Episode 159 is packed with knitting adventures from around the world! Our feature interview is with the Icelandic sisters, Margrét and Anna Dóra Jonsdóttir, who walk us through how to design a Lopi sweater, turn a Lopi sweater into a cardigan and share the history of Lopi wool and sweaters in Iceland. Madeleine has also prepared a fun travel vlog about our recent knitting retreats in the Austrian Alps with workshops taught by knitwear designers Georgia Farrell and Charlotte Stone from Stone Knits. We’re also excited to share some new colours from our developing yarn range, and since we’re currently test-knitting two of them, each of us has a new project to show you in Under Construction.
Icelandic Knitters
Earlier this year, at the Swiss Yarn Festival, we interviewed the Icelandic sisters Margrét and Anna Dóra Jonsdóttir. They’ve been knitting since they were children and have spent the last 25 years designing Lopi sweaters, even writing a book on Lopi designs.
At the festival, they taught a series of workshops, and in our interview they walk us through how to design a Lopi sweater step by step. And how to turn one into a cardigan, either with button bands or with a zipper. They also share the fascinating history of Lopi wool and sweaters in Iceland. It’s such a fun interview, and I think you’ll pick up some really useful tips and inspiration from it.
If you like to travel, we suggest visiting the South Iceland Wool Week in 2026 which coincides with a local sheep show called Litasýning, meaning “The Colour Show.” About ten years ago, a few local farmers started this event to preserve the genetics of Icelandic sheep with rare natural colours. In the wool industry, speckled or multi-coloured fleeces are usually seen as worthless because they can’t produce consistent yarn, so most Icelandic sheep are white. These farmers wanted to change that by encouraging the breeding of sheep with more unique, colourful fleeces!
Patron Discount - þingborg Shop
Margrét and Anna Dóra Jónsdóttir are offering Fruity Knitting Patrons a 10% discount on a selection of their Lopi yarns from the cooperative shop, þingborg. Fruity Knitting Patrons can find all the discount details here. A big thank you to Margrét, Anna Dóra, and the Thingborg Wool Shop for their wonderful discount!
Support the Show
Yarn Update - The new colours have arrived!
Last episode we shared how I spent a full day and a half at the John Arbon Textiles spinning mill in Devon UK coming up with new colourways for our yarn range together with the mill folk. We would weigh tiny percentages of different coloured fibres before carding and hand-twisting them into little “yarn” samples. The goal was to get as close to my desired colours before doing an actual test spin on their machines, as the latter is both expensive and time-consuming.
Under Construction
Elisabeth Blouse - PetiteKnit
The collar is thicker than the rest of the sweater and gives the appearance of being double-knit. It has stocking stitch on both sides, but unlike true double knitting, it’s actually worked in the round rather than flat. Madeleine is finding this project very relaxing and loves how the stst reveals the subtle flecks of orange within our pink “Lilly Pilly” yarn.
Insight - Kim Hargreaves
Since my mother started working on the Good Grandpa Cardigan by Caidree, I’ve realised that I also needed a simple, versatile Grandpa cardigan in my wardrobe. And I thought our Kingfisher Blue would look amazing in this design, especially paired with jeans and a crisp white shirt. Our yarn is a sport weight while the recommended yarn for Caidree’s Grandpa Cardigan is Bulky. Luckily, I found a similar design for a tighter gauge in Kim Hargreaves ADORE collection: Insight.
I’m making my version slightly longer because I want it to sit over my jeans belt, and I’m also adding some waist shaping. Once I’ve finished the body, I’ll try it on to see if the wide sleeves still work with a slimmer silhouette and the waist shaping.
I think our yarn looks fantastic in stocking stitch. It creates a very smooth, slightly shiny surface thanks to the small amount of silk and the round, smooth 4-ply construction. You can also see the secondary colours more clearly in the knitted fabric than in the skein, which is really interesting. And when I knit at night under artificial light, the silk really glistens.
