Lopi (knitting)
Knitting wool from Icelandic sheep
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lopi (Icelandic: [ˈlɔːpɪ]) is knitting wool made from the fleece of Icelandic sheep. The fleece is made up of two layers, each with a different kind of wool. The wet-resistant outer coat contains long, coarse fibres, while the insulating layer beneath consists of soft, short fibres.[1] These are processed together to create lopi roving and yarn.
History
The machine-carded roving is produced in disc-shaped rolls.[2] The original unspun lopi was first used for knitting c.1920s.[3] More recently, lightly spun lopi yarn in different thicknesses has become available.[4]
Most wool produced in Iceland is processed by Ístex, the Icelandic Textile Company.[5] They manufacture 7 types of spun lopi yarn and also unspun lopi, all in a variety of natural fleece shades and in a range of dyed colours. The yarn is available in stores in Iceland and all over the world.[6][7]