tries her hand at creating this elegant outfit in its simplicity. Let's look at knitting patterns for lopapeys sweaters . And also learn a little about its features and the history of the appearance.
What does lopapeysa mean
This name is the traditional Icelandic (not Irish, as some sources say) knitwear in literal translation means "lop sweater".
Lopi is a combed fleece that is pulled into a thick strand for further spinning on a spindle or spinning wheel. It is from it that it is customary to knit a lopapeys.
Outwardly, this sweater resembles its Norwegian counterpart with jacquard patterns and deer on his chest. But, unlike him, he is like a national Greenland costume with a wicker bead yoke.
So although sweaters of Icelanders and Norwegians are often confused due to the habit of decorating them with the same ornaments, they are distinguished by the design and composition of the wool. The classic lopapeysa is knitted only from the lop, and not from anything else.
Features of its design
How is a traditional Icelandic sweater created? Its feature is knitting in a circle and the absence of seams.
At first, each of the sleeves and the body fit separately. At shoulder level, all these parts come together on the same knitting needles. Then begins the knitting of the coquette pattern itself with gradual, inconspicuous decreases. At the neck level, the final gum fits.
However, modern craftswomen often depart from the traditions of creating lopapeysa. For example, if it is created on a knitting machine, everything is done as for a regular sweater, which is then sewn.
Often this product is knitted not from bottom to top, but from top to bottom, starting with the most complex - the pattern. However, with this method, the line of the sleeve is more noticeable.
Despite the difference, almost any ornament can be adapted for the method of knitting lopapeysa from above. The scheme for this can also be created independently, using a specialized program called the “Lapapase Designer”.
It allows you to design your own outfit, adapting it to your standards, choosing a color, pattern (you can create your own), knitting density and even the type of yarn. In addition, the interface has Russian and Ukrainian languages. So if you have the time and desire to create a unique design that takes into account the particular features of your figure, you should not be too lazy and master the program.
What threads are used to create a traditional Icelandic sweater
If, for the pattern, it was almost always customary to use many different colors, then the main one often from Icelandic lapapeis was originally knitted from gray, white and black threads.
It was not only the practicality of these colors, but also that the wool either did not need to be dyed at all, or this process was simple, and most importantly - cheap.
With the development of the chemical industry and the cheapening of the cost of dyes, sweaters began to be made in almost any color. So, having decided on the scheme for lopapeysa and deciding to start knitting it, you can take yarn of a blade of any shade.
As for the pattern itself, it is not customary to use more than 4 colors of wool when creating it. However, we are not Icelanders, and we can allow ourselves some liberty in this matter. In any case, the number of shades in the yoke ornament is determined by the lopapeysa pattern.
What does an Icelandic sweater fit into
On an industrial scale, it is almost completely created on modern machines. However, needlewomen all over the world still use knitting needles.
Some of them still use household knitting machines. But in this case, you have to deviate from the traditional circular design.
In recent years, it has become fashionable to use such an accessory as a loom for knitting. Such machines come in different sizes and shapes. Most often they are round and are well suited for seamless circular knitting. And some use them for the manufacture of individual parts of lopapeysa.
Sweater history
Sweaters in Iceland learned to knit many centuries ago. However, as a rule, their style and decor did not differ much from the Norwegian ones. And it is understandable - it is reliably known that from the 16th to the 19th centuries. This state was one of the leaders in the region in the export of knitted products. And in order to attract customers, I had to adjust the products to their tastes.
The unique design of lopapeys was formed relatively recently - in the first half of the twentieth century. This was facilitated by the economic crisis in Iceland. Automation of production around the world threatened to force the country out of the world market for woolen products. The fact is that the blades were not very suitable for machine knitting. Even, durable yarns suitable for him could only be obtained from 15% of all wool. And hand knitting was a long and laborious process. In addition, sweaters created from waste sweaters were clearly inferior in appearance to machine products. But Icelanders helped the case.
In 1930, the Danes and Norwegians shot the love drama Eskimo. Her main character was dressed up in a traditional Greenland costume with the aforementioned colorful wrap. It was he who attracted the attention of Anniken Sibburn. After watching Eskimo, this Norwegian got the idea to make a sweater in the style of the main character’s outfit. Moreover, the popularity of the film in those years implied that such a design would be a success. As an experienced craftswoman, Annikhen Sibburn created the world's first lopapeyos pattern scheme.