Vlog - Austrian Alps Knitting Retreats
We’ve just returned from hosting two back-to-back knitting retreats at the Achensee in the Austrian Alps, which were a great success. Everyone had a wonderful time, the resort exceeded our expectations, the workshop leaders were fantastic, and Madeleine and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves too. To balance our workshop learning sessions, we added some fun outdoor activities to enjoy and explore Austria’s beautiful nature. Madeleine filmed a lot during the retreats and put together a fun vlog to share our experience with you!
For the first retreat, we were joined by the talented Rowan knitwear designer Georgia Farrell, who’s aesthetic is strongly influenced by modern architecture. Her first workshop covered all the basics of intarsia. We then created swatches that combined intarsia with textured stitches like bobbles and diagonal lines of purl stitches. In Georgia’s further workshops, we used coloured paper to make collages with abstract geometric shapes and, finally, designed our own intarsia patterns bringing them to life on our needles!
Charlotte’s workshops were like a masterclass in knitting colourwork socks covering everything from choosing yarns and colours, to measuring your feet for the perfect fit, reading colourwork charts, managing floats, and working stranded colourwork across different knitting styles. After that, we learned to design our very own stranded colourwork motifs. Charlotte shared her clever formula for creating motifs that can easily be adjusted to different sizes. Many knitters even managed to finish or almost finish their special Austrian Alps Colourwork Hats designed by Charlotte exclusively for this retreat. We made sure to pose together for a group photo!
During our day trip to Innsbruck, we visited the Tirolean folk art museum and the beautiful court church, where we stumbled across a rehearsal for a baroque concert (lucky us!). The day ended in a fun evening of Tirolean dance and singing.
Austrian Alps with Norah Gaughan & Zanete Knits - June 2026
#6We were so impressed with the resort and the beautiful surroundings that we’ve already planned our next knitting retreats, this time with with Norah Gaughan & Zanete Knits as our guest workshop teachers! Norah Gaugan is a renowned knitwear designer known for her unique cables and author of Knitted Cable Sourcebook, 40 Timeless Knits, and Knit Fold Pleat Repeat. We interviewed her back in Ep. 61 of the Fruity Knitting Podcast.
Zanete is known for her stunning, intricate colourwork designs, so her workshops will naturally focus on stranded colourwork, sharing her expert tips on tension and float management, along with a deep dive into the ladderback jacquard method and Japanese short rows. Zanete is also known for her beautifully tailored, perfectly fitting garments, so finishing techniques will be another key focus of her workshops. We featured Zanete as a Knitter of the World in Ep.150.
Details - Austrian Alps Knitting Retreats
- Website: artisan-retreats.com
- Norah Gaughan Workshops
- Register here: artisan-retreats.com/booking-pricing
What we are wearing
Andrea is wearing her Wild Apple by Bohus Stickning during the interview and her Jean Cardigan by Kolibri by Johanna on the couch. Madeleine is wearing her Fern Sweater by Knitting For Olive on the couch.
Credits
- J. S. Bach, The Well Tempered Klavier, Prelude No. 3 in C-Sharp major, BWV 848, performed by Kimiko Ishizaka, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
- In the Mood, performed by Glenn Miller, from the album “I Could Have Danced All Night and More Hits,” ℗ 2012 SVM, Provided to YouTube by Xelon Entertainment
- Lisa Stoll, am Wildsberg, from the album “Gipfelstürmer,” released on 16.08.2018,
℗ 2018 CB Music - Take a little time to smile by Peggy Lee, from the album “Miss Wonderful”, ℗ 1956 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc., Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
- Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs by Jean-Baptiste Lully, performed by Le Concert des Nations from the album “Tous les matins du monde”, ℗ 2001 Aliavox, Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises
- Through the Woodlands, performed by Métis Fiddler Quartet, from the album North West Voyage, released on 25.04.2012, ℗ 2012 Métis Fiddler Quartet Productions
- Es Gibt Wohl Kein Leben (Küherleben), by Oeschs die Dritten, Licensed to YouTube by: UMG, WMG (on behalf of Universal Music), and 3 Music Rights Societies
- I want to break free by Queen, provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
