Ode to Iceland

Last weekend I was finally able to visit a destination which I have been obsessing over for some time: Iceland. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that particularly draws me to this mysterious place, but I think it may be a combination of dramatic landscapes, interesting nordic legends involving trolls and elves, wide open spaces and the abundance of yarn! Sounds like a dream come true.

I won't bore you with all the details, but perhaps a couple of photos will tell the story more eloquently than I ever could:

Oh and the yarn.. I had the pleasure of visiting The Hand Knitting Association of Iceland in Reykjavik:

The 50g balls of fine lopi came in at 270 Icelandic kr, which is just over £1 per ball. I had a very hard time choosing:

And plenty of ready-knit items too!

In the end I managed to control myself, perhaps even a bit too much in hindsight!

Not often you get views like this down the road from your local yarn store!

The only slight disappointment of the trip was that I really did want one of those pretty jumpers for myself. I spotted a perfect one in the Blue Lagoon gift shop already on the first evening, but surely I couldn't possibly buy one there like a common tourist?!
The Handknitting Association had a couple of nice ones, but they were all a bit too thick, so I assumed that they must have a wide choice at the airport - wrong! The airport shop was positively rubbish... so I guess I will just have to go back soon then! Either that, or buy the one I saw at the Blue Lagoon online from Farmers Market.

So perhaps this will be our honeymoon destination for next year? Only next time I want to stay for longer, and come back with more yarn - what a hardship!