The woman turned out to be right - an invented design (named after the film "Eskimo") became very popular in Norway and Denmark. In addition, in industrial production, it was cheaper than traditional sweaters in this country. Indeed, before that, all the details were knitted by machines, and only the pattern was handmade. So by the beginning of the 50s, he firmly established himself in these northern countries.
In Iceland, meanwhile, things were going very badly. Even the residents themselves did not want to buy domestic products, preferring goods from abroad. To somehow improve the situation, lop sweaters were knitted according to the fashionable Eskimo design. But, unlike the Norwegian and Danish products, they were several times warmer and more practical, and most importantly - cheaper.
Thus, the Icelandic manufacturers managed to interest their compatriots. Soon, almost every one of them had at least one such fashionable sweater in their wardrobe, which became something like a national costume.
Residents of neighboring states pretty soon appreciated the Icelandic version of the fashionable outfit and began to prefer it to him more often. Seeing that the demand for it is great, the inhabitants of Iceland began to come up with their own schemes for lopapeysa. By the way, this name was originally a household name, but gradually replaced Eskimo and became its own.
In addition to the sweaters themselves, Icelanders began to export fleece-based yarns, various knitting accessories and their own patterns for lapapeys sweaters.
So it was this wardrobe item that made it possible to save the economy of this state, and therefore Icelanders consider it their national outfit.
Sprout in schemes
Before you begin to consider knitting patterns of lopapeysa with a description, it is worth mentioning a term such as "sprout". This is the difference in the height of the neckline on the chest and on the back.
As a rule, the number of rows should be longer on the last - otherwise, when worn, the neck will climb up, as if trying to strangle its owner.
For the convenience of knitting in traditional Icelandic sweaters, a sprout often does not fit. Therefore, in the photographs, lopapeys rest against the throat, although with perfect posture it is practically not noticeable. Since our backs are clearly far from the model standards of directness, you should not be lazy and add a sprout to the back pattern. This is best done in rows where there are no cuts, and the ornament does not change.
How to fit a classic lopapeys sweater (knitting pattern)
When looking at the intricate ornaments on Icelandic sweaters, it seems that it is very, very difficult to make them on your own. This is actually not the case. Just know a few rules:
- Choosing a pattern, you need to think it through correctly and only then get to work.
- All sizes are calculated as a percentage of the breast volume, which is the main measure. It is presented as 100%. This is the so-called Zimerman percentage method.
- In the classic way of knitting, lopapaceous body and sleeves are created separately. And only in the area armholes are connected.
- Now the fun begins - the coquette. To easily arrange it, you should "hide" 3 rows of diminution in the curls of the pattern. As a rule, the height from the armpit to the neck is a quarter of the circumference of the chest. Thus, we divide the depth of the coquette into 3 parts. The first one is knitted without decrease. Next begins a series of decreases. It looks like this: two faces, two loops together, two faces, and so it repeats in a circle to the end of the row. The second decrease is made at a height from the beginning of the pattern of either 2/3 or 3/4. This time, 33% of the total number of loops should be "hidden" using the scheme: front, two loops together, etc. The third (it is the last) decrease is made a few centimeters from the beginning of the neck according to the scheme: the front loop, two together and two more together. It is convenient to make these cuts in the ornament with horizontal stripes, placing decreases between them.
- In conclusion, you should knit several rows of elastic and close the loops in a convenient way. Do not forget that a classic lopapeys sweater fits without a throat. However, some are not averse to complement their model. If you are one of these - just knit the elastic to the height you need.
However, few people are interested in simple stripe patterns, and most coquette patterns consist of segmental ornaments. Knitting them is a little harder. First of all, you should calculate the size of the segment. To do this, you need to know the maximum and minimum number of loops in its rows. Naturally, in the circumference of the chest (where the ornament begins) they will be the most, and at the neck - the smallest number. Now you have to count a little.
We represent the whole yoke in the form of a cone and divide it into equal sectors. Typically, their number varies from 14 to 20. The number of sectors in the front and back should be identical.
Now we divide the total number of base loops and find out how much should be at the beginning of the segment. Do not forget to count the number of them at the neck. As a rule, it varies between 30-40%. For example: a coquette consists of 16 equal parts with 17 loops each - 272. At the neck, their number in each segment is 5. That is, out of the initial 272, only 80 (16 x 5) remain. This is just about 30% of the total. So we need a pattern with a start at 17 and an end at 5 loops. You can search it on the Internet / magazines and adapt your favorite scheme or draw it yourself.
