A new wardrobe favourite
This excellent pattern by Jared Flood takes the graphic quality of traditional Icelandic knitwear and modernises it with sophisticated shaping and finishing. Combined with being toasty warm, this is everything I want in a sweater, and it did not disappoint!
I adored my previous Grettir, but it no longer fits me, and there was room for improvement.
The yarn
The pattern calls for a woollen spun, worsted-weight yarn, which is uncommon in the UK. Previously, I used a woollen spun silk blend marketed as aran weight. In reality, it was a light DK at most, and the resulting sweater fabric was rather delicate and not very warm. This time, I wanted it cosier and more hardwearing, i.e. a worsted spun aran weight yarn in a sturdy yet soft wool.
Luckily, I don’t have to look far for such a yarn! Our 100% Bluefaced Leicester Awesome Aran fitted the bill precisely, and I already had some colours in mind.
The colours
My palette is quite a departure from the traditional Lopapeysa. I planned to wear this in the coldest, greyest winter months and wanted it to be bold and cheerful. I immediately picked out Professor Plum for the main colour and settled on Spirulina as an accent colour, with black and natural off-white providing neutral contrast.
Swatching is especially important for this pattern. Firstly, it requires the knitter to maintain similar tension across colourwork and plain sections, even though these have different suggested needle sizes. Secondly, the recommended yarn, being woollen spun, has a different density than the prevalent worsted spun yarns that one might choose as a substitute. This was particularly true in my case as I used a weightier yarn. Lastly, even if you’re happy with your tension, I strongly recommend swatching a colourwork sample (or at least colouring it in on squared paper) because the yoke pattern can look unbalanced with the wrong combination. This is precisely what happened with my first attempt at my previous Grettir; it just didn’t look right, so I ripped out the yoke and reknitted it, replacing one of the colours.
So, what makes a successful Grettir colour scheme? In my limited experience, a good level of contrast between the colour used for the tree-like motif and the shade that forms their background. The same applies to the circular shapes above them. Tonal palettes with light/dark contrast look wonderful. Using several different colour tones together is more challenging. In this project, I used black to frame the teal sections to avoid clashing with the plum.
Construction
Although this is my third garment using this pattern (I also made one for my partner), I was surprised to rediscover that this is a bottom-up pattern. I am very tall, typically requiring 5-8cm added to torso length and 10cm to sleeves. Additionally, I have narrow shoulders and need extra room at the bust. Top-down, in-the-round constructions allow me to accommodate all these things as I go, without lengthy calculations. Naturally, I converted the pattern to top-down, but it would have been difficult to reverse the decreases in the colourwork yoke without changing the look. Instead, I began by working the yoke bottom-up from a provisional cast-on. Once the yoke was complete, I worked down from the provisional cast-on, dividing for the sleeves and body in the typical way.
I chose the size 5 for the yoke for a relaxed fit on my shoulders without being oversized. Beyond the yoke, I didn’t follow a size for the body; I simply fitted the garment by trying it on regularly and seeing what was necessary. I added extra short-row bust shaping, omitted some of the waist shaping and widened the garment towards the hip.
I did my own thing with the neckline, making my usual folded rib collar bind-off. To do this, you knit in rib to double the desired length of the collar, then cast off together with stitches picked up on the inside of the base of the collar. (It’s a bit like the one in this video)
The finished garment
What can I say? I love it! It’s incredibly cosy, like a cocoon. Awesome Aran knitted on 4.5mm needles gives such a warm fabric. It’s exactly what I have needed this winter, as the temperature in the dye studio has not been much above 5c for weeks. Motivating myself to spend the day there on cold days can be challenging, but this sweater actually keeps me very comfortable.
One big thing that sets Grettir apart from the classic yoked Lopapeysa is the neck shape, which is raised at the back using short rows (the traditional version is the same shape back and front, making the back neck rather low). I really appreciate this upgrade in fit and comfort, which maintains the traditional aesthetic.
Working with yarn every day, I really get to understand each yarn’s unique personality. One of my favourite things about Awesome Aran is its relaxed twist. It gives knitted fabric a loft and a gentle halo that develops over time. Although it’s very different to a Lopi yarn, the halo it develops with wear softens the colourwork and feels evocative of those beautiful Icelandic sweaters.
Final thoughts
Knitting Grettir again confirmed my view that it is a superbly refined and well-written pattern. Shaped and non-shaped versions are included to suit different body types, and since I first purchased it in 2015, the designer has added extended sizing up to 66′ chest. Brooklyn Tweed patterns are expensive, but you get a lot for your money; there is even dedicated support if you get stuck.
Grettir is a versatile design that allows the knitter to add their personality to a colourwork tradition. Will you keep it classic or go bold?
