Hélène Magnússon is a leading knit designer in Iceland. Born in 1969, she has both the Icelandic and French nationality but officially moved from France to Iceland in 1995. There she learned the language while working in a sheep farm and soon after studied mountaineering and Textiles and Fashion Design at the Iceland Academy of Arts. The varied skills she learned in those early years richly inform her work today and make for her unique approach to design and sense of style. Hélène’s passion for textiles led her to extensively research Icelandic knitting traditions. She is the author of two important patterns books about Icelandic knitting: Icelandic Intarsia Color Knitting and Icelandic Handknits. Her expertise has earned her the respect of textile historians and museum curators in Iceland and worldwide. Hélène believes the best way to preserve traditions is to continue using them.
This is what led her to found The Icelandic Knitter in 2010, dedicated to the Icelandic knitting heritage. Hélène’s aim is to revive traditions and give them new life: she publishes unique patterns inspired by the past with a modern twist, produces specialty Icelandic yarns Love Story, Gilitrutt, as well as teaches, lectures and organizes hiking and knitting tours in Iceland for knitters around the globe. Along the way, she shares her love of Iceland’s breathtaking nature, her insights into traditions and culture, and her knitting expertise through workshop intensives making for a one of a kind experience and an unforgettable journey to the land of fire and ice.
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Single-ply Love Story is spun from fleeces that Hélène hand-selects and grades one by one after the first shearing of the Icelandic lambs. The carefully-crafted result is an Icelandic lambswool yarn of unparalleled softness and fineness.
Love Story is especially suited for delicate, ethereal lace shawls and is reminiscent of the old handspun yarns that define traditional Icelandic lace. Alternatively, hold Love Story along with unspun Plutolopi for a classical Icelandic lopi sweater.
Gilitrutt is spun from fleeces that Hélène personally hand-selects and grades one by one after the first shearing of the Icelandic lambs. The carefully crafted result is an Icelandic lambswool yarn of unparalleled softness and fineness.
Gilitrutt’s two plies give it strength while maintaining a surprisingly soft hand and beautiful halo. Despite its fineness, it has all of the lightness and warmth expected from Icelandic wool yarns. This versatile yarn can be knitted with a variety of needle sizes and makes deliciously light sweaters as well as scarfs and mittens and is even suited for baby garments.
The booklet includes projects such as the Crowberry Sweater, Moss Field Throw, Love Story Shawl, Reindeer Moss Mittens, and Reindeer Moss Tam. Each showcase rich textures, colorwork, and thoughtful design that reflects the natural environment that surrounds Magnússon.
Many of the patterns are worked in traditional Icelandic wool yarns like Plotulopi, a lofty unspun wool that offers exceptional warmth and rustic character, and Love Story Einband, a delicate yet sturdy laceweight yarn developed by Magnússon herself. These yarns are central to the aesthetic of the Field Guide, combining robust, homespun character with refined stitch definition that enhances both colorwork and subtle textural details across the patterns. The use of authentic Icelandic fibers and Magnússon's artistic eye for traditional textures gives this guide a distinct sense of place and inspiration for adventurous knitters.
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