Patterns
The ornament with which the lopapeysa is decorated is actually its highlight, emphasizing uniqueness and grace. This is not only the most beautiful part of it, but also the most difficult. Therefore, before you take up the knitting needles, you should decide on the pattern and understand its pattern.
For lopapeys, geometric jacquard patterns, consisting of rhombuses, squares and dots, are traditionally used. Often they are complemented by simplified images of flowers or leaves.
As for children's sweaters, they are often decorated with images of animals.
Most masters take patterns from magazines, where you can find a scheme for lopapeysa, and a description of the whole work. Others download from the Internet or construct them in the aforementioned program.
Some simply adapt the pattern they like to a regular sweater. If you are one of them, do not forget to take into account the decrease, so that your ornament does not contain spaces.
And there are among fans of this type of needlework and tricks. They buy ready-made knitted coquette with the decor they like, and they tie the rest themselves.
As the simplest example of a geometric pattern for a pattern, consider this. It is best for creating a children's sweater. In it, the base of the segment consists of only 6 loops, and to the neck their number decreases to 2.
If you want a more complicated pattern for adults, you can use the design created by Anna Lewis. By the way, it can be transformed into a different color scheme.
An even more complex flower pattern was created by Maria Hansson and is called "Icelandic Spring." Its scheme is presented below.
It is designed for women's sweaters, although if you simplify it, you can use it to create a children's outfit.
And this scheme was created by a real Icelandic craftswoman with the outlandish name of Védís Jónsdóttir.
In finished form, her work looks like this.
At the beginning of this article there is a photo of charming children whose lopapes are based on ornaments connected according to the same pattern, but in different colors. Its author is also Védís Jónsdóttir. This example shows that using ingenuity, you can create many different things on the basis of the same ornament.
All of the above schemes are clear to each of us. The only thing that differs in them is the designation of decreases: for some it is indicated by curls, in others by crosses. Otherwise, everything is identical.
This similarity simplifies the understanding of the picture. Therefore, knitting patterns with lopapeys with a description are served only in specialized magazines designed for not very experienced craftswomen.
Please note: in all of the above patterns there are no germs, so you have to add them on your own.
Knitting lopapeysa from the neck
Patterns of ornaments for an Icelandic sweater is a universal thing. They can be used both in the classical way of creating such a product, and when the work begins with a yoke.
In this case, everything is done exactly the opposite. First, a collar with a neck is knitted, then loops are gradually added and the pattern expands.
Having reached the beginning of the chest, we divide everything into 4 parts: 2 sleeves, a back and a front. Each part is knitted separately. And the sleeves last. All reductions and connecting seams are hidden in their inner part.
What other options for this sweater exist
Over the nearly 70-year history of its existence, Lopapacea acquired many variations.
The most popular are 3 of them.
- Hood.
- Add a zipper or zipper that turns it from a sweater to a sweater.
- Sleeveless shirt. Generally worn by women, plunged golf.
Do not be afraid to use one of these innovations in your product - everything is very simple.
The hood begins to be knitted immediately after the last decrease on the neck. Very often it is combined with a zipper or button closure. In the first case, it is simply necessary to separate the knitting in the center + tying 2-3 cm with an elastic band at the edges. Do not forget: if you use lightning, both parts must be symmetrical. If the buttons are one bigger than the second, and don't forget to knit loops.
A tank top is easier to knit from top to bottom. After completing work on the coquette, the hinges for the sleeves are closed or tied with an elastic band. At the same time, work on the body is carried out as usual.
A selection of interesting ideas based on the style of lopapeysa
In addition to sweaters, using all the same patterns and knitting method, you can create a poncho. And it fits easier, however, from top to bottom. You just need to continue to expand the coquette pattern to the very bottom, without highlighting the sleeves.
A Lopapeis sleeveless shirt can be complemented with elegant mitts knitted in the same style.
By the way, Icelanders, like many northern peoples, are very fond of knitted overalls based on the style of their traditional sweaters.
And this is not the limit. Whichever of the ideas or schemes you choose to create your product, in any case it will be unique. So grab the knitting needles and go for it!